Dainty pendant necklaces and matching earrings came into vogue, harking back to the turn of the 2()th century. Pieces in the style of French jet were offered by mass-market retailers, and there was keen interest in traditional ranges from long-established costume jewelers such as Ciro and Fior from Britain and Kenneth Jay Lane in America.
Established jewelers Erickson Beamon made their jewelry available to many more people by creating diffusion lines for retailers such as Target in the US and Debenhams in the UK.
Innovative
new materials and styles have also emerged, such as Uli Raap's
"Textile Jewlery", created from a fusion of jersey and
rubber, or the work of German company Bless.
Designers with a background in Industrial design, such as Lara Bohinc, brought new techniques, such as Computer Aided Design, to the field of costume jewelry design.
Designers with a background in Industrial design, such as Lara Bohinc, brought new techniques, such as Computer Aided Design, to the field of costume jewelry design.
Events
such as Swarovski Runway Rocks (2005), Coutts London Jewellery week
(2008) and the "Jewels for Fashion" symposium held at
Geneva's University of Art (2008)
emphasized
the continuing change in attitude towards jewelry. Where once it had
appeared to play second fiddle to clothing in the fashion industry,
it has since become a dominant voice.
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| jewelry designer |
Today
a new generation of designers are working to combine traditional
techniques with modern technology, and vintage gems with new
materials to push the possibilities of costume jewelry forward.
Jewelers, such as Tracy Graham of Bijoux Heart, use materials such as
faux gems and Murano art glass beads to create extravagant pieces,
which celebrate vintage style for 21st century wearers. Laurent
Rivaud, who has designed jewelry for Y'ivienne Westwood since 1994,
also creates his own antique-style pieces under the name "R".
Pave set with marcasites, and hung with coins, pearls, figurative
elements such as bird skulls, and graduated beads, R jewelry is
instantly recognizable and memorable.
Others
jewelers like to push the boundaries of traditional forms of jewelry
to create exciting contemporary pieces.
American designer Philip Crangi created quadruple-sized rhinestone jewelry for Vera Wang's Fall Winter 2008 catwalk show, meanwhile London-based Mawi has transformed classics such as the pearl necklace into futuristic-looking designs, in which pearls become bullets and knots become box chains. Inspirations as diverse as antique jewelry and punk led to the creation of jewels that are the hallmark of 21st century style.
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| jewelry designer |
American designer Philip Crangi created quadruple-sized rhinestone jewelry for Vera Wang's Fall Winter 2008 catwalk show, meanwhile London-based Mawi has transformed classics such as the pearl necklace into futuristic-looking designs, in which pearls become bullets and knots become box chains. Inspirations as diverse as antique jewelry and punk led to the creation of jewels that are the hallmark of 21st century style.
There
has been a long tradition of the wives of American presidents wearing
costume jewelry on formal state occasions. First Lady Mamie
Eisenhower, for example, wore Trifari pieces at her husband Dwight D.
Eisenhower's Presidential Inaugural Gala in 1953 and again in 1957.
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| jewelry designer |
Mrs
Obama is not the only famous face who has helped to make costume
jewelry newsworthy again. Patricia Field, the stylist for the
Sex and the City
television series and movies, is well-known for mixing vintage and
contemporary clothes and jewelry. Additionally, the star of the
series, Sarah Jessica Parker continues the trend off screen when she
attends fashion shoots and film premieres and has been credited with
inspiring many others to do the same.
The
thread that runs through the story of costume jewelry is the
continuous quest for the most exciting new materials and ideas.
Although some modern pieces are cheaply made, the better pieces
should rise in value over the years to come, becoming good
investments for the future.
The incredible artistry and techniques that go into making some of these amazing pieces mean that no one today worries about wearing mere "imitations." The challenge lies in choosing from the extraordinary range of designs on offer to suit a personal style and look.
The incredible artistry and techniques that go into making some of these amazing pieces mean that no one today worries about wearing mere "imitations." The challenge lies in choosing from the extraordinary range of designs on offer to suit a personal style and look.
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