Each January, a jewelry fair known as the Vicenza Fair is held in Italy to showcase the finest in the year’s jewelry designs. This year, several reoccurring trends stood out.
Open, intricate, and often times woven detail work was seen again and again this year, and not just at the Italian fair, but across the way in the US as well. The entire Venetian Collection from Verragio has been a huge success with our retail partners as well as our customers this year, displaying a romantic vintage style. The Venetian 5016, for example, features an Asscher cut center diamond, surrounded by a halo of smaller Round cut diamonds. And paired onto the “Lace” shank, one of the five interchangeable shanks within the Venetian collection, this design embodies the timeless elegance and Italian lace for which the entire collection was inspired by.
With the price of gold hovering around a $1,300 per ounce price, gold itself has become a precious commodity as well as a design challenge itself. While men’s bands have gotten a bit flashier through the years, beautifully adorned with diamonds, it looks like good old gold is back in style. The VW 5019 men’s band from Verragio shows a perfect example of how metal alone can still create a unique style, by blending alternating textures created with a sand blasting technique.
Speaking of gold, two toned gold designs are back in style this year, blending the classic look of white gold with the bold look of yellow. The Paradiso collection may just be the perfect collection from Verragio to show how a custom band can elegantly combine these different tones. The Paradiso 3006R is not the only ring in the collection that has the inside scrolling detail work that keeps a ring from spinning on your finger, but the halo design surrounding the Round cut diamond center, set in white gold, makes the top pop. And then pairing it with the scrolling design, when set in yellow gold, creates a unique look like no other.
Which brings us to the last big lesson learned from this year’s crop of engagement rings, whether seen in a celebrity magazine, the industry, or the streets; personal expression. The concept of custom designing an engagement ring, so that it not only suits your tastes perfectly, but it ensures that the special lady that gets to wear it has a one of kind ring. The celebration of individuality may have been a recent fad at the trade shows this year, but at Verragio it has always been in style.