Depending on their perspective, a trend can be both a boon and a bane for a designer. Some people view commercial trends as stifling their individuality and creativity, while others find them valuable guides in bringing their ideas to life for consumers.

The most successful trendsetters pick one or two trends they enjoy and ignore the rest that doesn’t feel authentic to their brand. The most notable thing about them is that they always put their artistic stamp on whatever is currently in fashion. 

Examples of jewelry collections that follow trends while still being true to their creators may be seen in the images throughout this piece, demonstrating how trends can be used as a source of inspiration rather than a constraint. From the desire for endless nostalgia for collections like Far Fetched Imports vintage jewelry to Art Deco throwbacks, let’s dive into the 2023 State of Jewelry Report.

Enamel

A few years ago, enamel was at its height as a fashion fad, and its inclusion in practically every new collection by independent designers.

The trend has since calmed down to a steady hum, with many manufacturers taking advantage of the materials’ vivid possibilities when doing so fits with their vision rather than simply following the crowd.

Enamel, like inlay, is a low-cost technique to play with a wide range of hues. Additionally, designers can make their custom enamel colors to meet the dreams of their artistic universe, unlike diamonds, which must be sourced.

Melissa Kaye has unquestionably set the standard, pioneering colors like hot pink and blazing yellow in the fine wire-wrapped jewelry market.

She began with fluorescent colors and progressed to pastels. Consumers have All received it well, indicating that no artist should stick to tried-and-true formulas out of concern that novel ideas won’t sell.

It expertly showed how to interpret a trend in one’s way, designer Selim Mouzannar.

If Melissa Kaye represents the cutting edge, then the namesake label of Mouzannar pays homage to the past and traditional methods.

Its take on enamel is to use unique colors to accent a carved guilloche design or complement a variety of stones. As a result, the atmosphere is entirely different.

Inlay

The current color obsession among designers represents a more significant cultural shift.

Stones like malachite, turquoise, and lapis lazuli are the go-to stones for inlay, as the world’s most prestigious fashion houses have utilized them for centuries.

The usefulness of inlay is what makes it so fascinating. Instead of spending a fortune on gold or a plethora of faceted, more expensive stones, consider the more affordable option of using vast blocks of colored jewels.

The current tendency, however, does not sound very sensible. Instead, it looks like a happy, maximalist, gem-filled celebration.

Mason & Books’ jewelry collections feature a variety of inlay types and are based on innocent, childlike symbols like ladybugs, bows, and hearts. While the designs are consistent, designer Jamie Books’s stones make each item unique.

Mason & Books exemplifies the benefits of combining faceted stones and gemstone inlay.

Retrouvai, the label founded by designer Kirsty Stone, has always been at the forefront of this fad because of its signature use of inlay. To be more particular, the “Lollipop” collection features a faceted gemstone surrounded by an inlay “halo.” The style is daring, so you can experiment with many different colors.

Using inlay and finishing it off with diamonds, gold letters, and symbols, Sorellina, a band led by Nicole and Kim Carosella, has made the signet ring its own. Due to its popularity, this design is also offered as a pendant.

Hippie mosaic styles equivalent to fine flower-child jewelry make inlay seem on-brand at Jacquie Aiche.

Keep a look out for the tiger’s eye, which is making a comeback after falling out of favor, and multi-inlay designs that use multiple layers of inlay, as popularized by Orly Marcel.

A Shiny New Cocktail Ring

Seeing a large diamond or gemstone in a heavy gold setting is not surprising.

The cocktail ring is a style that has been around since the Prohibition era, but modern designers are putting their spin on it by playing around with settings and gems. The atmosphere is upbeat and joyful, very post-pandemic and festive, and it makes one long for a few cocktails by the Palm Springs pool.

This design replaces what we once called the “right-hand ring.” There is no longer a need to categorize ring styles because individuals are increasingly purchasing jewelry for themselves rather than saving it for special occasions like engagements and anniversaries.

The style’s success has led to the development of a related accessory, the cocktail pendant.

Retrouva’s new “Loop” rings are the brand’s latest invention, making even the most basic gemstone ring feel completely novel—Gemella’s manufacture lush gemstone pendants in thick gold settings on their distinctive hefty ball chain.

Unquestionably traditional and exquisite, Arielle Ratner’s “Power Pinky” is super-bold but suited for daily wear, not just special events.

Waves

There has been a significant movement in shapes as attention moves away from color and toward diamonds and metals. More natural, undulating aesthetics are replacing geometric and graphic patterns.

Taking part in the trend is a great way to reinforce your company’s unique personality. A business emphasizing Art Deco would do well to avoid it. On the other hand, the trend is fantastic for designers that feel at home with rounded forms.

Trends in jewelry now reflect what has been happening in home decor for the past several years: an embrace of playful, curvy forms reminiscent of the Memphis Group’s work in the 1980s.

It was inevitable that some jewelry designers would respond to the current trend toward rounded corners in furniture and home decor by creating their versions of Ettore Sottsass’ curved mirror.

The entire collection of the up-and-coming label Ondyn is built on curvy, alluring forms. Moreover, Ondyn is well suited to wave-like patterns since nearly all its components are articulated and move in concert with the wearer.

The textured wavy bangles and rings in Aurelia Demark’s “Ric Rac” series feel like instant heirloom pieces, and the collection as a whole is a beautiful and sculptural take on wavy shapes.

Jemma Wynne’s 15th-anniversary collection featured a wave pattern set off by diamonds and colored gemstones on previously plain bands and cuffs.

Hard Rockin’

The following fad, the current obsession with metal-heavy designs, is easily transitioned into by wearing a set of chunky gold cocktail jewels.

Brent Neale is at the vanguard of this trend with its luxurious takes on the vintage “gypsy-style” ring, featuring stones practically flush against the metal.

Since there are few methods to create and display jewelry, the style itself isn’t new. However, people who initiate trends are sometimes credited with bringing back an out-of-date look or adding their spin to an existing trend.

Brent Neale’s affinity for the precious metal has resulted in abundant hefty gold settings, such as his signature circular bezels and the cult classic “Petal” ring. 

Jonne Amaya, a bespoke jeweler, uses the phrase “metal-prominent” to describe her pieces, which are the polar opposite of a traditional prong-set diamond ring and so perfectly reflect the current trend.

Lindsey Scoggins uses a lot of metal in her unconventional stone settings, which defy current fashion trends.

Rings with Dual Stones

Any piece of commitment jewelry, such as an engagement ring, might benefit from a substantial gold setting. Similarly, two-stone rings are all the rage in the bridal jewelry industry.

Two-stone engagement rings first appeared on the fingers of celebrities like Ariana Grande and Megan Fox in 2021 and 2022, respectively, and the style quickly caught on.

Many couples felt they needed a toi et moi ring as the trend spread via popular culture.

One of the best things about the current two-stone ring fad is that it can be adapted to the visual identity of any business with little effort. Adding another diamond to a solitaire ring is simple.

Jemma Wynne’s two-stone rings, generally featuring the white diamond and emerald combination popularized by designers Jenny Klatt and Stephanie Wynne Lalin (and many more variations since), have long been a cornerstone of the brand’s work. Recently, the company has introduced specific bypass-style two-stone rings. The State of Jewelry Report 2023 found that the best sip to invest in is colored gemstones, as they are expected to see the highest growth in demand over the next five years.

Darius, a jeweler inspired by antiquity, uses rare and unusual stones in their two-stone rings and even hoop earrings.

Conversely, Uniform Object is an excellent illustration of personalizing a two-stone ring. The two accent stones in its designs are rarely on the same plane, with one put into the ring’s side and others pavé-set throughout.

Briony Raymond’s toi et moi-inspired, two-stone style features an extra-chunky gold bezel setting.

Endless Nostalgia Never Left Us

Designers born in the 1980s, 1990s, and 2000s draw inspiration from their nostalgic childhoods.

The end effect is lighthearted, but the melancholy overtones bring it home. The fad can be taken at face value or more figuratively.

For instance, the Boochier brand gives traditional jewelry like hoops, bangles, and rings a modern, stylish makeover as a Slinky toy. The State of Jewelry Report found that gold-filled beads and findings are becoming increasingly popular as a more affordable alternative to solid gold jewelry. Likewise, diamonds and gold (and sometimes colored rhodium) take on their own life as abstract motifs with little to no resemblance to their sources of inspiration.

Unisex Jewelry Is In

Regarding men’s jewelry, breaking down stereotypes is more of a movement than a fashion statement.

Men, especially members of the Generation Z cohort, are adopting fashions that have been identified with women in recent decades, such as a classic strand of pearls, thanks to the influence of professional athletes and burgeoning style icons like Harry Styles and Timothée Chalamet.

Suppose a customer sees a professional baseball player wearing a pearl necklace at the World Series, for example. In that case, they can envision how great it would look on them and shop accordingly. The Fashionable Jewelry Market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 4.6% from 2023 to 2030, according to the State of Jewelry Report.

Manufacturers have taken note. Many believe that their products and services have always been unisex but have primarily been purchased by women. Thus, they are redefining their efforts.

State Property’s opulent chains, attractive signet rings, and creative pearl jewelry look great on both men and women.

Rather than releasing a line of clothing or accessories labeled “men’s,” the brand, designed by the male and female duo Lin Ruiyin and Afzal Imram, started a campaign in 2022 featuring their jewels on male models.

The classic pinky rings and exquisite gold pendants developed by the firm The One I Love are must-haves for both sexes, and brands like Lizzie Mandler now include men and women in their advertisements.