Now that we are halfway though the first month of 2013, I have been reflecting on 2012. It was a great year for jewelry! From neon jewelry to rough gemstones, there was a style of jewelry for everyone. I have compiled a list of my personal favorite jewelry trends from this past year, though I suspect some of these trends are around to stay! For awhile longer at least! If you are interested in buying any of these amazing pieces below, simply click on the picture and it will link you to the item in its etsy store.
1. Noteworthy Neons
Being a kid of the eighties, I remember owning bright hammer pants and neon splattered sweatshirts. So when I started seeing jewelry popping up this summer in those familiar unnatural hues of lime green, bright pink, electric orange and glowing yellow I was thrilled. If you want to create some neon jewelry of your own, check out these new neon Swarovski pearls or brightly painted wooden beads at Rings & Things. Or if you prefer buy a piece already made, check out these awesome works of wearable art below.
I love this Neon Bib Necklace by Devi Chand of HippieKingdom. It is made from handmade paper beads.
I adore these long neon earrings by Heather at BluKat Designs. Believe it or not, these earrings are made with hand painted bobby pins! How cool!
This neon bib necklace is so chic! It is made by jewelry artist Kelly M of KRM Jewel.
2. Love Triangles
I started to see triangles trending early in 2012, and they are still super hot. Geometry has never been so fun! If you want to experiment with some triangular designs of your own, check out these new raw brass geometric blanks at Rings & Things. Or let someone else do the work and pick up one of these great finds below!
I love these Double Triangle Earrings by Betty at Foxtail Boutique! Make sure and check out her shop for tons of cool triangular jewelry!
This necklace has a great combination of sharp edges and soft pastels. Wood Bunting necklace by Jess of Fawn and Rose Jewellery.
This piece of jewelry is a double ring and bracelet! I love how in this piece, the triangles have a tribal feel. This awesome design is by Jennie of A la Pop Body Jewelry.
3. Some like it Rough
Gemstones that is! When I started seeing rough gemstones coming into our showroom at Rings & Things I was intrigued They came in pyrite, garnet, lapis and quartz, just to name a few. I wasn’t sure what to do with them, but I found some designers below that made amazing jewelry with rough gemstones. Check out Rings & Things here for our current supply of rough gemstones.
Catherine Ulanovski of CJBijoux Jewelry created this stunning ring with a rough piece of apatite.
I love the combination of the natural aquamarine and the industrial chain in these earrings by Jillian of Nooni Jewelry
Pyrite is one of my favorite stones in the rough, and I especially love these pyrite and Swarovski earrings by Sadena of Primrose and Scout Jewelry.
The stones on this necklace are stunning! I love the way that Isabella of Nature Look Jewelry has made it so they almost are floating.
4. Lustworthy Larimar
I will admit, I was completely clueless about Larimar until 2012! Suddenly, I had people requesting it right and left. So what is Larimar? It is a magical cool blue gemstone found only off the coast of the Dominican Republic, which is fitting. If you have ever snorkeled in crystal clear water where the sand is bright white, this is what larimar looks like. It has white cloudy veining that reminds me of the sunshine glimmering though the water. Check out these stunning larimar pieces below or get some larimar of your own to play with.
This vintage bracelet features a huge piece of high quality Larimar. You can find this bracelet in Paula W.’s vintage jewelry shop, Marsh Raven.
These gorgeous stacking rings feature Larimar, Topaz and Moonstone. These handmade rings are by Liz of Fanta Sea Jewelry. She has amazing craftsmanship!
This pretty wire-wrapped ring includes a stunning Larimar bead. This piece is from Sara at Blue Soul Designs.
I love the irregular cut of these pretty larminar stones. These gorgeous earrings are by Pauline Jacobson of Coral Reef Dreams.
5. Magical Druzies
Druzies are one of my favorite phenomenons. Druzies are when there is a fracture in a stone, and that fracture is filled with a coating of tiny crystals. They are super sparkly and come in a variety of colors and stones. Look at the array of jewelry made with druzies below or check out the current selection of druzies at Rings & Things.
This stunning ring features the most beautiful agate teardrop druzy. It was made by Priscilla and Vi of Oh Kuol Jewelry.
I love these stud earrings with sparkly golden druzies. The artist, Sandra, has tons of beautiful pieces available at her shop, Doolittle Jewelry
These earrings feature druzy amethyst slices with gold plated edges. They are so pretty! They can be found in the etsy store Magic Loot.
6. Wrapped Leather Bracelets
Unless you have been under a rock for the last year, you have seen a wrapped leather bracelet. They are often referred to as Chan Luu style bracelets. They have been in magazines, stores and on the wrist of every celebrity and I personally love them! They are very modern Bohemian. If you want to attempt to make one yourself, Rings & Things has a variety of kits that include all the supplies you need to make them! Or let someone else do the work and snag one of these below:
I love how this bracelet by Kate Greenwood of PZW Design uses stacked rondelles instead of the typical round bead. Plus, who doesn’t love an elephant button?
How cute is this bracelet with square beads and a sleek modern button? This bracelet is by Camilla of Sinona Design.
This black leather and sparkly silver wrapped leather bracelet is a bit “blingier” that its gemstone cousin. This is actually a design from the Rings & Things Design Gallery. Click on it for instructions on how to make it!
7. Shoulder Duster Earrings
I have always been a fan of ridiculously large earrings, so when shoulder dusters came back in style this year, I was psyched! A shoulder duster earring is simply an earring so long that it dusts the top of your shoulder when you wear it! I found some amazing duster earrings on etsy below! Or follow this link to see how to make your own pair of rhinestone duster earrings in our design gallery.
I love the Greek goddess feel of these beaded dusters by Nicol Markowitz of Firecracker NEM. She has some amazing beaded pieces in her shop!
These earrings have colorful distressed hand painted wooden rectangles that just remind me of the Caribbean! They are designed by Kezzmit.
These earrings are so beautiful! And I just love the colors! These earrings are by Kadhi at KadhiBo.
8. Fashionable Feathers
2012 was undeniably the year of the feather! I think my grandma even had a pair of real feather earrings last summer! I personally can’t get enough feathers! There was so much beautiful feather jewelry on etsy it was hard to chose just a few pieces! Oh and I even threw in a piece from my etsy store, Geisha Creations (shameless self-promotion!) If you want to experiment with some feather jewelry of your own, check out all these great feather beads and charms at Rings & Things.
These feather earrings are basically the coolest thing ever! They are made from leather and gilded with gold. If you must have a pair, check out Sabrina Chin’s shop, Love At First Blush.
This brass cuff bracelet is from my store, Geisha Creations. I made it using an acid etching technique.
This necklace by Jen Gers of Piece Lust features a pendant that frames a real peacock feather! How cool is that?
When I found this feather ring I was so excited! This piece is by Betsy and Will of Betsy and Iya. Check out their shop for some really unique items!
9. Kool Kyanite
I discovered Kyanite a few years back and loved it! It was always pretty hard to find though. Luckily, now that it is so popular, it is also easier to find. Kynanite is usually an icy blue, though sometimes it can be found in green or dark blue. I love all the kyanite jewelry I found below. Click here for the current selection of kyanite available at Rings & Things.
These kyanite earrings are strung on guitar wire. I love the rustic feel of them. They can be found in Andi’s etsy store, Alizarine.
These earrings combine green kyanite and silver. I love the wire wrapping! These are by Strawberry Frog. This shop has the best earrings!
This necklace features an amazingly blue piece of kyanite framed by beautiful intricate wire wrapping. This necklace can be found at Stephanie Taylor’s etsy store, Peacock Blu Creations.
10. Back to the Future
I am secretly kind of a science fiction nerd, so I love futuristic jewelry. I think this trend will be even more mainstream in 2013, so keep your eye out for it this year. I am in love with all the designs I found below! Check out this link for a sparkly modern bracelet in our design gallery.
How fabulous is this modern bib necklace? I love the geometric pattern! It can be found in Nim’s store, Lucky Twin.
These earrings are what I imagined earrings would look like in 2013, when I was in the 1980’s! They are by Afua Kumasi of Afrique La Chic.
I love the modern look of spikes. The design of these earrings is so balanced and unique. These earrings are Xappa of Xappaland.
11. Tassels are worth the hassle!
Tassels are a great way to add movement to your jewelry. I have always fashioned them myself by cutting segments of chain. If you want an easier way to incorporate tassels into your jewelry you can buy pre-made chain tassels at Rings & Things. Or you can just pick up one of these beautiful pieces below!
I love the combination of blue topaz and shiny gold in these dainty tassel earrings! You can find these earrings at Taylor Made Jewelry.
These earrings could have been featured in two categories. These tassel, shoulder duster earrings are such a statement! They are by urbaneARMOR.
This beautiful necklace has a chain tassel on the front and a teal tassel on the back. Plus the wire work is just amazing! It can be found at the etsy store SabiKrabi.
12. Keys
It is pretty safe to say that keys will always be in style, but in 2012 I started seeing them pop up in jewelry all over the place. I found some really unique pieces of key jewelry below. If you want to play around with some keys in your jewelry, you can also purchase a variety of key charms and crystals at Rings & Things .
This necklace is so fun! It has a cute skeleton key suspended in a small glass vial. This piece is by Mollie of Ethereal Girls. Her shop features tons of unique mixed media jewelry.
There are so many great things about these earrings! I love how they are asymmetrical. I also adore the combination of the lion keys with the rustic copper connectors. These earrings can be found in Danielle’s etsy store, Ferd & Bird.
This bangle bracelet uses an old key as the clasp! So clever and unique! This bracelet can be found at Danielle R. Quigley’s shop Danielle Rose Bean.
Well that’s it for my favorite trends of 2012! Now to see what 2013 has in store! I hope I was able to inspire you to try out one of these trends, whether you choose to create a piece all your own, or purchase a handmade piece from one of these amazing artists. I hope that in 2013 I will be able to post lots of fun and informative jewelry blogs for you!
Signing off,
Tiffany White
Rings & Things Blog Contributor
8 Comments
This article is so fun to read and so well written!
Thanks so much for including Lucky Twin in your blog!
So many great finds! I’m honored that my neon bobby pin earrings are included in your list! Thanks so much: )
I love looking at all the materials used to make some very unusual jewelry. It just shows that if your mind is creative enough jewelry can be made out of anything. Beautiful work from all the artist.
Thanks for sharing.
So many wonderful trends this past year, I think many are going to turn out not just trends, but be around for a long while! A lot of creative and unique designs and ideas, thank you for putting together this collection, so fun to look through. I am honored to have my peacock feather necklace included in this blog with so many fabulous designers that I admire.
Great to see Liz’s (FantaSea Jewelry) larimar, moonstone and topaz ring featured. Her jewelry is awesome!
I like this article as i like handmade jewelry. Nice to see Noteworthy Neons, it is new find for me. Splendid colors.
Worthy of a like on Facebook. Thanks for the inspiring share:)
AWSOME!