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Merrick, NY--What are the key trends to look for in Las Vegas? The Centurion consulted some of the industry’s leading trendspotters for their take on fall 2011.

According to Helena Krodel of Jewelers of America, these are some of the leading general trends for fine jewelry this fall:

• Neck-Cuffs: The statement-making cuff bracelet trend has inspired designers to create other kinds of jewelry “cuffs” like structured collars for the neck.  These sit atop clavicle bone and remind us of the space-age styles worn in the 1960s as well as the rock-n-roll necklaces of the 1980s.  Smooth and polished with minimal detail, these new necklaces are unlike the “bib” and “V” shaped necklaces of seasons past.  The busy designs, gemstones and chains will be left behind, in lieu of these simple straightforward necklaces made from precious metals with limited adornment.  Several silhouettes that will be popular: the round choker which hugs the neck, the “dog-collar” which sits higher, wrapping around the center of the neck, and the pointed-peak which dips down between the collar-bone.   
• A Penchant for Pendants: Pretty pendants in “spot-on” sizes (i.e. neither too big nor too small) will anchor the billowing shirts and glamorous flowing jersey dresses (an ode to 1970s fashion), coming this fall. Length—grazing the belly button—is compulsory.  Styles are subjective but you may encourage your customers to wear more than a single piece.  Chain-link necklaces that feature a medallion, locket or amulet will be the most sought-after, while carved colored gemstone pendants, bezel-set, are also a fabulous option, given that color is back in a big way in fashion.  
• Friendship Bracelets: Friendship bracelets like those worn in the 1980s are back, but today’s bracelets are no longer reserved for BFF’s.  They are being purchased for intimate loved ones, but more readily gifted to oneself as a proclamation of style, personality and preferences.  Layered in multiples and worn like a second skin, today’s friendship bracelets feature leather, suede, and silk bracelets. Often they will feature charms, crafted just so into talismans, religions, or iconic symbols and abstract shapes.  These ornamental charms add luxurious accents since they are made from precious materials like 18k yellow, white, or rose gold. Beaded colored-gemstone versions are also interspersed with pavé diamond beads. Pavé diamond beads in black, brown, champagne or grey look sultry and subtle, adding just a glint of sparkle.  
• Finger-Cuffs: Bountifully wide bands are the new trend in rings. For many seasons, designers were enamored of petite stacking bands, slim with organic finishes, (like hand-hammering). These now make way for modern and clean rings that resemble cuffs for the finger. Look for styles in polished yellow gold or sterling silver, measuring eight millimeters or more for full effect.  Simple engraving or diamonds on the periphery are welcome, but the more streamlined the better, given the width of these bands.  
• Cluster Rings: Cocktail rings have become a favorite classic for women today because they are statement making and usually colorful. Today they no longer have to feature one central colored gemstone. The newest cocktail rings are comprised of clusters of sumptuous gemstones.  Some of the best looking designs are made with similar colors that graduate from light to dark.  Striking styles that are sprinkled with diamonds—white, brown, champagne, grey, or black—will be some of the most sought after cluster cocktail rings this year.
• Blackened sterling silver and precious yellow gold
• Jewelry with diamond and gemstone slices
• Rose gold and neutral flesh-toned gemstone jewelry.

Jenny Perl hits the fall trends with a gemstone flower cocktail ring, left, and watermelon tourmaline slice earrings, right.

According to Jamie McCorry of the World Gold Council, these are the top five trends in gold jewelry for the season:

• Architectural: This incorporates angles, geometric shapes, and very structured pieces.
• Nature Inspired / Organic: This trend is about fluid shapes, movement, softness, and floral and animal motifs
• Bold Cuffs and Rings: These typically are worn singly as a statement piece, rather than in multiples.
• Statement Earrings: These are typically either very long shapes or large and round. Jamie McGorry of the World Gold Council says look for lots of forward-facing, larger, design-intensive earrings. “I think big earrings are popular right now because you can still have a large, bold look without using an extremely large amount of gold,” she says.
• Symbolic pieces: These are meaningful pieces that represent personal values or beliefs, or special moments which are representative of the individual wearing them.
• Charms have developed well in this category, because the meaning of the charm is heightened by the intrinsic value of gold, says McGorry.
• Small and Intimate pieces:  There is an intimacy, preciousness and sweetness in smaller pieces which the consumer—especially a younger demographic--can identify with, says McGorry.

According to Heather Zachary Rogoff of Platinum Guild International, the top trends in platinum are: 

• Vintage-inspired bridal: The delicate scrolls and feminine details such as micropave still are a leading trend.
• Modern-inspired bridal: Look for details such as bezels, tension setting, or flat shanks turned on their sides so that edges are perpendicular to the finger.
• Entry Platinum Bridal: These are price points below $3,000 (ideally, below $2,500) for the semi-mount
• Colored Gemstones: Pieces incorporating color are showing up in both bridal and fashion (a la Kate Middleton’s engagement ring)
• Simplicity: Less fuss, allowing the metal and stones to speak for themselves.

A vintage-inspired platinum engagement set from Uneek, left, while this Steven Kretchmer platinum ring, right, combines simplicity and modern technology.

Finally, The Centurion suggests the following trends will be strong for fall:

• Big bold cuffs and rings: Both Krodel and McCorry cited this trend, and while most of the newest platinum jewelry is focused on bridal, fashion rings shown to editors in advance of the shows also had width and substance. In general, the cuff bracelet has been a fashion darling for several years and it’s not going away anytime soon.
• Vintage and classic: The vintage look for bridal shows no signs of slowing down, as PGI shows. And with the recent wedding of Prince William and Catherine Middleton, look for the bride’s elegant taste and classic choices to influence all generations of shoppers. Her diamond earrings, incidentally, combined several trends: the symbolism of the diamond-crusted acorns in a delicate, vintage-inspired setting, and an overall silhouette that is classic. Size-wise, it’s just right—not too big or too small. 
  

Catherine Middleton's parents gave her a pair of diamond drop earrings for her wedding to Prince William. These earrings from Gumuchian have a very similar silhouette and fit perfectly into the "modern classic" trend that the new princess (top of page) embodies.

• Blackened metals: As Krodel states, this look will continue.  The trend began more than three years ago and is a way of adding interest to metal or toning down a would-be glitzy piece into daytime wear. Both blackened metals and diamond and gemstone slices were evident in a number of entires for the American Gem Trade Association's trendsetting Spectrum Awards for colored gemstone jewelry, presented earlier this year in Tucson, AZ.
• Charms and symbolic pieces. As McCorry says, these are important. Gen-Y, especially, is all about personalization in everything they own, but the concept and sentiment plays well to all demographics. The popularity of bead jewelry is a part of this trend.
• Pretty and petite: For every trend there is a counter-trend, and this one is the opposite of the bold cuff/bold ring/bold collar. It’s also more price-sensitive, and is often shown in consumer magazines such as Lucky that target women in their 20's and early 30's.