How surprised was I on Sunday night, while watching the red carpet of the 73rd annual Golden Globe Awards? In a word? Very. To put my amazement in perspective . . . I’m used to two things: One, fashion that’s so “movie-star safe,” it’s typically uninspiring. And, two, far too many “jewelry people” getting far too excited when they see a star draped in an over-the-top mega-diamond neck piece, a vintage bracelet from an iconic jewelry house, colorful chandeliers that border on gaudy, and so forth. For me, none of that cuts it — what I want to see celebrities wearing is forwardness. Even more specifically, forwardness in real-woman wearable.
That said, it would be absurd for me to ignore the number-one jewelry trend of the evening: “To-Die-For-Diamond Collars.” Because, indeed, so many weren’t what you typically see at such shows. But do read on after that, as the jewelry trend directions beyond that were, without a doubt, enticing enough to make me actually look forward to the next awards show.
Trend: TO-DIE-FOR DIAMOND COLLARS
The fact that Hollywood’s best stylists chose lots of collars and chokers for their A-list clients shouldn’t come as a complete surprise—after all, we’ve been obsessed with Seventies accessories for awhile now. Still, it was the mega-wattage of diamonds that dazzled. And, of course, putting them on top-tier A-listers like Jennifer Lawrence, Emmy Rossum, and Jennifer Lopez was the icing on the cake. The other thing that I found to be noteworthy about all those diamond-dripping collars was that each of the three I just mentioned wore them differently: JLo’s laying on top of the bodice of her dress, Ms. Rossum’s resting on her bare neckline, and JLaw’s looking as if (I said as if) it were actually part of her red Dior Haute Couture. So, if there’s a takeaway for jewelers on this trend, it’s that, today, there are different ways to style with an über-expensive diamond collar—making them more likely to be worn more than once or twice a year.
Jennifer Lawrence in 156-carat Chopard diamond collar and Dior Haute Couture gown (Credit: REX by Shutterstock)
Emmy Rossum in Van Cleef & Arpels diamond collar and strapless red Armani Privé (Credit: REX by Shutterstock)
Maxior Jewels smokey quartz and diamond ring in 18K gold, worn to 2016 Golden Globes by Angela Bassett (Credit: Maxior Jewels)
Trend: WITH A BOHEMIAN BENT
In the sense that some of the best jewelry seen at this year’s Globes was unconventional, then, yes, I’d have to say they were bohemian. Watching what came down the carpet was, honestly, fun at times: You’d go from not being able to take your eyes off a white ‘n bright sparkler at JLo’s neck, to looking at a trail of colored gems dripping down Leslie Mann’s rose quartz-colored Monique Lhuillier-covered back–thanks to the creativity of a necklace by Irene Neuwirth. And although the word bohemian isn’t usually the first word one thinks of, on hearing names like Fred Leighton or Bulgari, when I spotted the colored stone collars worn on Sunday by Maura Tierney and Olivia Wilde, the descriptor seemed quite fitting. And despite that the Oscars tend toward being more traditional and straight-laced, given the current zeitgeist for special, I expect we’ll see more like this at the upcoming Academy Awards.
Leslie Mann in Irene Neuwirth collar with cascade of gems dripping down the actor’s back (Credit: REX by Shutterstock)
Maura Tierney in Fred Leighton gemstone collar (Credit: REX by Shutterstock)
Olivia Wilde in a vintage Bulgari collar-with-color (Credit: Bulgari)
Trend: APPLAUD-WORTHY GEMS IN GREEN
After the 2016 AGTA Spectrum Awards held its Media Preview in October, I blogged here about green gemstones being the leading color in entries. I really haven’t seen it discussed before or since on fashion sites, and perhaps part of that is because much of the color news has been around Pantone’s Colors of the Year, named soon afterward as a rose quartz and pale blue. Nevertheless, on Sunday evening’s red carpet, green gems popped as the leader in natural shaded sparklers. Emeralds especially.
For daily news, blogs and tips jewelers need, subscribe to our email bulletins here.
Jaime Alexander in emerald earring studs by Lorraine Schwartz (Credit: REX by Shutterstock)
Taraji P. Henson in emerald and diamond earrings by Kimberly McDonald for Gemfields (Credit: Kimberly McDonald for Gemfields)
Jennifer Lopez in Harry Winston diamond collar and mustard yellow Giambattista Valli with half-cape (Credit: REX by Shutterstock)
Trend: ENTER, EVENING PEARLS
Whether a woman is 18 or 80, thanks to this week’s Golden Globes, jewelry lovers of every age were gifted with the reality that pearls have gotten a seal of approval for red carpet wear. Fashion trend forecasters have been talking of even more blackened gold by the end of this year, and Zendaya’s Yoko London pearl-and-diamond earrings set in black rhodium were a great visual for why such designs will work well.
Jane Fonda in Chopard pearl earrings and Yves Saint Laurent Couture dress (Credit: REX by Shutterstock)
Cate Blanchette with pearl, diamond, and platinum earrings from Tiffany & Co. and wearing Givenchy (Credit: REX by Shutterstock)
Zendaya in Yoko London earrings of pearls and diamonds set in black rhodium, and wearing Marchesa multi-tiered dress (Credit: REX by Shutterstock)
Trend: DRAMA-QUEEN RINGS WITH COLOR
Most often, the high-theatrics of Sunday’s Golden Globe rings were achieved with gem color. Truthfully, the diamond designs tended toward traditional at this show. So when looking for uniqueness, ring color was really the crowd pleaser.
Julianne Moore in Chopard jewelry from its “High Jewelry Collection, featuring 18.32 carats of Paraiba tourmalines and 2.98 carats of diamonds set in titanium; blue sequin gown by Tom Ford (Credit: REX by Shutterstock)
Chopard ring from its “High Jewelry Collection, worn by Julianne Moore to the 2016 Golden Globes; featuring” 18.32 carats of Paraiba tourmalines and 2.98 carats of diamonds set in titanium (Credit: Chopard)
Sophia Bush in all Martin Katz Jewelry (Credit: E TV)
Angela Bassett in Maxior Jewels smokey quartz and diamond ring in 18K gold (Credit: Maxior Jewels)