2010 Spring/Summer Jewelry Trends

Hot off the fashion presses, we have news about the Spring/Summer 2010 Jewelry Trends!  It's going to be a fun one, folks!  The powers that be are a little schizophrenic this year, showing super bright tropical colors in half of the runway shows and sleek neutrals in the others.  What's a girl to do?  I say pick your favorites from the colors at left and roll with it!  (Coral and turquoise, by the way, look gorgeous on everyone.)

Jewelry this spring and summer is all about BIG, bold shapes.  We're seeing the return of the big earring (yea!) and keeping last season's statement necklaces and stacked, chunky bracelets as well.  Choose ONE large piece per outfit, please.  Any more than that may just overwhelm you.  Actress Kate Hudson works this look perfectly here, with shoulder dusting chain earrings and no necklace at all.  No matchy-matchy if you want to look up to date this season!

Rock star looks are holding strong, too.  Returning with a vengence is, my all-time favorite, silver chain!  Layered, messy, knotted, mixed with other metals... any way you can pile that silver chain in there will work this season.  Other rock and roll elements are looking fresh this year as well: leather, studs, crystal.  Just keep it a little bit rough, and you're good to go.

One hot new trend that I KNOW you will all love is funky ethnic inspired pieces.  Mix together some wood, rough cut gemstones and African trade beads.   Maybe throw in some fabric elements or leather.  Keep the overall design big and a little bit random.  Voila!  Your own personal masterpiece!

Have fun, guys.  Use up all of your left over beads and bits of chain in super fun, messy masterpieces.  And send me pictures!  Lots and lots of pictures!  I'll post them and give you guys credit.

Happy creating!

Put the Pretties Front and Center!

Put the Pretties Front and Center!

There are few things I love in this world more than a beautiful, substantial toggle, but I hate wasting all of that silvery goodness at the back of my neck.  No matter how much I love a clasp, there's no sense paying for something that people may never even see.  What's a girl to do?  I say...put the toggle in the front of the necklace!  When you use a high end designer clasp, it can be the most stunning element of your entire piece.   (The toggle shown above left currently retails at Bead World for $16.50.)

Once you get used to the idea of  placing a toggle at the front of a piece, it opens up a whole new world of engineering options.  A toggle is a great place to anchor a pendant or large gemstone.  In the piece shown at right, turquoise and a pearl were wire wrapped onto a sleek, modern toggle.  This creates a "Y" neckline while maintaining the necklace's clean lines. 

You can wire wrap on any number of different decorative elements.  You can even add a cascade of mutiple dangles and drops.  In the necklace shown at left, three dangles shimmy down from the center toggle.  Each dangle is composed of multiple elements from the main necklace, and they are individually wire wrapped together.  It's an expensive, elegant look, but take note: it's made up entirely of leftovers that the designer had on hand! 

Have fun with big toggles and don't let them scare you.  Once you start experimenting, you'll see how much fun they can be!  I can't wait to see the gorgeous ideas y'all come up with!