This Week's Obsession: Weddings Galore!

This Week's Obsession: Weddings Galore!

As cherry blossoms are blooming in every park in London, this city is also experiencing its most stylish moment for bridal fashion. Brands and retailers will come together in London for the first time since 2019; an example of the global bridal industry’s resilience over the past two years. Co-located with luxury buying event, White Gallery, Bridal Week London is a trading environment like no other.


This year’s White Gallery marks the perfect chance for accessory and fine jewellery designers to showcase their glamorous wedding day pieces that provide meaning that lasts a lifetime.

Join us to experience some of the innovative bridal jewels that elevate that special day in a woman's life. While diamonds has long been the classic choice when it comes to engagement rings and bridal jewellery, women nowadays have many more alternatives. 


Aquamarine


Light blue aquamarine stones are an elegant and fresh choice that can also make your engagement ring your "something blue" (and an excellent family heirloom). Part of the beryl family, aquamarine is part of the same species as emeralds and morganites.
Still, aquamarine is a fairly durable option that will certainly become a treasured favourite. Sassone points out that you can go for a natural aquamarine that hasn't been treated, saying, "It will be more expensive, but worth it in how much your beauty will sparkle!"

Aquamarine wedding jewellery will also add an innovative edge to a bride's ensemble or a great choice for the mother of the bride or groom, especially when wearing pastel hues.  

Emerald

With their gorgeous green hue, emeralds are a classic choice that will really add something to your jewellery collection. Montague points out that they come in a variety of shapes that can easily be customised to fit into your dream ring.

Like aquamarine, emeralds come in at about 7.5 on the Mohs scale, so it will require a bit more attention and care when being worn or stored. "When shopping for an emerald, the most appealing stones will be a beautiful deep green, with a highly transparent appearance," Montague notes. A choice of an emerald piece or set can take a wedding ensemble to a whole new level, whether you're the bride, or a guest. 

Ruby

Rubies are an excellent diamond alternative because they manage to be classic but bold at the same time. As Montague points out, they are also the gemstone of love, and come in a range of shades from deep pink to red, making a beautiful contrast when paired with white and yellow metals.


Rubies are durable and suitable for everyday wear, which is certainly an advantage. However, they aren't quite as inexpensive as some other options. "Rubies are priced higher per carat than any other coloured gem," Montague says. She recommends looking for the more desirable deep red rubies when shopping, and making sure the gem is eye clean.

Wedding jewellery of diamonds and rubies are striking and many asian cultures believe the colour red to be lucky.  Nothing better than a lucky bride. 



Pearls 

Classic with a modern twist—not your grandmother’s ring
When it comes to jewellery, there is nothing more classic than a pearl. Considered the world’s oldest gems because they emerge from their shells as finished products, requiring no cutting or shaping, the baubles have been sought after since the Middle Ages, as much for their beauty as for their mystical properties.
“They’re so commonly associated with purity, chastity and innocence,”

“We do see interest in pearls as engagement rings, part and parcel of a voracious appetite for pearls right now,” said Leigh Batnick Plessner, co-creative director of Catbird. “I wonder if reimagining the pearl, which was co-opted for so long as very staid and traditional, is making them more modern and low-key and less fussy, and if that has any overlap with people’s desires to treat everything related to weddings the same way.”

And pearls are the most sustainable gem on planet Earth: The cleaner the water and the better the ecosystem, the better it is for the cultivation of pearls.”  We love pearls for any member of the wedding party or the guests.  There are so many modern forms of pearl jewellery. See our baroque pearl and diamond earrings from Massimo Izzo. 


Jewel choice after the pandemic: lighter and natural

According to Prakshi Sharma, Creative Head & Designer, Prakshi Fine Jewellery, People’s taste towards jewellery changed after the pandemic. With masks being a mandate, more ergonomic earrings shall also be chosen moreover drop earrings. For example ear sliders/climbers, or ear cuffs that are light, go against gravity and won’t get stuck with the mask. We have a huge range of earrings that aim to cater exactly to this concern since before the pandemic.


Colour and nature are also what people are after these days. As a designer, hope through bloom was my state of mind last year, but now that we’ve launched the collection, it seems like I see nature everywhere else too and that’s what makes me feel that floral, leafy, or jewellery in coloured gemstones such as emeralds, rubies and most importantly sapphires because they come in many colours, might be the number one choice amongst brides and grooms this wedding season. Motifs in vines, flowers, or even dragonflies can add a vivid vibrance and statement feel.


Striking Modern Bridal Sets

2022 also witnessed changes in other new choices for wedding rings. Engagement rings trends 2022 wouldn't be complete without the striking modern bridal sets. They come in different shapes, gold tones and unique centre-stones. These type of bridal sets are especially for girls who want variety. They are chic, unique and a real piece of art for the modern bride.


Engagement Ring Trends: Romantic Rose Gold Engagement Rings

Engagement rings trends 2022 couldn't be complete without the striking modern bridal sets. They come in different shapes, gold tones, and unique centre-stones. These types of bridal sets are especially for women who want variety. They are chic, unique and a real piece of art for the modern bride.

Rose gold is back in fashion once again. Its warm delicate colour will evoke feelings of love.  Rose gold engagement rings are modern and vintage in feel all at once. Their delicate rose shade comes from an alloy of gold and copper and takes its roots in the earliest jewellery artisans. This "old" trend returns in 2022 as one of the most powerful ones.


Wedding day trend by the numbers


Due to COVID, traditional wedding day formats have been uprooted. In 2020, 32% of couples went ahead with a 'minimony' or legalising their union, but they're still planning to throw a reception in the year ahead. Another 15% of surveyed couples said they postponed their 2020 wedding ceremony and reception altogether. After a year of pivoting plans, 60% of respondents said they're confident about their rescheduled wedding reception date.


As Covid has changed our way of living, so do wedding customs. It’s said that Gen Z now prefer shopping brands that share common values, and are demanding greater transparency when it comes to the source of material used, pricing, environmental impact, and labour practices before firming up purchase decisions.

If you are also after bridal jewels that boast sustainability, subscribe to Covett vault to choose the most important pieces that align with your values. Covett is both a good investment and a great way to enjoy jewellery in a more sustainable way.


Special Jewels for Special Brides - Keepsakes 

Baunat 
The L‘Etoile Collection Diamond Flower Earrings

£1196 per Covett Share

Alice van Cal
Dawn to Dusk Diamond Tennis Necklace

£2550 per Covett Share

Baunat
L‘Etoile Diamond Flower Pendant

£800 per Covett Share

Special Jewels for Special Brides - Something Borrowed

Le Ster
Brocade Diamond Necklace

borrow with a Covett subscription

pearl and diamond earrings

Massimo Izzo
Cullies Diamond and Pearl Earrings

borrow with a Covett subscription

diamond bracelet

Covett
Art Deco Style Diamond Line Bracelet

borrow with a Covett subscription

 

Le Ster
Zadie Earrings

 borrow with a Covett subscription 

Sources 

Bridal Buyer


Brides

New York Times


LuxuryLondon


The Knot