Bright colors, signet rings and tennis bracelets make a comeback at January VicenzaOro.

Color

Color is a key jewelry trend for 2018, and there was plenty of it at VicenzaOro. Bright pops of enamel were layered over precious metals — the You’re So Vine collection by Milan-based jeweler Bea Bongiasca, with its shoots of purple, orange and green snaking around fine jewels, was a particular highlight. Other jewelers used lively ceramic plating to liven up their collections. The palate wasn’t just vivid and beautiful, however. Lashings of edgy, black rhodium plating were used to turn gold shades of dark blue or black, which created a dramatic background for diamonds, emeralds and sapphires.

You're So Vine gold and purple enamel ring by Bea Bongiasca Jewellery
You’re So Vine gold and purple enamel ring by Bea Bongiasca Jewellery.

Flexible gold

Italy is a spiritual home for goldsmiths, with hundreds of craftspeople throughout the country using skills that have been passed down through generations. One of the newest techniques the Italians have mastered is flexible gold. Serpentine gold cuffs and rings stretch and wind around wrists and fingers, assisted by tiny wires of titanium within that help the jewels to snap back to their original shapes. Some have a knitted or woven appearance, while others look like precious coils. Nanis, which treats the surface of its gold to an etching process called bulino, hides the secret to its flexible jewels within, with no visible giveaways.

Nanis Dancing in the Rain bracelet in 18-karat gold with diamonds
Nanis Dancing in the Rain bracelet in 18-karat gold with diamonds.

Signet rings

The democratization of jewelry has led to an increasing number of unisex collections. This was evident at Vicenzaoro, and one of the strongest unisex trends was signet rings. Some were simple, with metal treated to a brushed finish for a contemporary look. More decadent offerings were smothered in full gemstone pavé (or rough diamonds fused to gold in the case of Honor Omano) or featured large diamonds in place of the traditional insignia. Wear them on a pinky or an index finger for different looks, regardless of whether you team them with a dress or a three-piece suit — it’s a one-trend-fits-all scenario.

The democratization of jewelry has led to an increasing number of unisex collections

Honor Omano. Signet ring in brushed rose gold with 2.2 carats of diamonds that are fused into the gold
Honor Omano. Signet ring in brushed rose gold with 2.2 carats of diamonds that are fused into the gold

 

Line bracelets

The diamond line bracelet — or tennis bracelet as it became known after Chris Evert famously interrupted a match during the 1987 US Open Tennis Championship to retrieve hers — is a classic, but it was given a modern twist at VicenzaOro this year. Italian jewelers mixed it up by combining sections of diamonds or colored gemstones with chains or charms. Viva La Gioia, which made its debut at the show, combined rope with sections of gems set in a new type of alloy that it is calling 1-karat gold, a metal that looks like gold but has a much lower gold content, so it is far more affordable than, say, 14 karat.

Viva la Gioia Capri diamond and black cord bracelet
Viva la Gioia Capri diamond and black cord bracelet.

Main image: Masi Gioielli rose gold and diamond bracelet.

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