During the inhorgenta europe fair in Munich Christel Trimborn, the editor-in-chief of “GZ Art + Design” magazine, delivered a seminar entitled “Trends in jewellery and watches in 2008” which was prepared in cooperation with Glunz Design, a trends office from Bochum.
For summer 2008 the experts predict three basic trends called: urban oasis, sparking desert and amber treasuries. Amber jewellery producers are happy especially because of that last one – amber and its shades are back in fashion!
Urban oasis
It is a very strong and at the same time very important trend as a modern society is deeply interested in nature and the issues connected with its protection – we wish to live closer to nature and protect it. Especially the people living in the city are looking for a contact with it and they try to create some substitutes in their environment.
The nature has always provided a strong inspiration for a man; it is the same way nowadays – this “nature” trend can be found practically in all aspects of life. Especially interestingly it is presented in furniture industry and architecture, what is worth taking into account while preparing shops and shop windows arrangements. That is why in the next season there are popular materials patterned after nature, e.g. leather with a crocodile-like texture or nature motifs on the textiles. Fashionable colours are: pineapple, bamboo, parchment, wood but mainly all the shades of green. In jewellery it is reflected in using such materials as lava, jadeites, wood and even parchment. Very important are precious stones – a lot of weight is currently attached not only to their colours but also to the types of cuts. Similarly to multicoloured enamels they are used to emphasize the colour. So in the next season there will still be present long necklaces made of colourful stones, combined with metal elements, also wrapped a few times around the neck.
Sparking desert
Natural colours and materials constitute a very interesting contradiction to sparking metals. The most important colour is white combined with golden, silver and earth colours, but this trend includes also grey and all the shades of beige and soft pinks. In jewellery it is displayed above other things in the use of baroque pearls and mother-of-pearl. An indicator is also a bicolour jewellery. While bicolour is not seen only as a combining white with yellow but also white with pink. There is a comeback of organic forms of decorations – colourful butterflies, lizards and birds are going to appear in a form of motifs not only in fashion but also in jewellery. More and more important are transparencies, represented by e.g. diamonds.
In fashion it is displayed for example in a form of natural, also pleated materials: silk, shantung and linen with sparking threads. Ornamentation and combination of dulled surfaces with sparking light reflections are very crucial.
A desert with its multitude of the shades of sand and its formations became an important source of inspiration for many designers. This trend tends to be the strongest in the furniture sector and other articles of interior design, but also in automotive and computer industry. A very strong meaning is attributed to architecture and ornamentation and the techniques of surfaces finishing. The surface structure is very important this year – in fact it is difficult to find polished surfaces, they are mostly brushed, scraped, sand-blasted, granuled, the textures are lace-like etc. The old techniques of processing are also coming back to grace.
Amber treasuries
This slogan includes light palette of colours, from sunny yellows through warm browns to deep red wine. In this trend there is a perfect place for amber, but also for lemons, smoke quartzes, rubies, rubellites – in one word all that has warm, honey colours and yellow and pink gold, and even plastic in a desired shade. The designers were inspired in this field by valuables, strangeness and uniqueness such as antique jewellery and luxurious objects of interior design.
This trend expresses a longing for the past, which is not tantamount to wanting to come back to it. A contemporary jewellery with amber has in fact nothing to do with so called grandmother’s jewellery, it has become light and modern. But some old functional objects or jewellery with amber can become an invaluable source of inspiration and new ideas. It has turned out that amber has also been an inspiration for fragrances creators and the effect is a warm fragrance of the Amber Absolute perfume. Some expensive textiles such as damask, silk or velvet are additionally “enriched” through floral additives, also wallpapers have gained nature motifs and convex surfaces. The effect of such journeys to the past is an interesting mixture of antique and contemporary style – antique design in a new interpretation.
