Artemis By Bibhu Mohapatra for Forevermark

There has been a very exciting shift in how people are choosing jewellery now. The trend has moved towards custom, unique pieces of fine jewellery that are both collectible and personal. “Diamonds in particular have become extremely fun, playful and versatile. People are wearing the most stunning pieces any time of day now, with any outfit, not just for evening with a ball gown. A pair of diamond statement earrings or thick eye-catching cuff pairs perfectly now with jeans, sneakers and leather jacket or an airy summer dress during the day. With these pieces there has been a great resurgence of coloured diamonds, going above and beyond the traditional canary yellow or pink diamonds and exploring all the incredibly rare diamonds in all colours of the rainbow: blue, green, orange – you name it,” avers Payal Mehta of Payal New York. In fact the new generation is looking at traditional pieces of jewellery with modern interpretations. Stephen Lussier, CEO Forevermark opines, “the first trend is around designing jewellery that is wearable more often. This is also leading to diamond jewellery designs becoming simpler and lighter and using more diamonds and less gold. The other trend that is related is the emergence of a renewed demand for solitaires as they are easy to wear and are not necessarily associated with weddings.” Likewise, diamonds for men are popular in the form of cufflinks, tiepins and kurta buttons. And considering that a diamond is forever and unbreakable – your diamond can be a reflection of who you are. And now that’s a great reason to own one.

Choose Right

So the question then is how to you choose the right diamonds. The simple way to do this is remember the 4C’s – Cut, Colour, Carat and Clarity. Cut refers to the shape and ability of the diamond to reflect light. It is better to choose a cut tagged at least as ‘very good’ for round diamonds and at least ‘good’ in other shapes. Of course if you can afford it go for the ‘Excellent’ variety. When it comes to colour remember that the best quality of diamonds are colourless. Most often you cannot see colour with the naked eyes but are usually yellow in shade. Select quality H in colour as this represents top quality. Carat refers to the weight of the diamond and buying popular sizes like ½, ¾ or 1 carat is a standard. Clarity is determined by the presence of any impurities in the stone and VVS1 or VVS2 clarity is quite a good option as these have lesser inclusions and are invisible to the naked eye. Buy from a reputed jeweller who can give you a certificate that highlights these aspects so you are assured of buying a good quality diamond.

Trend Check

• Timeless pieces and vintage designs will rule the roost.
• Rosecut diamond has also extremely sought after now.
• Enamelling on jewellery will be in.
• Diamonds set in yellow and rose gold are trending.
• There is an increasing emphasis on nature inspired jewellery pieces.
• Asymmetrical jewellery which consists of mismatched pieces are trending.
• Statement pieces especially chokers and long bold chains are ruling the roost.
• Layered statement pieces like the arm cuff, multiple finger rings and even ornate bracelets are trending this season. You can check thebracelets.com.au for an amazing variety of bracelets.
• Putting your jewellery to multiple uses like converting a pendant into a ring or vice versa.
• Combining diamonds with other gems like sapphires and emeralds and even Tahitian pearls will give you a piece that makes a compelling statement.

This story appeared in the Tribune Trends dated 15th July 2017 as the lead piece here: