Fine Jewelry to Fashion Jewelry - The Transition

Why is fashion jewelry so popular today?  Well, to answer that question, we need to examine what the wearer is hoping to accomplish by wearing this jewelry.  To a large extent, we find that people wear fashion jewelry because they want to stand out from the crowd by wearing a truly unique one-of-a-kind piece of costume jewelry. One way to go would perhaps be to wear a hand-made custom piece of jewelry designed by a well-known artist. While many hand made pieces are quite beautiful and will likely garner you several compliments, you would likely have to be willing to pay a pretty penny for the piece.  The other option would be to wear contemporary, trendy and striking jewelry - perhaps a fashion necklace - that will also draw an observer’s attention.  Vibrantly colored designs usually suggest a fun and extroverted personality.  Contemporary styles indicate a trendy and perhaps artistic person.

In the world of fashion today, stepping from a classic and probably piece of fine jewelry, to a more affordable piece of fashion jewelry along the same theme can be surprisingly easy.  Take for example, that quintessential piece of classic jewelry – a white pearl bracelet.  A single strand of matched natural pearls can cost hundreds of dollars, and would fall into the fine jewelry category.  In the fashion jewelry version of the same piece, the designer would probably use cultured pearls and therefore be able to sell the bracelet for less than twenty dollars!  In the context of pearl bracelets, there are two styles that are particularly popular today.  The first includes a sterling silver chain that forms the spine for the bracelet.  From this chain hang small and colorful freshwater button pearls.  The colored pearls give the bracelet a bohemian look.  The second popular style uses baroque pearls.  Baroque pearls do not have a regular shape because as they develop within the oyster’s shell, they are stuck to the inside wall.  These misshapen pearls are usually dyed and used to make necklaces and bracelets.  Baroque pearl jewelry usually has a fun and trendy look.

A similar approach and philosophy is used in designing and creating fashion necklaces.  Popular designs for fashion necklaces today have large chunky beads.  If you were to use natural turquoise as the stone, a necklace would two or three hundred carats of natural turquoise would run you a few hundred dollars.  Even if the designer used stabilized turquoise, the necklace would still be priced at over one hundred dollars.  For the fashion jewelry version of this same piece, the designer would likely use pieces of howlite dyed to look like turquoise.  You could probably buy the necklace for less than thirty dollars, and no one other than the designer and owner – you – would ever know that it wasn’t genuine turquoise!  With a bit of imagination and some scouring of online and local jewelry stores, making the transition from expensive fashion jewelry to more affordable fashion jewelry can be quite painless!