As wedding season approaches, many brides and wedding attendees turn their attention to jewelry, the perfect finishing touch for any outfit. Not only is wedding jewelry beautiful and meaningful, but in most weddings, jewelry plays a major part in the ceremony itself. Although wedding jewelry is often passed down from mother to daughter and from father to son, the urge to splash out on your own wedding ensures that there will always be room for new trends.
This year, as always, designers, stylists, and jewelry artisans are attempting to identify and capitalize on such trends before anyone else can beat them to market. The wedding industry, which is estimated to be worth upwards of $72 billion in the United States alone, thrives on these ever-changing tastes. If you’re planning or attending a wedding this summer, here are some of the top trends to keep in mind.
Layers of Jewels
The December 2018 wedding of global tastemaker Priyanka Chopra to Nick Jonas was an international event. Columnists called it the “Hollywood-Bollywood Royal Wedding.” Like many intercultural couples today, Chopra and Jonas were married in two separate ceremonies. Her looks for both ceremonies featured layers of different pieces that coordinated to create a luxurious waterfall of diamonds.
For the Western ceremony, Chopra wore a pair of 7.63-carat rose-cut pear-shaped diamonds earrings, with a separate pair of floral loop diamond earrings attached to her veil.
For the Indian ceremony, she was adorned with a regal white gold necklace set with 184.5 carats of diamonds, which she later switched out for a necklace made with pear-shaped diamond solitaire drops. Many brides have been so inspired by Chopra’s indulgent layers that they’ve re-created her look for themselves. You don’t need to have Chopard on speed-dial to get this haute couture look—just don’t be afraid to fill the neckline of your dress, or mix and match different necklaces to create a cascading look.
Cooler Hues Are All the Rage
Although Indian weddings will always be a riot of bright colors, many brides and wedding guests are trying to stand out from the crowd by turning to jewelry made with cooler hues. Meenakari jewelry, which is traditionally made by enameling metals with bright blues, reds, oranges, and greens, is being modernized by jewelers like Sunita Shekhawat, whose refined Meenakari-inspired pieces are handcrafted in lighter shades of turquoise, mint green, and ivory. The trend has even made its way into engagement and wedding bands, with natural-grey, salt-and-pepper, and even black diamonds showing up in many wedding sets.
Flowers All Around
Flowers are a key part of any wedding ceremony. As wedding designers grapple with the move towards sustainability in wedding decor, many brides have chosen to wear flowers as part of their jewelry instead of splashing out for a gigantic display that will eventually wilt and die. Blossoms interwoven with pearls or even diamonds would make a beautiful part of a haath phool or maangtikka. If you’re looking for a statement floral piece that’s a bit more avant-garde, designer Lele Sadoughi offers huge floral earrings made from cut acetate and pavé crystals that are equally at home on the earlobes of the bride, or as a punchy accent on a little black dress for the cocktail reception.
