One of the pieces at JCK that instantly drew me towards it was the stunning statement cuff by the Italian family brand Busatti. It featured a gorgeous oval opal of 30.26cts enveloped in 79.90cts of diamonds and is inlaid with a gargantuan 10ct central diamond. The intricate titanium foliage on this piece as well as the opal inlay are what set it apart from many others for me.
Another notable opal piece from the Vegas fair is a cocktail ring I came across at Yael Designs. The San-Francisco based brand dazzled me with the stone in the centre of the jewel that was fashioned as a well-proportioned teardrop and surrounded by miniature diamonds. I found such elegant and timeless design simply irresistible.
Graziela Gems caught my attention with their unusual ‘Paraiba Obsession’ earrings from the Couture collection. Their original use of Paraiba tourmalines in slices allow the beauty of the stone to be truly accentuated by the light which shines through the opaque gem. These earrings are red carpet worthy, and demonstrate Graziela Gem’s ability to envision new ways to interpret gemstones into wearable artistry.
Carrying on my search for striking jewellery using coloured stones I came across Lauren K, who proved that her finger is truly on the fashion pulse with the gemstone of the moment; the watermelon tourmaline. Lauren’s vibrant and colourful rings created a delicious contrast to some of the more concept based pieces, being both wearable and allowing the large, beautiful gems to shine in their own right.
An acclaimed designer, Erica Courtney is famed for her love and use of vivid coloured gemstones, and presented some sweet and delicate stacking ‘Crown’ rings in pink sapphire and Paraiba tourmaline. Their femininity combined with the playful idea of creating your own combination, injected fun and originality into wearing jewellery.
Switching from delicate to statement jewellery, I could not help stopping by the diamond necklace at Lili. Set with 21.64 cts of the brand’s signature Lily cut diamonds, it was accented with 19 cts round white, and 1.67ct pink diamonds. I loved how the established Israeli jewellery company exquisitely displayed their distinguishing patented Lily cut diamond to full effect.
Focusing further on diamond jewellery, I went to see the latest collections of the bridal jeweller Scott Kay. With the attention to detail and craftsmanship required to give the classic solitaire design a sophisticated twist, he came up with a chic chain design whose clean lines appealed to me immediately.
Next to Scott Kay was jewellery by Karl Lagerfeld, who expanded his Eiffel Tower collection. It was inspired by the iconic architecture of Paris and the Tower itself. The influence of the Parisian aesthetic was intelligently crafted into the classic engagement ring style of solitaire rings, with a subtle hint to Lagerfeld’s inspiration reflected in their shanks. This collection delighted me with it’s elegant homage to Lagerfeld’s favourite city in the world.
Turning convention on its head was the brand Feral - whose name befits their use of wild, less precious materials, such as the fossilized palm wood cuff, decorated with 5cts of diamonds. This piece merges the use of organic components, bringing to mind celestial bodies and drawing the eye to its majestic craftsmanship.
Guita Dovas from Guita M is another designer that opted to feature unconventional materials in her jewellery. She used traditional diamonds to compliment peanut wood, creating jewellery which commands you to look again and ask questions.
Talking about unconventional, I feel obliged to include Pleve jewellery in this edit. The brand boast the accolades of award winning designers and truly individual design methods, with their own patented prong-less mosaic setting technique. This results in genuine, one-of-a-kind jewellery, which allows the amazing gemstones to speak for themselves, uninterrupted in their brilliance.
And last but not least, the Colombian emerald Takat ring took my breath away. It combined the concept of the statement cocktail ring with an exceptional 24ct stone of the highest quality alongside 8cts of diamonds, proving that there is no substitute for the finest gemstones, and that sometimes simplistic design is the best!
