Those Annoying Trends
Trends can be annoying for several reasons.
First, it can feel like you're being manipulated by having some outside person or group declare that "everyone" will want "item x" during a specific season or year. (My first reaction to reading any trend list is "Oh yeah? We'll see about that!") If you pride yourself on your unique perspective, then following the crowd is not that appealing.
Second, there's the issue of money. Who are these people who can afford to redo their kitchens every year from elephant to monstera leaf motifs? To make trends more appealing, many trendy items are inexpensive (and sometimes not well made). You're encouraged to wear or use them "for the season" and then get rid of them. That lack of environmental awareness is troubling. It's not like those trendy items evaporate and leave no impact on the earth.
Third, trends can often feel one-note. Someone declares that black-and-white horizontally striped T-shirts are "in" and nothing else will do. What if you don't like the black and white combination? Or stripes? Or T-shirts? This feels extremely confining. Whenever I read about a very niche trend, I'm reminded of high school when your outfit was scrutinized down to the type of shoelaces you wore. Ick.
Turning The Trend Tide
Of course, you can ignore trends completely, but if you sell your work for a living, you will usually be financially rewarded for following them to a degree. So what's a not-so-trendy girl to do?
I've realized that I can't do a lot about the first annoying fact of trends, but I can do something about the second and third ones in my jewelry designs. I ignore the narrowest of trends and combine several broader trends into a single, well-made piece. This way the jewelry will last through several fashion cycles at minimum. At best, it could become a signature piece worn throughout the years regardless of trends.
How does this work in real life? I'm going to share a necklace I made recently that combines three trends, but also ignores a few others.
Rough Gemstones (Trend #1)
Rough gemstones like these chips or the rough textured amber heart pendant below are currently trending. The amber gemstones also hit the trend of warm tones for gems that started in 2017. The idea is for jewelry to have a more natural, less polished look.
Wabi Sabi (Trend #2)
I've seen a couple of mentions of wabi sabi as a trend for 2018, including the Etsy Trend Predictions for 2018. This is the idea of finding beauty in imperfection. The side of this heart pendant is not smooth and seamless as you might expect.
Tassels (Trend #3)
Tassels have been trendy for several years. You see them most often in cord or leather, but chain is not uncommon. To extend the life cycle of this necklace even further, you could make the tassel removable. (I did not do that.)
Multiple Strands
Two-strand necklaces like this one are not particularly trendy. To make it more in line with current trends, I could have made this a layered set with the amber chips made into a short choker and the chain left long as is. If I made the strands into two separate necklaces, this would give the wearer more options. Anything you can do to give the wearer options helps ensure that the piece will become a staple in their jewelry wardrobe, rather than a single season piece.
Easy Toggle Clasp
A toggle is kept closed by the weight of the necklace, so this heavier necklace is a perfect use for one. Clasps alone aren't normally trendy, but this easy-open toggle clasp widens your potential audience to those who might have difficult operating the common lobster clasp. This is a great example of a very small design decision that could make a customer choose this necklace over a similar one.
Gold Metal
Metal colors are often trendy (rose gold keeps popping up as a trend), but most women have firm ideas about which metals they prefer. Some know which ones look best with their skin tone, while others may be sensitive to certain metals and only wear very specific ones such as 14K gold or sterling silver. I often mix metals as I did with these Western Horse Earrings in Copper and Silver.
Length
The current trend for necklaces is a choker length. This is very short, typically 14-16 inches or even shorter if it's a collar to be worn against the neck. This necklace, in contrast, is 21 inches (not including the tassel).
Necklace length is another one of those trends that I tend to ignore because most women have a very clear idea of what length of necklace looks best on them. Those with skinny, long necks might enjoy wearing a tight choker necklace. Some women prefer princess-length necklaces that always fall just below the collar. Others enjoy long necklaces that fall to their midsection. A certain outfit such as a prom dress or a business suit might also work best with a certain necklace length.
Your Turn
So there you have it! Pick a couple of broad trends that fit with your own aesthetic and combine them to make a unique, lasting piece of jewelry. Not every aspect of a finished necklace or bracelet needs to conform to a trend. This is where your own design sense comes in. And as always, feel free to ignore any trends that just don't appeal to you. The Trend Police are way too busy monitoring the optimal levels of llamas and pineapples this summer to pay attention to anything else.