TrueFacet co-founders Chris and Tirath at the Couture show.
The JCK Las Vegas jewelry exhibition is an annual event, featuring over 2,500 exhibitors, where top designers in the business showcase their newest designs, influencing the trends for the upcoming year. The TrueFacet team journeyed out West to bring you the latest trends and highlights from the jewelry world.
Though there were thousands of exhibits to choose from — Chimento, Alex and Ani, Charriol, Effy, Chopard to name a few — they all had something in common: jewelry is trending towards something new. It may seem vague, but the traditional is out and designers are using bold colors, fresh motifs, different metals and fashion-forward designs.
Our team walked the showroom floor for days to see what’s on trend for the upcoming season. Here is a list of our favorites from the exhibition, plus a few of our favorite highlights from the show.
1. Vibrant Colors
The showroom was alight with every hue of the color spectrum. Designers didn’t hold back when it came to bold color choices that are perfect for the summertime. Ippolita and Kabana were among the many designers featuring dynamic shades. We especially loved Kabana’s vibrant floral motifs pictured above. There were also creative designs, like this bright statement necklace made of recycled Nespresso cups by Kathleen Nowak Tucci.
2. Men’s Jewelry
We’ve said it before: men’s jewelry is trending. And this was especially apparent at the JCK show. Masculine bracelets dominated the men’s accessory category. Our favorite designs at Couture were classic and colorful cufflinks by Deakin & Francis and Heston Designs collection of bold men’s bracelets.
3. Working with Metal
This year, many designers considered different ways to implement precious metals in their designs — and the creativity yielded results that were breathtaking. Simon G and Berco Jewelry were among the many designers who added a rose gold touch to their intricate bridal and diamond ring designs. Lashbrook designed a unique chevron-like wedding band of Damascus steel and yellow gold set with black diamonds. Stuller made wood elegant in their design that featured platinum and wood set with diamonds. All of these items won JCK Jeweler’s choice awards at the exhibition.
4. Inspired by Nature
Nature-inspired designs were everywhere. From butterflies to vines, to petal and shells, the prevalent motif was impossible to miss. Many of the designs featured bold colors as well, making these designs perfect for the summer.
TrueFacet Honorable Mentions:
1. Stretch Bracelets
We saw this 25-year-old Chimento design in many places, but Chimento made it LUX. The stretch to the bracelet makes this design unique, interesting and other’s at the show had made a lower cost option in sterling silver as well.
2. Ariel Adams’s Omega Speedmaster
We met Ariel from aBlogtoWatch and couldn’t help but admire the unique Omega Speedmaster he was sporting. The timepiece featured a large red case — something we haven’t seen before.
3. The Couture Show
The Couture show showcased the luxury brands at Las Vegas jewelry week. The exhibits displayed an amazing use of diamonds blended with 18K rose, yellow and white gold. Chopard reinforced the value of their name with new designs for the iconic Happy Diamonds collection. Judith Ripka was impressive with her use of bright and bold colors with diamond designs.
The show also honored up-and-coming designers, along with established names, at the Design Awards. Hearts on Fire took home the award for Best Design in Haute Couture with a stunning diamond flame-inspired necklace. One of our favorite upcoming designer was Jorg Heinz who took home the Editor’s Choice award for his diamond-encrusted rings.
4. Most Expensive Guitar
This stunning guitar made its first public appearance at BaselWorld 2015 and its next stop was JCK Las Vegas. The Gibson SG featured over 400 carats of Coronet diamonds and 3.5 pounds of 18K gold. Valued at $2 million, this guitar earns the title of World’s Most Expensive Guitar.
Photo Credit: jckonline.com / facebook.com/KabanaJewelry / hestondesigns.com / deakinandfrancis.co.uk / andygotzstore.com / simongjewelry.com / bercocompany.com / stuller.com / chimento.it / musiczoo.com