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Jewellery has the power to be the one little thing that makes you feel unique.” So said Elizabeth Taylor, a woman who understood the power of a good bauble better than perhaps anyone. Admittedly, the jewellery obsessive was less about the little things and more about the stonking, six-figure ones, but the rest of the world, it’s an adage that still rings true. Indeed it’s been a bumper couple of years for jewellery creativity since the pandemic, with hope-filled talismans, dopamine-inducing colour, and advancements in traceability and circularity that point to a bright, gem-studded future.
As for 2023, trend forecaster Jodie Marie Smith has spotted a wave of youthfulness coming through, with jewellers playing with looser shapes and forms and less conventional colour combinations. She points to the “chaotic combinations” of high and low materials seen in Marco Panconesi’s hybrid gemstones, and in Binliang Alexander Peng’s quirky but precious creations. “It’s irreverent, unfussy and unserious,” she says – a welcome contrast to the sometimes po-faced traditional jewellery offering. We’ve seen this same spirit in Emma Walton’s chunky double-stone rings, beloved by Dua Lipa, and Susannah King London’s upcycled multi-coloured gem rings, which sell out immediately via her TikTok drops.
Miranda Preston, Fine Matter’s head of design partnerships, has witnessed this same youthful exuberance, and has just signed up King and Aimos as a result. “I love the textured, molten look of Aimos’s rings, each one is different,” she says. “The trend’s a fresh take on organic textures, with fun, chunkier pieces and a more contemporary feel.” For Ruby Beales at Liberty, chunky hard stone pieces from By Pariah and new addition to the store, Jacqueline Cullen, provide the same organic charm, as well as the handcrafted, British-made look that the Liberty customer loves. Victoria Lampley of jewellery consultancy The Stax says the desire for the handcrafted look goes beyond looks. “People want pieces from artisanal jewellers who are sitting at the bench themselves,” she says. “They want the stamp of someone’s fingerprint on a piece.”
Read more: Engagement Ring Trends 2023
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This is predominantly jewellery that is designed to be worn every day, and Mimi Hoppen, director of jewellery at Dover Street Market, believes that will be the chief consideration driving purchases in 2023. “I think styles that are really for everyday wear rather than occasion jewellery will be popular,” she says. She points to the continuing popularity of signet rings from the likes of Ilaria Icardi, the jewellery designer who doubles as Bottega Veneta’s ready-to-wear design director, and Raphaele Canot’s effortless diamond earrings. The same easy-to-wear feel applies to beaded jewellery, which Beales says is moving to “less a holiday, more an everyday look”. See Brooke Gregson’s semi-precious tumbled beads and By Pariah’s pieces in darker jewel tones, a shift from the previously popular summer brights.
That’s not to say that statement pieces are going away. Indeed, for Established’s Nikki Erwin, knuckle-dusting rings like her “Zero FG” style are attracting new fans with their bold good looks – and in this particular case its tongue-in-cheek secret message. “That ring has been flying with people you wouldn’t expect, even women in their 60s and 70s have fallen for it,” she laughs. Similarly at Netaporter.com, market director Libby Page says statement jewels in yellow gold remain popular. “We are loving the mix of textures, links and solid shapes, which are simple yet bold all in one. Lauren Rubinski, David Yurman and David Webb are the designers mastering this,” she says.
Pearls too remain a popular choice. “Pearls are still huge for us, and next season we’re seeing pearls that are more oversized,” says Beales, pointing to CompletedWorks’s giant pearl necklaces and bracelets. “We have seen our designers taking pearls to the next level – think diamond tennis necklaces, chokers and lariats adorned with pearls. Sophie Bille Brahe, Completedworks and Mizuki are some of our key brands for this look,” says Page.
Hoppen is also excited about the developments in lab-grown diamonds, with brands becoming more creative about what it is possible to do in a lab, and clients more open to the stones now than in the past. “There are some brands creating super interesting and beautiful techniques with these stones, for example Unsaid and Nomis,” Hoppen explains. “I’m personally really excited about the innovation and creativity coming from this world, and to see what comes next.”