Preferred Destinations Magazine

Jewelry Trends Feature

Nov. 20, 2003

By Kyra Kirkwood

HEAD: 2004: A Technicolor Blast to the Past.

SUBHEAD: The trends for the new year revolve around color, classic designs

Color and class.

Those are the keys to jewelry fashion in 2004. People are snubbing fly-by-night fads in favor of classic stones and styles. They're going back to what has always worked, say industry professionals. From colored-diamond rings to multi-hued chandelier earrings, classic platinum bands to vintage settings, what's old is new and what's tried is true in the new year.

Marilyn Monroe once crooned about diamonds being a girl's best friend, and was she ever right. These precious stones still rank No. 1 on the popularity meter, with their demand not waning in 2004. These staples in the jewelry world prove once again why they're not just trendy, but immortal in their appeal.

"A diamond is forever," said Rudy Lam, owner of 4C Perfect Diamond. "It's a symbol of love."

This quaint jewelry store nestled on the idyllic seaside town of Balboa Island is home to some of the most beautifully cut diamonds in the industry. Lam explains how he purchases only the most perfectly cut stones, focusing on brilliance, not just weight.

"We go for the nicest-cut diamonds. That's our niche," said Lam. "We're going for the beauty."

Also focusing on classic diamonds is Tiffany & Co., located in the Mecca of Southland shopping malls, the South Coast Plaza.

"People are coming back to things that are more classic and timeless—that's the trend," said Jeff Bennett, director of Tiffany & Co. at the South Coast Plaza. "They'll be happy with them today and 50 years from now."

This company, with its famous blue box and 160-year history, is known worldwide for producing superior jewelry, especially diamonds.

"Each stone has its own personality," Bennett said. "They're miracles."

Rings of all shapes and styles will be headlining the winter trends, said Bennett, but they'll still smack of traditional flavor. Designs popular up to a century ago—such as Tiffany's unostentatious, six-prong rings and platinum settings—are back in fashion today.

As are large stones.

"We're seeing bigger jewelry," said Marion Halfacre, owner of Traditional Jewelers at Fashion Island.

Jonathan Clancy, director of operations at Black, Starr & Frost in the South Coast Plaza, agrees that big diamonds are hot in Orange County. Recently, the store sold a 17-carat pear-shaped diamond for $1.5 million. In fact, the store specializes in large stones, with 3 carat being some of the smallest in stock. But the focus is still on classic, not garish, no matter the size of the diamond, said Clancy.

Halfacre agrees that diamonds of all sizes and shapes will be the Ugg Boots of the jewelry world: you'll be seeing them everywhere.

"No longer is it just a round or emerald-cut diamond," he said. "There are many specialty cuts today [such as the 100-facet Asinto cut]."

Timeless designs in white metal, reminiscent of the 1920s and 1930s, will keep the stones in place and the jewelry fashions fresh, while still maintaining time-honored traits, said Halfacre.

"You can't deny there's been a huge emphasis on vintage or vintage reproductions," said Black, Starr & Frost's Clancy. He added that the popular chandelier earrings are perfect examples of this trend, especially when combined with rose-cut diamonds. "It's definitely a vintage flavor."

Yet in 2004, colored diamonds will soar in popularity. Colors such as iridescent pink, vibrant yellow and rich black are surpassing any other gemstone in the trend arena. Black, Starr & Frost's "Tickle Her Pink" campaign, boasting of cotton-candy-colored diamonds the size of large coins, caused a huge demand for the stones, said Clancy. Jennifer Lopez's gorgeous fancy-pink diamond, at a mere 6 carats, also helped woo diamond lovers over to the rosy side.

Although pricey (a 5 carat pink stone can set you back $500,000), pinks are the most popular, followed closely by yellows, which have been hot for two years. These lemony treasures are the most affordable of the colored diamonds, said Clancy, with a 9 carat rock costing about the same as a 1.5 carat pink one.

The future for Tiffany and Co. will also include more and more colored diamonds, such as those vivid, luminous yellows, the most popular of the store's colored diamonds.

"It almost glows," said Bennett. "It's an incredible thing…It's a way to wear something that's rare and fun and has color in it."

Any colored diamond works at Traditional Jewelers, even black diamonds. Jewelry settings combining smaller back and white diamonds, creating a classic 1940s look, are hot, said Halfacre.

"I think black and white will always be popular," he said.

Gemstones, such as rubies and emeralds, are also making notes in the new year, but not as dramatically as are the colored diamonds. People want color, and they're not afraid to wear it, said Black, Starr & Frost's Clancy. But he emphasized buyers cannot forsake high quality.

"These gemstones need an expert," agreed Tiffany & Co.'s Bennett.

Bold, high-caliber gemstones are celebrated at that store, especially in rings. Since blood-red diamonds are extraordinarily rare and nearly priceless, fans of the color turn to rubies. Other bright, striking gemstones include velvet-rich emeralds and Caribbean-blue sapphires; these make in-vogue choices for right-hand rings as long as the colors are eye-popping, said Bennett.

But color doesn't stop at gemstones. Pearls also partake in the multi-hued party of 2004.

Open up any fashion magazine, and you'll see statuesque models swathed in everything from Vera Wang to Levi's, Victoria's Secret to Hanes Her Way, all sporting pearls.

Down on Balboa Island, the Hawaii-based Black Pearl Gallery knows a thing or two about this trend. In business for more than two decades, shop owners Mary and Don Kelly predict that pearls will be even hotter in the upcoming year.

"They've never been more popular," said Mary Kelly, noting that they specialize in the brilliantly colored Black Tahitian Pearls. "They are at the height of fashion."

Added Don Kelly: "We always look for the sharpest, most brilliant luster in the pearls we select. We hand-select every pearl."

The hottest trend for the Black Pearl Gallery is multi-colored pearl strands, combining all sorts of hues. From inky black to rosy wine, sparkling gold to sun-kissed peach, pearls are strung together in a brilliant spectrum of jewels.

"It looks like sorbet or candy, it's so beautiful," said Kelly, noting that the length of the strand can vary from long to short. "You just want color, period. This isn't the white pearls of our mothers' generation."

At the Mikimoto store in the South Coast Plaza store, colored pearls are also flying off the shelves. These treasures of the sea come in shades from creamy white to golden yellow, smoky gray to peacock blue, said Bernard Barbilla, Mikimoto store manager. Pearls combine the season's trends: color and timeless quality.

"Pearls are always classic," Barbilla said. "They're like blue jeans: They'll always be around."

The recent demand for colored gems puts a twist on the old favorite. Black Tahitian pears are extraordinarily popular because of their intense color range, from near black to bright green. The golden pearls, the rarest in the ocean, are also erupting in popularity, said Barbilla.

"When you put these pearls on your skin, they glow," he said.

One-of-a-kind pieces will gain favor in the future, said Barbilla. The store's "Pearls In Motion" collection is such an example. Using colored pearls, Mikimoto creates a changeable necklace that can be transformed with a slight movement of the specially attached pearls. A simple pearl strand morphs into a trendy "Y" shaped necklace with a quick shift of the pearls.

"It has an infinite number of looks," said Barbilla.

Mikimoto's Ocean Collection, combining pearls and sapphires, is also a new twist on an old favorite.