Forecast for Contemporary Jewelry Design 2009 (And Onward)

There are many factors to take into consideration when attempting a fashion forecast - a short list would be current events, the health of the economy, international fashion trends, what the movie stars are wearing, and, of course, last but not least, what the fashion designers tell us to wear. Add to this the easy availability of information from the Internet - one Google search, and I not only know what Kirsten Dunst is wearing, but also Bollywood's Aishwarya Rai as well. That influences fashion, too.

In addition, I have my own quirky predilections about what will happen next. I often lust for a particular item of clothing, am unsuccessful in obtaining it, and - lo and behold - the next fashion season spawns a plethora of these items. I have experienced this so frequently that I have decided to try and bank on this weird talent that I seem to possess, for your enrichment and amusement (okay, probably more amusement than enrichment). For the record, although I am widely known as a very quirky and eccentric dresser, I have never been busted for being a bad dresser, per se. I cling to this very last thread as a sort of qualification to write this article. And thirty years of working in corporate America have left me with an invaluable sense of exactly what you can get away with in the office and what you can't.

I should preface my comments with the observation that jewelry design is experiencing a sort of Renaissance. Ladies everywhere are making their own jewelry, due to an unprecedented number of instructors and classes who offer training in everything from simple bead stringing to metal fabrication and casting. Jewelry buyers are paying more attention to their own individual fashion inclinations, and deciding themselves what suits them and what doesn't. Among people of means, it has been popular to frequent the studios of different jewelry designers.

Okay. Let's start from the top. My first prediction is that the very conservative, mainstream string-of-pearls esthetic will continue to be strong, for at least the next four years. This prediction is based on the popularity of our soon-to-be First Lady, Michelle Obama. (Do I write "First Lady Elect?" I'm not clear on this.) Mrs. Obama, at least so far, has favored fairly conservative (though extremely stylish) jewelry - simple multi-strands of gemstones, the aforementioned string of pearls, etc. Of course, at this stage of the game Mrs. Obama is understandably careful in terms of crossing her "t's" and dotting her "i's," so this may change after the inauguration. But this is clearly a genre of jewelry she likes to wear (and it looks good on her), so I'm guessing it will continue to be a staple of her jewelry wardrobe, and thus of the public as well.

My next prediction is that the economic hardships we are currently enduring will be reflected in jewelry design as well. Expect to see jewelry emblazoned with nuts and bolts; thick, unrefined chains; neck collars that turn into breastplates in some areas, et cetera. There will be a new appreciation for jewelry as reflective of societal status. The jewelry renaissance I mentioned above will spawn a new appreciation for rough-hewn, blatantly hand-made-looking jewelry, and that appreciation will further serve to create a market for this genre.

The "green" movement we are currently enjoying will lend an enthusiasm for organic shapes and patterns. There should be lots of amorphous yet organic-looking shapes - pendants that look like amoebas; perhaps necklaces designed along the lines of the helix structure. There will be lots of "found objects" incorporated into jewelry, which should really be fun.

Expect to see lots of wood, bone and macramé, as jewelry trends become more internationally-focused. I also expect to see much more of the multi-jeweled chokers that are so popular in Asian culture.

Incidentally, all of these trends have been lingering in independent jewelry artists' galleries for quite some time. What I am referring to here is their widespread integration into the popular jewelry market, both haute couture and otherwise.

I do not anticipate that the multi-strand necklace will be quite as popular as it has been lately, nor the multi-necklace trend. I believe that the trend will be toward directness and simplicity, in tandem with jewelry as self-expression.

It's going to be an interesting time, and I'm hoping for a new tolerance and understanding of others' cultures and lifestyles, as well as a new appreciation and protection of our environment. And this will most definitely be reflected in the ornamentation with which we adorn our bodies.