Report #4 -
Colored Giant Gems

While the metals will be made of yellow gold, the gems enhanced by the gold will be big and bold. Again, this could be borrowing from the 70s and 80s when bigger was better. Many of the pages of JCK magazine show large, band style rings with unusual cuts of amethyst, tanzanite, emerald, and aquamarine. Carat sizes are large: three, four, even five carats. The band themselves are not ornate or filigreed, but instead are sleek and geometric.

Along with size, gems provide the bright colors that are supposed to become so popular. Green in shades of peridot to emerald to green tourmaline will be popular with winter fashion. Though your average jewelry maker might not be able to deal in 4 carat emerald stones, alternatives such as simulated or laboratory grown stones might be an alternative for the wire wrapper or metal worker who enjoys the look of large stones. For beaders, consider using a few larger stone beads in bright colors, such as amethyst, to give your bead creations a larger look.

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