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New York, NY—Ten years ago, fashion was fashion and fine jewelry was fine jewelry. Sure, there was some connection, but fine jewelers didn’t really think of themselves as part of the greater fashion industry. Today, that’s changed dramatically. Successful luxury jewelers are very much focused on fashion, trends, and what jewelry works best with each season’s ready-to-wear. Even bridal jewelry—once almost exclusively the domain of classic diamonds and pearls—is focused on fashion and color, as Millennial brides seek to make a personal style statement with their engagement ring and the jewelry they wear on their wedding day.

One of the industry’s most vocal proponents of the shift has been Doug Hucker, CEO of the American Gem Trade Association, the organization representing the colored gemstone sector. When most jewelers were still focused on luxury jewelry as a gift that men presented to the women in their lives, Hucker urged them to target the women directly. They have the means and the desire, he said, so don’t make them wait.

“The fashion industry was built around color, and jewelry today has become an integral part of the fashion industry,” he says. “10 years ago, if you asked someone what the [Pantone] Color Of The Year was, they looked at you like you were crazy. Now everybody knows it’s Radiant Orchid [for 2014]. Then the big question becomes, ‘what goes with it?’ You have analogous colors, complementary colors, and so forth. I’ve never gotten so many calls for Morganite in my life!” he says.

The trend for lots of intense color in fashion is reflected in this year’s Spectrum Award entries. Some past competitions were loaded with pastels or muted colors, says Hucker, but this year the biggest trend was for striking color and striking combinations of color. He likens the competition to the ready-to-wear runway shows, where the outfits shown inspire the season’s merchandise, rather than jump directly from catwalk to sales rack.

“We see trends from Spectrum translate to other jewelry, sometimes even unknowingly,” Hucker says. For example, pleasing color combinations that first show up in competition pieces later are used in commercial merchandise.

So how did the jewelry industry go from considering itself essentially above fashion to being immersed in it?

Certain leading jewelers began experimenting with more fashion-forward merchandise, and as they became successful others emulated them, says Hucker. He also cites the rise in female self-purchasing customers. The woman who will buy herself a designer handbag or shoes also is going into jewelry stores and asking for fashionable pieces to wear with her favorite clothes.

Two other key trends Hucker noted in the Spectrum Awards competition are huge increases in entries to both the Bridal and Men’s jewelry categories.

“It’s not just engagement rings, it’s the whole wedding day. One of the first things a bride decides after getting engaged is what color her wedding is going to be! Ask her! If it’s purple, suggest amethyst earrings for her bridesmaids,” he says. Every thing a jeweler can do to take away one component of the stress of planning a wedding is an add-on sale.

Finally, Hucker says the Men’s category went from “one corner tucked away with a few pieces to two whole tables worth” of men’s jewelry.

Watch the exclusive fashion interview with Hucker here.