A Look At Trends

If you want to create jewelry designs that the public wants to buy, you must keep up with the most popular colors, trends, styles and themes which consumers are most interested in today.

Consumer's want to be in tune with "the in thing" , yet at the same time reflect their own unique personality. This is where the want to purchase handcrafted products are starting to overtake the desire to buy mass produced merchandise.

Jewelry can still be produced with trends in mind and at the same time be a unique quality product. Because of this the sales of handcrafted giftware, personal accessories and creative home decor products is growing by millions each year in Canada and the United States.

For jewelry designers, trends are easy to follow as many purchases year after year are the same products or concepts, just different colors, styles and themes to suit the variety of individual tastes that change constantly.

For example, ten or fifteen years ago a consumer would have purchased a necklace set with chunky beads and bright bold neon colors. Now they would probably buy a necklace set with a more organic feel in earthy tones. As you can see the actual products are still needed or wanted but the colours and themes are what's changing.

You must learn to evaluate and keep on top of current buying trends. The difference between a trend and a fad, is that a trend is a buying behavior or buying pattern that lasts between 5 and 10 years and is generally widespread. Whereas a fad seems to occur among smaller groups for only a year or two. Fads usually only last until the novelty wears off on a particular item or style or until something new takes its place.

The key to profiting from fads and trends is to get in on it before the market is saturated and people are tired of seeing the same thing everywhere.

This is why it is so important to keep abreast of recent trends, you always have to know what's new, what's hot, what's selling, and then by incorporating these trends into your product line now will prove to be cost-effective.

Not that you want to completely alter your jewelry line based on trends since you have a unique voice of your own which is why people buy from you. BUT, it is important to be aware of jewelry trends so that you can make subtle changes to your line based on demand.

Trends can be anticipated by analyzing television and fashion magazines. Celebrities that are currently starring in a hit or big film are particularly important to watch for trends. The Oscars and other award ceremonies are also good sources of impending jewelry trends.

Many T.V. shows, advertising, and magazine articles have been the launching pads for new trends, or the bringing back of old ones. Remember the old sayings, "What goes around, comes around," and "if you keep it long enough, it will be in style again?" Well, look around and what do you see? Styles and colours are coming back. Platform shoes and disco styles from the seventies are hot new sellers for young buyers. With the recent interest in the environment, natural earthy tones are still in.

For great ideas on the current and upcoming trends, check out Fashion Trend Setter.

The Impact of Color

One of the strongest forces in stopping a potential customer and influencing them to want an item is the effective use of color. Color is one of the most important elements in designing a product. It is an invaluable selling tool because people are color conscious, sometimes so much as it becomes the deciding factor in many buying decisions.

Many consumers have and will purchase a product because it matches perfectly with the color scheme of their living room or kitchen, or would look great with their new outfit.

Newspapers, magazines, radio, and television promote color constantly. Color helps to create new merchandise and the desire for it. Of course you cannot satisfy the color tastes of everyone all the time, but you can cultivate the taste of your customers gradually and purposefully.

It's important to keep up with today's hot colors in order to increase your sales. As trends change, colors also change, they are becoming greatly toned-down, warmer, richer, darker and given more sophisticated names.

Firemountain gems has produced a complimentary color guide for the upcoming seasons as an inspiration to create your own Jewelry Art� -- it's the same guide used by Haute Couture and all fashion houses! A priceless tool for designer-artists. Selecting colors from the color guides is a sure-fire way to create style that sells. Click here for their Color Forecast Guide 2008-2009

''The whole world, as we experience it visually,
comes to us through the mystic realm of color.
Our entire being is nourished by it.
This mystic quality of color should likewise find
expression in a work of art.''

- Hans Hofmann, Artist

Today's Hot Trends

The Trends & Components Captivating Today's Consume
You can increase your ability to spot trends in the market if you're willing to watch and take note of what the consumer wants and is buying. Observe, ask questions, look at the busy stores with trendy store displays and window shop with your creative hat on. Ask yourself which of these themes fit your buying market.

Studies today show North Americans have growing interests in:

Gardening/Nature

Garden themes are hot. You now see these themes as much inside the home as outside and not just for those with a green thumb. Look around and see how nature encompasses so many of our interests and values today. Our yards are becoming more of an extension of our homes for pleasure, our children and entertaining.

Why not carry the gardening/nature theme into some of your jewelry. There are many glass and metal beads either with flowers and leaves or shaped like flowers and leaves.

The Environment/Recycling

There's lots of interest in our love for Mother Earth, the clean and natural look, saving the planet, the animals and rainforests. With our ecology such an important issue we are also seeing more and more recycled jewelry.

Jewelry fashioned from old cutlery. Organic objects such as stones, shells, driftwood, seeds, pods, or how about found objects such as game pieces, parts of old watches, typewriter keys, bottle caps, etc. You will find almost anything that can be drilled with a small hole used in todays jewelry.

Global Cultures

We are seeing an influence in colors and styles with an emphasis on multiculturalism in Native Indian, South Western, , Africa, Russia, Caribbean, Korea and European styles. Don't overlook the popularity of products with a genuine handcrafted flavor from your own local area which can hold a lot of weight with our expanding tourism industry.

Spirituality

There is an increasing desire for spirituality, a sense of magic and wonder that is forecast to continue. Celestial motifs in suns, moons, stars and planets are hot. Lots of interest in the natural elements such as semi precious stones, gems and crystals. Angels and fairies are still big and the goddess theme is bigger than ever.

Animals

There is an increased interest in reptiles such as frogs & turtles. Fish, bees, bugs and endangered species are popular.

Keep in Mind

These are just a few themes that are popular hot sellers that can be incorporated into your jewelry designs.

Return to top of A Look at Trends
Return to Bead Jewelry Designs Inspiration and Innovation
Return to Beading Design Jewelry home page.