Something Borrowed, Something Blue, Something Old, SOMETHING NEW

Hot pink wedding dresses? Orange veils? Purple zoot suits? It’s hard to imagine a new trend in wedding day attire that would replace traditional white gowns and black tuxes. Just as there will always be layers of tulle and lace, so will there be ubiquitous princess-cut solitaire engagement rings. But for some modern brides, a traditional diamond engagement ring won’t cut it. They want a contemporary approach to bridal jewelry that suits their personal tastes and lifestyles.

In this article, you’ll read about three design companies that are putting new spins on bridal jewelry—from redefining prongs to reinterpreting traditional styles to revising the notion that bridal jewelry is restricted to diamonds. While these new looks won’t appeal to everyone, they fill specific market niches that industry trend forecasters predict are growing in size. Manufacturers interested in expanding the appeal of their bridal collections would be well advised to follow the examples set by these leading design companies.

A NEW SPARKLE
The Bride

• She's hip to the latest fashion trends and styles. Her closet has a revolving door.
• If it's on a “desperate housewife,” she probably owns it.
• She likes the finer things in life. A frequent shopper, she visits many jewelry stores and asks to see the newest pieces.
• She's in her 20s or 50s—trend lovers know no age discrimination.

Gumuchian has done it again. Fifteen years ago, the New York City–based design company launched its Captiva collection, an innovative line of bridal jewelry that featured bands set with diamonds on the sides, as opposed to just on the top. “It was a totally new concept for bridal jewelry—and it was a big hit,” says Myriam Gumuchian, who with mother Anita and sister Patricia operate Gumu-chian. Today, the family design team presents another new look for bridal: The Twinset collection, which features platinum and diamond bands with diamond-studded prongs.

“The concept of setting a diamond in a prong is nothing revolutionary,” admits Myriam. “You’ve seen this done in rings with a sizeable colored gemstone held in place by large prongs with diamonds set on top of them. But you’ve never seen it in such fine detail for bridal.

“It’s the perfect look for a trend-conscious person who wants something totally new. It will appeal to someone who appreciates classic elegance as well as someone who wants bling bling.”

The Twinset collection grew out of a three-stone ring Anita designed, in which she studded the rows of prongs holding the three diamonds with tiny diamonds. “We said, this is fabulous. Why can’t we do this for wedding bands all the way around so you see no metal?” says Myriam.

And the line isn’t restricted to diamonds; bands are available in blue and pink sapphires as well. “There is more of a demand for blue and pink in bridal these days,” says Myriam. “We haven’t seen as much demand for ruby, and we’ve always shied away from emerald for quality reasons. Emeralds break easily, and we want our rings to endure.”

There were technical challenges in-volved in executing this new line of jewelry, particularly with setting. “When you are setting all of these tiny diamonds in prongs, there is a delicate approach to burnishing that needs to be used to avoid breakage,” says Myriam, who was reluctant to give details about the process due to a pending patent on the design.

But the resulting look of all that delicate setting work is a sparkling band that has put a sparkle in the eyes of Gumu-chian’s retail customers. “There is so much micro-set diamond bridal out there right now,” she says. “We missed the look of larger stones in bridal, and retailers missed the profits. With the Twinset collection wedding bands, we get the best of both worlds: tiny full-cut diamonds (0.006 to 0.007 carat) in the prongs surrounding stones that range in size from 7 pointers to 30 pointers. The retailers love to sell something new, and the consumers love to buy something new.”