Summer’s Hot Trends for 2008

This is the time of year for accessories! For most of us, there are weddings, parties and barbeques happening, so here’s how to accessorise this season to make the most of your summer look.

This season’s hot jewellery trends are:-

Flower Power!

Since way back in the 60’s and 70’s when the flower motif was a massive design element, 2008 sees a return of our love for florals and not surprisingly they’ve made their way back into jewellery design.

“The flower motif is definitely one of the most popular motifs for jewellery this season, and is being used across the board featuring in everything from very precious designs in diamonds and gold through to fun, fashion pieces,” says the British Jeweller Association’s, Lindsey Straughton.  Floral patterns are not simply for the girls.  Designer Sally Lees makes limited edition cufflinks and her Floral Collection of silver and aluminium links printed with delicate English country-garden flower patterns based on roses and carnations brings a colourful touch to any well-turned cuff. RRPs range from £98 to £120.

Blooming marvellous! Smell the roses this summer with some lovely Floral Jewellery
And be bang on trend with this season’s latest look

The Circle

Here we go again with another vintage inspired design influence, “The Circle” is back and is big news in the jewellery world. Again , like the flower motif, the circle was a strong trend in the 60’s and 70’s and is now hot stuff for 2008 fashion.

Highly fashionable and certainly chic, choose a circle this Summer….

“Hearts have been a key motif in jewellery for the past couple of years and they are still very popular, but the hot money is on the circle,” says Lindsey Straughton, marketing manager at the British Jewellers’ Association (BJA) the UK’s leading jewellery trade organisation.

Jewellery featuring circles comes in all shapes and sizes and the ‘circles’ used range from the serenely spherical to the definitely distorted.  However according to Straughton, so long as the look is round it will be making a spin in the jewellery world in the coming season.

So whether you choose a large, statement chain featuring huge circular links or just a simple circular pendant, the circle is set to be a strong jewellery trend for the fashion stakes this year.

Pretty in pearls

Continuing strongly into 2008, pearls remain as a very fashionable look for this year and absolutely everyone should have some in their jewellery box! Long, short, black, white, round or baroque, there’s so much choice when it comes to pearls – and what better way to go than real Cultured Pearls as opposed to faux or imitation pearl beads. There’s lots of information about pearls on my website, so take a look at the Jewellery Info page to how pearls are farmed.

Metalics

Metalics are huge this summer and in terms of jewellery, gold is the new silver! Complete your look with lashings of lovely gold or silver metallic jewellery and once again be bang on trend. Lending itself very nicely to this metallic trend is Venetian Glass, often  smothered in precious metals, these beautiful glass creations bring metallics into classic, refined jewellery.

So there you have it, my view on what’s hot for this

Florals to knock your socks off!

Every once in a while I come across something which, from a design point of view, touches me. It doesn’t happen very often as I find so much of what I encounter mediocre or bland or something I’ve seen before in another guise ( sad, I know!). However, when I do find a hidden gem, something fantastic, vibrant, different or inspiring, I want to shout about it! And that’s what happened recently on a trip to the Chelsea Flower Show when I was literally stopped in my (well trodden) tracks at the sight which lay before me. Tucked amongst the many stalls on “The Avenue” was the work of Amanda Riley, and Artist, who’s work, the most exotic and vibrant florals painted in oils, was one of the highlight of the show for me. Amanda describes her art as ” Bespoke Florals in oil on canvas by ‘Chelsea’ floral artist Amanda Riley. Vibrant, stylish art in colours to compliment your decor.”

If you’d like to take a look at Amanda’s stunning work, her website “Full Frontal Florals by Amanda Riley” at www.fullfrontalflorals.com should give you a glimpse of what I mean and why I’d love to own one of these works. x