Diamonds Get Playful with Blasts of High-Octane Color
New holiday jewelry designs show our favorite stones with a cool and contemporary edge.
If you think diamonds are a classic jewel, then you haven’t seen the playful new designs featuring the sparkling stones in vibrant enamel and ceramic settings. These bold and stylish jewels are one of the hottest holiday jewelry trends because they deliver the most coveted stone with a blast of lively and joyful color (something everyone wants—and needs—right now).
The new natural diamond designs are more than just colorful and cool—they are also meaningful and symbolic gifts; the age-old stones have lasting value that imbues even the most fashionable and trendy jewelry pieces with an heirloom quality.
“Enamel and ceramic settings take away some of the seriousness that is associated with diamond jewelry,” says Law Roach, the high-profile Los Angeles-based stylist whose clients include Zendaya and Ariana Grande. “They venture away from the ‘traditional’ idea of diamonds and allow people to wear diamonds in a more unique and personal way.”
One designer who has taken the technicolor jewelry trend to the extreme is Melissa Kaye, who shows natural diamonds with neon-colored enamel. “Neon settings have disrupted the way people think of fine jewelry,” says the New York-based designer. “The combination of neon with fine diamonds creates a fun uptown-meets-downtown look.” Kaye’s technicolor pieces include diamond-adorned stackable rings and hoop earrings. They make fashionable gifts for women of all ages, especially the younger set who, she says, suddenly see diamonds as a hip and trendy accessory.
The new crop of diamond jewels also offer a way to infuse color into your wardrobe without overpowering a look. “It’s easier to wear a bright red ring than a red coat or handbag,” says Bea Bongiasca, the fashionable Milanese designer known for her whimsical, painterly enamel jewelry and diamond pieces, including brightly colored vines (inspired by flora and fauna) that wrap around the finger or climb the ears. “The enamel lets me create any shade of color that I want,” she explains. “It costs a lot less than gems and it delivers a big impact.”
“It’s a fun way to mix high and low styles with diamonds”
Cristina Ehrlich
If the occasion calls for more important diamond gifts, look to designer Solange Azagury-Partridge, who is presenting large stones in her Scribbles rings and necklaces. These bold and innovative designs appear exactly how they sound: like haphazard scrawls across fingers and necks. Made with bright pink or purple ceramic-and-lacquer, the cermaic ring designs showcase diamonds in a pop art style.
Designer Michelle Fantaci also uses enamel to make diamonds pop. Her new enamel heart necklaces in royal blue and robin’s egg blue are wrapped in diamond cages. “The color gives the jewelry energy,” she says.
Diamonds in vivid colored settings appeal to a range of women, from the younger set to more sophisticated tastes, because they can easily be mixed with any other jewels. “It’s a fun way to mix high and low styles with diamonds,” explains Cristina Ehrlich, the influential celebrity stylist who advises women to mix their classic jewels with pieces of colorful jewelry. “Pairing enamel with diamonds is a fresh and flirty way to bring a contemporary spirit to your jewelry wardrobe.”
Melissa Kaye agrees that the way you style bright and neon-colored jewels is what makes a statement—subtle or bold. “I think neon is oddly neutral,” she says. “I like to mix more playful enamel pieces with serious jewelry because it makes an impact.”
These vibrant jewelry designs are a win-win holiday or year round gift: Precious diamonds paired with vibrant colors deliver a dose of sparkling joy that will last all year long!
