By Cynthia Unninayar

In the Winter issue of CIJ Trends & Colours, our annual trends tracker guide, we present the top ten trends for jewellery design for 2012 as well as the top ten trends in fashion colour as forecast by the Pantone Color Institute® for Spring/Summer 2012. “Consumers look to spring for renewed energy, optimism, and the promise of a brighter day,” said Leatrice Eiseman, executive director of the Pantone Color Institute®. “They have learned how colour can help them alter a mood, while providing the vitality and enthusiasm that enables them to experiment with new looks and colour combinations.”

1. COLOUR

In fashion, designers are inspired by diverse influences, offering a range of styles, from free and playful to light and breezy, from shiny metallics and sequins to serious and subdued, as well as contemporary classics. Colour is one of the strongest trends in jewellery, with shades ranging from subtle pastel hues to lively jewel tones, evoked by gemstones, enamel, ceramics, and coloured metals.

2. NATURE

Nature in all her forms is the best showcase for colour and design in both fashion and jewellery. The most popular natural trends for 2012 in jewellery are a variety of butterflies, flowers, birds, frogs, fish, snakes, spiders, dragonflies, and scorpions, in both realistic and stylized forms.

3. OPENWORK

One of the characteristics of fine design is innovation. As the prices of gold and other precious metals climb still upward, designers find interesting ways to create affordable luxury. Traditional methods combine with technology to offer inventive and beautiful solutions for airy and openwork and even filigree designs, with or wihout gemstones, to create an impressive look.

4. HOOPING IT UP

One of the most perennial types of jewellery is the hoop earring. No longer simply in plain metal and no longer merely round, hoops have taken on a multitude of styles and forms. Clothed in diamonds or gemstones, crafted in various metals, and coming in a variety of stylized forms, hoops will continue to be a favourite in 2012, with a design to please everyone and every budget.

5. ON THE CUFF

A staple on the runways this season, cuffs can be found in a wide variety of styles, textures, and sizes. Coming in plain metal or highly embellished with the dazzle of diamonds and gemstones, cuffs range from the simple to the sophisticated, and continue to be an important part of any fashionista’s wardrobe.

6. ALTERNATIVES

While the white metals of palladium and silver have joined the ranks of noble metals along with gold and platinum, there is a variety of non-traditional materials that also participate in the realm of today’s jewellery. Among them are titanium, wood, ceramics, cobalt, steel, brass, and enamel as well as a number of treatments and platings, including the black finish so prized in contemporary jewellery today.

7. ROUGH & READY

A trend that began several years ago, mostly with artisanal jewellers, has now become more mainstream with unique and original creations embodying rough or unusual gemstones in their “natural” state or thinly sliced, but embellished with gold or silver as well as other stones. Examples include pieces made with rough, uncut, and sliced diamonds, sapphires, and emeralds, as well as other gemstones and small geodes or other minerals.

8. ON THE EDGE

Skulls are the embodiment of the edgy trend. Whether in pendants, rings, cufflinks, earrings, bracelets, or brooches, the fascination with skulls, both fanciful and human, as a motif in jewellery is very prevalent in 2010. From prestigious pieces set with precious gemstones and diamonds to a range of simpler silver creations, skulls are a must-have jewellery and fashion item for many consumers today. Even some pens have taken on an edgy decor.

9. THE TASSEL

Tassels are gaining in popularity and can be seen in all types of earrings and pendants for 2012. They dazzle in small gemstone beads, and can be made of rough cut or facetted gemstones. The most popular gems are rubies, emeralds, spinels, onyx, rough diamonds, and various types of coloured quartz. Tassels are also delightful in seed pearls and a multitude of metallic chains.

10. PERSONALIZED

The penchant for individual beads, charms, lockets, and other forms of personalized jewellery continues unabated in 2012. Individual taste demands adornment that reflects lifestyle, beliefs, and emotions or that commemorates certain special moments in a person’s life. The small charms and beads may come in gold, silver, steel, ceramic, glass, gemstones, wood, enamel, or many other materials, all in the name of personalized jewellery.

Fashion sketches, quotes, and colours are courtesy of Pantone Fashion Color Report Spring/Summer 2012.