The design-side companion to the market overview: which materials, motifs and constructions are entering assortments this year, and how each translates into production requirements. Trends are only useful to a buyer when expressed as a spec change, so each entry ends there.
Material trends
Mixed metals continue to normalise (two-tone rings and sets), baroque and colour pearls displace classic strands in younger assortments, and enamel colour depth, kiln-fired rather than epoxy, is the visible quality cue in the mid tier. Chunky huggies consolidated from trend to staple.
Motifs and forms
Celestial and evil-eye motifs hold steady; letter and initial personalisation keeps expanding beyond necklaces into charms and bands; wider chains remain the men’s programme anchor. Texture, hammered and braided faces, is doing the work that plain polish did last season.
| Trend | Spec change to request |
|---|---|
| Two-tone lines | Dual plating masks; confirm line capacity first |
| Baroque pearls | Grade by shape match, not roundness; new grade cards |
| Kiln-fired enamel | Two-pass firing; batch colour control |
| Chunky huggies | Hinge cycle testing; thicker gauge stock |
| Personalised everything | MTO line capacity; artwork workflow |
Constructions worth sampling
Soldered one-piece constructions (chain-and-pendant as a single cast) reduce returns; magnetic clasps are acceptable only with a mechanical safety on gift tiers; adjustable extenders continue to earn their small cost across categories. Sample all three against your return reasons, not against the trend list.
