Vibrant Vegas: A Spectacle of Colorful Bliss
In 2018, the Las Vegas jewelry scene was ablaze with a new era, as brands reinvented themselves and showcased a kaleidoscope of vibrant colors at Couture, JCK, and AGTA. One of the standout trends was the use of vivid colored gemstones, with sapphires, emeralds, rubies, and tourmalines gracing pieces in rich, bold hues.
Designers also embraced mixed gemstone combinations, creating a dazzling array of colors for a bold, vibrant look. Oversized, statement pieces adorned with these colorful gems, often with unique cuts and settings, became a popular choice.
The trend towards lesser-seen gems such as spinels, garnets, and tsavorites was another highlight, adding variety and unusual hues to the mix. Color blocking was another technique that designers used to great effect, placing contrasting colors side-by-side for visual impact.
These trends emphasized bright, saturated colors and creative stone pairings, resulting in distinct, fashionable looks that captured the imagination of jewelry enthusiasts.
Some of the most remarkable pieces included Agaro Jewels' customisable enamel pieces, which combined Indian and Persian elements, and Paula Crevoshay's Gemstone Mosaic Mystery Box, featuring a myriad of Montana sapphires, malachite, azurite, diamonds, coral, rhodochrosite, lapis lazuli, tigers eye, opal, tsavorite, matt-tse-tite, spinel, and gold.
Jeffrey Bilgore's "unicorn-rare" graduated demantoid garnet earring and necklace set, made of oval Russian demantoids, diamonds, 18K yellow gold, and platinum, also made a significant impression.
Venyx's Ra Rainbow hoops, featuring diamond, tsavorites, blue sapphires, amethysts, pink and orange sapphires, rubies, spinels, citrines, peridots, black rhodium, and 18K yellow gold, were another eye-catching addition to the colorful landscape.
Brookland Jewelry's Brooklyn-inspired designs, particularly the Brookland Stars statement necklace, and Bagues Masriera's pliqué-à-jour and basse-taille fired enamel pieces, such as the Dark Eyed Snake ring and Night Friends earrings, also made a splash.
Tara Pearls' Galaxy Pearl hoop earrings, featuring an orbit of diamonds surrounding Tahitian pearls, and Nadine Ghosn's Veggie Burger Ring, with its 260 stones including champagne diamonds, sapphire, tsavorites, rubies, and princess cut diamonds, rounded out the vibrant offerings.
As Olga González FGA DGA, a regular contributor to Gem-A's Gems&Jewellery and an experienced jewelry communications professional, explored these colorful trends at Couture, JCK, and AGTA, it was clear that the Vegas shows were resplendent in colors and designers made beautiful strides in unique artistic directions in response to the rising female self-purchase demand and the reinvention in preparation for the 2019 changes.
For those interested in learning more about gemmology, Gem-A offers courses and workshops. For detailed descriptions from the actual 2018 shows, specialized jewelry magazines, archived event coverage, or official show reports from Couture, JCK, and AGTA would be the best sources to consult.
- In 2018, the jewelry scene in Las Vegas was transformed, with a focus on vibrant colored gemstones like sapphires, emeralds, rubies, and tourmalines.
- Designers showcased mixed gemstone combinations, resulting in a dazzling array of colors for a bold, vibrant look.
- The use of lesser-seen gems such as spinels, garnets, and tsavorites added variety and unique hues to the mix.
- Color blocking was another technique used, placing contrasting colors side-by-side for visual impact.
- Agaro Jewels, Paula Crevoshay, Jeffrey Bilgore, Venyx, Brookland Jewelry, Tara Pearls, and Nadine Ghosn were among the designers who showcased their colorful, creative gemstone pieces at the Vegas shows.
- For those interested in learning more about gemmology, Gem-A offers courses and workshops, while specialized jewelry magazines, archived event coverage, or official show reports from Couture, JCK, and AGTA would provide detailed descriptions from the 2018 shows.
