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November 25, 2022

Trend Report: The Art of Earrings

O
ne of the best ways to judge the mood in jewelry is by analyzing the dominate earring style. Looking back at recent history illustrates exactly what I mean.

Simple diamond studs ruled during the minimalist 1990s. Throughout the early aughts, the urban glamor of Sex and the City’s Carrie Bradshaw could be seen in the popularity of chandelier and pendant earrings. By the 2010s, little cool and edgy earrings for multiple piercings dominated the category. In the years prior to 2020, sexy hoops transitioned from a summer staple to a year-round necessity. To be clear, all these styles still decorate lobes, but they aren’t grabbing all the jewelry headlines the way they once did.

A new artistry in earrings can be found in some of the most iconoclastic jewelry collections shown at COUTURE.

Silvia Furmanovich

So, what’s hot now? A new artistry in earrings can be found in some of the most iconoclastic jewelry collections shown at COUTURE. BRENT NEALE, DARIUS, SILVIA FURMANOVICH and TEN THOUSAND THINGS have all created imaginative earrings. Fruits and vegetables, characters from ancient myths, miniature woven carpets and specially designed hand-cut gems are among the unexpected motifs and special materials.

Silvia Furmanovich

Silvia Furmanovich

An intrepid traveler, Silvia Furmanovich has racked up countless frequent flyer miles globe-trotting in search of singular craftsmanship. Her journeys have resulted in jewels incorporating woven bamboo (Japan), painted miniatures (India) and marquetry (Brazil).

Silvia Furmanovich

Silvia’s latest work is perhaps more surprising than anything that preceded it. On the traditional Silk Road in Central Asia, she found a group of female weavers to make her miniature Ikat-inspired rugs for earrings. Each one features around 1,600 tiny knots. They are mounted in gold and gem-set earrings and bring the idea of a magic carpet ride to real life.

 

Ten Thousand Things

Ten Thousand Things

During a trip to Jaipur a few years ago, Ron Anderson and David Rees, the founders, designers and craftsmen of Ten Thousand Things, met with lapidaries and saw the potential to create new work on a large scale with specially carved gems.

Ten Thousand Things

Since that moment they have returned to India annually with models of shapes and rough gems for the lapidaries. Chalcedony, ruby, lapis, nephrite jade, labradorite and citrine are some of the many gems they have had hand cut for earrings.

Ten Thousand Things

In their New York studio, Ron and David piece together the flat gem shapes into bold earrings of stacked and interacting fields of color. The jewels have become an “it” item among the fashion set and are one of the primary reasons the duo have been nominated for a 2023 GEM Award in the Jewelry Design category.

  • Ten Thousand Things

  • Ten Thousand Things

Darius

Darius

Many of Darius Khonsary’s creations reference her Ancient Persian ancestry. Even her earrings bring in a sense of myth from the storied moment in time. The motifs in the designs “have been distilled from ancient cylinder seals, which would have been rolled out to reveal dynamic scenes of storytelling,” explains Darius. Some styles include lyrical snake charms, dancing lovers and a leaping Pegasus rendered in gold and diamonds.

Darius

“In retelling these fragmented stories, the lives of the images are left to interpretation,” says Darius. “I see the lovers earrings as dancers—a dance between two lovers, frozen in time.”

Brent Neale

Brent Neale

The whimsical jewelry world of Brent Neale has long included arty earrings. She has made giant carved gem flowers and magic mushrooms to decorate the lobes. But nothing has been quite as wild as her work for Alice’s Picnic.

The designer went down the rabbit hole to revisit the motifs of Lewis Caroll’s Alice in Wonderland once again and the line from the book, “I suppose I ought to eat or drink something or other; but the great question is ‘What?’

Brent provides lots of options with Alice’s Picnic including delightful carrot, lemon, pepper and radish earrings. While the jewels are pure whimsy, they are masterfully made with specially cut gems.

The Founder and Editorial director of the online fine jewelry magazine The AdventurineMarion Fasel is as well known for trend forecasting as her comprehensive knowledge of jewelry history. In 2021, Marion curated the exhibition Beautiful Creatures: Jewelry Inspired By the Animal Kingdom at the American Museum of Natural History. Her tenth book on 20th century jewelry design B is for Bvlgari: Celebrating 50 Years in America will be published on December 16.

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