Bridal Jewelry Trends for 2006

For most of today’s bride’s, becoming engaged still means a diamond ring. The “look” for this year, however, is a revival of antique cut diamonds, such as the cushion or pillow-cut. This trend is seen today on the ring fingers of the rich and famous like singer Leann Rimes, just as it once was popular a century ago. What is particularly wonderful about the cushion cut diamond is that, because of their rounded corners and larger facets, there is a visible increase in their brilliance under candlelight. Not as “fiery” as a round or princess cuts, the cushion-cut is reminiscent of the romance and classic look of days gone by.

In the buying trends of prospective grooms, we see a trend toward larger stones. The traditional one carat solitaire diamond is making its appearance as three carats, or larger. This big and bold trend is, of course, most popular amongst celebrities, but is also being “found” of the ring fingers of everyday women.

When it comes to selecting the style of her ring, the vintage look stands out in the crowd, with filigree embellishments being featured most often. The modern bride appreciates the workmanship and craft that are involved in creating ornamental enhancements in or in platinum. Incidentally, filigree is an art form that can be traced to 3rd century where it often appeared in Greek jewelry. In the 30s, platinum and 18K white gold filigree engagement rings were very popular, both here and abroad. The art form is being revived by today’s jewelry artisans in their creations of elegant, sophisticated pieces which are enhanced with geometric patterns, floral cutwork, and milgrained edges. These embellishments help them to created pieces that mirror the vintage style and incorporate the fine workmanship that was expected years ago.

It’s hard to say why there is so much emphasis on vintage and vintage-look jewelry. Perhaps it is due to the fact that a vintage ring will “go” with and complement every other type of diamond cut. Many vintage pieces are adorned with pavé diamonds, which are indistinguishable as individual stones, so that they give the center stone the appearance of being larger than it actually is.

Please keep in mind that if you don’t see what you want in our shop, we have many fine catalogues from which you can choose. We will make every effort to get you the setting you what, with the fine quality diamond you deserve.