What's HOT this Season?
Diamond Specials #1 Watches #1 Tanzanite #1 Super Sales #1		Top Ten Trends in Jewelry   The strongest trend in jewelry design is diamonds set in white metal, particularly platinum. Its purity is the perfect symbol of a new beginning. But 18-karat white gold is also popular, particularly for earrings.The cool elegance of today's white-on-white styles is futuristic but also refers back to the styles of the turn of the last century, when lacy platinum and diamond looks also dominated jewelry design.   These designs feel as good as they look. Beautiful 18-karat gold mesh from Italy is the latest look in chokers, necklaces, and bracelets. There are lots of different soft styles composed of webs of fine chain, interlocking links, or rings. Woven designs drape across the body, moving when you do.   Drop everything! The briolette is an antique gemstone cut that is the hottest new gem trend. A briolette is a drop cut which is faceted all the way around, like a crystal from a chandelier. It is popular in diamonds and colored gemstones like amethyst, aquamarine, and peridot. The best styles are delicate and lacy, with briolettes dangling from fine chain in white metal. The modern way to wear these romantic necklaces and earrings is with simple streamlined clothing.   Jewelry in is full bloom this season with a bouquet of fresh new designs that are inspired by the garden. Flower power is transforming earrings necklaces, and pins in particular. Some designs are realistic and others are much more abstract. But either way, putting the petal to the metal results in beautiful jewelry with an added romantic touch.   5     Remember that special cruise Cruises can be a once in a lifetime experience.  Why not wear a daily reminder to whisk your mind back to happier times?  A wonderful ring or bracelet can do just that.   It's a wonderful investment in a lifestyle to enjoy for years to come!   Another futuristic touch in jewelry design today is flexible wire, which is updating pendants and necklaces. One thin flexible strand is a modern way to wear a pendant. Multiple strands with gemstones and pearls are bold but not heavy. The combination of wire and cultured pearls is particularly fresh: a classic traditional look brought into the twenty-first century.   In engagement rings and other jewelry pieces, it's hip to be square. Brilliant square princess cut diamonds are the latest look in engagement rings and diamond stud earrings. And square cut gemstones add a modern touch to bands, pendants and drop earrings as well. In some styles they are set squarely, in others, turned on point, for a diamond shaped profile that looks particularly elegant for a pendant.   A frosting of tiny diamonds covers many of the latest jewelry designs. This style of setting, called pave, paves the surface of a piece of jewelry with diamonds set side to side covering a large are of the piece. In the past, this technique was used to decorate very elaborate jewelry for evening wear. Today it is used to add brilliance to simple designs that add a signature touch to your everyday wardrobe: classic hoop earrings, bangles and the frames of pendants.       The biggest look this season is the bold gemstone ring. One large gemstone, either faceted or cabochon, makes a dramatic statement. The most popular color is blue, either aquamarine or blue topaz, set in white metal. But the wide range of gems now available in a rainbow of beautiful colors, both pastels and vibrant hues, means that every woman can find a signature ring that works with her wardrobe.   The trendiest new earring style is an old favorite: the hoop. A simple circle, the hoop is surprisingly versatile. The newest hoops are small in diameter, hugging the ear. A sprinkling of diamonds and white metal makes them up-to-the-minute as well as timeless.

Top Trends in Watches

Inspired by the vintage phenomenon, watch manufacturers  are plundering their archives and reproducing sought after classic styles.

Fine watch manufacturers are looking into their archives of watch designs and re-issuing classics from years gone by.    If you walk into Royal Caribbean of St Thomas's, famous for their fine watches, you will be amazed at the classic faces gazing back at you.   Watch manufacturers are well aware of the nostalgia trends that are sweeping the world.  Watch shoppers are looking for watches that bear a heritage, that have stood the test of time and are again gaining popularity.    The Piaget Emperador has an impeccable heritage, and a timeless look.  The elegance of the classic time pieces are what shoppers are searching for and they are flying off of the shelves. 

In an environment that could not be more different- the recently opened Rumi Supper Club in Miami Beach- there's a flutter of interest around a handsome rectangular watch face with a small seconds display at 6 o'clock.  At first glance, the item looks like a genuine vintage model but it is, on closer inspection, far too perfect.  It turns out to be a remake of a Girard-Perregaux design from 1945.   In its re-issued form, it can be purchased at Royal Caribbean in St Thomas.   The first release in 1995 was a big international hit for the company, particularly in Japan where it was voted "Most Beautiful Watch of 1996."

There was a time when "re-issue"  ( a euphemism for "repro") was  a dirty word, associated with the fake heritage design that br9ought us video cases masquerading as tooled, first edition book jackets.   How tastes change?  The new breed of repro is elite, niche, and very cool.   It started with one or two old established watch manufacturers a few years ago, wanting to revamp their image by reinterpreting their classic designs, and has rapidly crept into the entire watch making industry.  And it's not just watch makers; fashion, design, beauty, publishing and even music can't move fast enough to re-issue anything from lipstick shades to lampshades, in the knowledge that there's a generation of culturally savvy, authenticity-seeking consumers out there with a taste for the newly made "old".

Re-issues appeal to the type of in-the-know person who gets a thrill from a handcrafted time-piece, meticulously engraved and with perfect period detailing.  One of the most enduring examples of classic watch design is the Cartier Tank.  So successful has this design been, in terms of sales as well as brand building (over a million Tank watches have been sold since 1919) , that Cartier is now digging even deeper into its own history.

The latest launch is a re-make of a watch devised for the pasha of Marrakech who wanted to be able to swim in his Tank-  the Tank Etanche debuted in 1931 and was the world's first square-shaped, water-resistant watch.  In those days, every corner in a watch's case caused another problem in the attempt to make a water-resistant watch but Cartier overcame these with aplomb.  The re-issued Tank a Vis forms part of Cartier's exclusive Private collection and gets its name from the screw at each corner which, although functional, gives a beautiful balance to the watch.

For Piaget, reinvigorated after its purchase in 1993 by the Richemont group (who also own Cartier) the idea was simply to build on the brands rich legacy and position as one of the last remaining Swiss watch "manufacturers".    In Piaget's case, this means building on its reputation for producing ultra-thin movements.  The outcome was the launch in 1998 of the Altiplano range, a watch with iconic status and the distinction of bearing the Piaget name from the design stage right down  to its individual component parts.

The appeal of re-issued item or one based on a classic design is the integrity of the product and the rich heritage behind it.  Only the leading, long established watch manufacturers -- those with a history that sets them apart- have the kind of archives that go back decades, even centuries, to draw upon.   In many people's eyes, the epitome of watch making excellence is Patek Phillipe.   This is a company that sells itself on the old-fashioned virtues of tradition and passing things down to the next generation; who still employs an enamellist to paint pastoral scenes on pocket watches using one badger hair.  

When you talk about elegant watches, the image that springs to mind is the Calatrava; a classic design that has never ceased to evolve over the last 70 years but without ever changing its fundamental identity.  The first Calatrava, named after the Caltrava cross that is the company's emblem, was launched in 1932 during the Great Depression.  Realizing that the complicated, multi-function watches which Patek Phillipe had thus far specialized in producing would find few buyers in a recession, the company changed tack and started producing a greatly simplified watch that was cheaper to manufacture and was stripped of all superfluous ornamentation.   Twenty different versions of the Caltrava have been released since 1932, each adhering to the basic design and each carrying the coveted Geneva Seal awarded to only those watches that have met a set of criteria established over one hundred years ago.   You can be certain that the movement on the inside more than matches the elegant beauty on the outside.

But how does the watch manufacturers decide which watch to re-manufacture and when?    The design must be retro but also contemporary.  The success of Baume & Mercier's Hampton Collection is built on just such a balance between retro charm and contemporary elegance.

It's no surprise to discover that re-issued designs tend to be in limited editions and sold in few shops.  But for the truly dedicated watch lover, that is part of the fun---- the pursuit!

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