Red Carpet Trends: taking jewellery inspiration from the Oscars 2012

The Oscars are all about glitz and glamour – oh and the films too, of course! But no female red carpet attendee’s outfit is complete without some jewels to accessorise her gown. And you don’t need to be a celebrity to recreate the look: your local independent jeweller will be able to recreate any A-list look to make you a star in your own right! Here’s a red carpet rundown of what looks were hot at this year’s Oscars:

Necklaces: Short and sparkling!
The 2012 Oscars saw necklace styles becoming shorter, sitting just below the throat and looking more like a collar. But there was no shortage of sparkles! Natalie Portman wore a v-shaped platinum and diamond cluster, and Michelle Williams wore a simple string of diamonds. If you’re hankering after some gems of your own, your local jeweller will be able to help – why not ask your local jewellery shop about a diamond encrusted watch, or even commission them to make you your very own sparkling collar necklace?

Statement earrings
Having mentioned necklaces, you’ll be forgiven for wondering if your eyes deceived you: necklaces were hard to find on many of the red carpet stars at this year’s Oscars, and necks were left bare in favour of statement earrings. This style is set to be a big trend this year, and your local independent jeweller will be able to help you to achieve this look, but with a British twist: stockists of Kit Heath jewellery, your local jewellery shop will be able to offer you a huge array of statement earrings. How about Kit’s Sterling Silver Honeycomb Gem Cluster Earrings to give your ears little droplets of bling? Or the Sterling Silver Pebble Trickle Earrings for a long line of tiny dangling hoops hanging from your earlobes? Who needs a necklace when your local jeweller can beautify your ears so nicely?!


The hands have it: cuffs and rings
Oversized cuffs and rings made a big statement on this year’s red carpet. Cameron Diaz was seen sporting large platinum and diamond rings, and Gwyneth Paltrow sported a large diamond-studded cuff. Your local independent jeweller will be able to create a statement piece for you to make you feel like an A-lister – so whether you fancy a chunky cuff or a gorgeous statement ring, ask your local jeweller for their advice on commissioning a custom piece. No one else will have a piece like it – even the celebs!

With so many different looks on the red carpet in 2012, there’s an Oscars-inspired piece to suit every girl’s desire. Bring out the star in you this year: get your very own red carpet look by visiting your local independent jeweller!

New Year, New Jewellery? Or Maybe Remodel the Old!

The New Year is a time for looking forward: new hopes, new dreams, New Year’s resolutions ... but let’s not forget that it’s also a time for reminiscing and reflecting on times gone by. The same can be said when it comes to updating your look, too. The New Year is a great time to reinvent your style, and while new jewellery is an excellent way to do that, it doesn’t have to be out with the old and in with the new in 2012. Read on to find out how, by remodelling an old piece of jewellery this New Year, your local independent jeweller can help you to update your look in 2012!

Reinvent an Heirloom

You may have a piece of jewellery which you once loved but has now gone out of fashion. Maybe it has sentimental value, or maybe it’s a family heirloom, but it just doesn’t work with your style any more or isn’t quite right for you. There’s no point in letting something so beautiful and once so loved languish in a dark drawer somewhere when it could be worn; take it along to your local jewellery shop and your local jeweller will be able to advise on having the piece remodelled. Soon you’ll be the proud owner of something fresh and new (and different to the pieces you’ll find in the shops) but it will still have all of its original sentimental value – perfect!

Perhaps you’re not quite ready to have your old jewellery made into something completely different by your local independent jeweller, but if you have jewellery which is in need of repair, don’t forget that your local jewellery shop will be able to help with that too. Maybe a treasured chain or watch just needs repairing to make it wearable again, or perhaps you own a ring which you’d love to wear but haven’t been able to as it needs resetting? Maybe you have some white gold jewellery which needs to be re-rhodium plated to bring it back to its beautiful silver-white colour?

Whatever the condition of your jewellery, ask your local jeweller about their repair service as they’ll be able to bring your old and broken jewellery back to life. Furthermore, by using the repair service offered by your local independent jeweller rather than a high street chain, you can be sure that your jewellery will be fully insured and repaired on the premises, so you’re not running the potential risk of your jewellery being lost in transit.

New Year really is a great time for looking to the future and spring cleaning your wardrobe. Remodelling and repairing old jewellery is an excellent way of doing this, and your local independent jeweller will be happy to offer their advice and expertise in these matters. So this New Year, let’s see out the old and see in the old-made-new!

Jewellery Trends for 2012 – a Sneak Peak

Want to get ahead on the jewellery trends for 2012? Like the idea of starting the New Year and starting a craze at the same time? Well, read on for a guide of what’s going to be hot on the jewellery front in 2012.

With tailoring being all about the cut for Spring/Sumer 2012, jewellery is likely to follow suit. Therefore, ask your local jeweller about modernist pieces in geometric shapes, such as boxy chokers and moulded cuffs. As an alternative to stark, clear-cut jewellery, why not visit your local jewellery shop for extravagant, decadent pieces to create a contrast with the sharp tailoring which will be in fashion?

Making Waves

The ocean, and everything associated with it, will play a big part in 2012 fashions, and you can expect jewellery trends to get in on the act. Your local jeweller will be able to provide you with beautiful, ocean-coloured pieces using stones such as lapis, sapphire, tourmaline, emerald, malachite and jade. Oceanographic shapes will also make their way into 2012 jewellery pieces – look out for starfish, conch and sea-horse motifs for necklaces and earrings, and also lots of jewellery using real shells. Ask your local independent jeweller about ethnic and tribal inspired pieces too, as these will also work well with this trend.

Lady-Like

Femininity will once again return to the jewellery front in 2012; expect everything from ladylike beads through to long, flowing earrings. Jewellery will also revisit pearls as we see a resurgence of 1920s flapper inspired pieces – why not ask your local jeweller about an exquisite freshwater pearl necklace? As an opposite idea to this, we will also see both car and mechanical inspired pieces, gothic jewellery and variations on metal ‘lace’; your local independent jeweller will also be able to advise on these slightly more boyish trends in 2012 jewellery.

There are lots of new and exciting themes coming to the catwalk and a local jewellery shop near you in 2012. Remember your local jeweller will be able to advise on what will suit you best, and if you can’t find what you’re looking for, why not think about commissioning a truly unique piece? By visiting your local jewellery shop you can certainly guarantee you’ll be on trend.

How Remodelling Can Give Your Old Jewellery New Life

Do you own some pieces of jewellery that you never wear? Perhaps you have a necklace that was fashionable when you bought it but now looks dated. Or you might have inherited a brooch or bracelet that has great sentimental value but simply isn’t your style. And what about all those bits and pieces: single earrings and cufflinks that have lost their partners, a ring with a missing stone, or a damaged pendant?

Instead of continuing to hide them away, or selling them for their scrap value, why not investigate the possibility of having unworn pieces of jewellery expertly remodelled into attractive new pieces?

A professional jeweller who offers a remodelling service will usually be able to suggest a number of ways in which the precious metals or gemstones in a piece of jewellery could be altered or rearranged. Most will also do their best to incorporate your own ideas into the new design.

Some ways in which old jewellery can be given a new lease of life include:

· taking precious stones from an old-fashioned setting and putting them into a more modern setting

· breaking up a large piece such as an ornate necklace or tiara to create several smaller pieces

· simplifying over fussy designs

· incorporating small ‘odd’ pieces into a new larger piece

· making a new piece from melted down damaged gold, silver or platinum

In today’s economic climate few people can afford to buy new jewellery just because they no longer like their old pieces. Recycling old jewellery by having it remodelled not only allows you to enjoy wearing something that would otherwise be discarded but the new piece will have the added advantage of being unique. For example, a fairly ordinary mass-produced pendant could be remodelled into a stunning one-off brooch or a pair of earrings that you won’t be able to find anywhere else. Or perhaps the new piece of jewellery could feature your initials or a symbol that has a special meaning for you to make it even more personal.

When someone admires your ‘new’ jewellery it will be up to you to decide whether or not to tell them you’ve had it for years!

For the best results look for a jeweller whose work you like and who is experienced in remodelling all types of jewellery. If your jewellery includes diamonds or other precious gems it’s important that you only entrust them to someone qualified to work with them.