10x: 2010 'gem visions'

For the last two years, I’ve sat in on Enlightened--Swarovski Elements’ trends presentation during the Las Vegas jewelry shows to find out what four “megatrends” its forecasters believe will be the most likely to influence fine-jewelry design in the next year.

Being a pretty visual person, reading about trends under the categories of “GEMetic” and “D.Fraction” (among last year’s themes) can leave me at a loss, so while running around the Vegas shows, I make it a point to beeline to Swarovski’s booth and check out the designs in person.

If you didn’t get a chance to stop by, here’s a quick visual primer and key characteristics for the four jewelry trends for 2010:

False Nudity: transparency, airiness and light

Left: “Madame” ring in 18-karat gold with quartz and black spinel from Jean-Marc Garel of Jean-Marc Garel Creation.

Center: Pendant in 18-karat white gold with synthetic spinel aquamarine and golden yellow, white, pink and green cubic zirconia by Somnath Paul of Ba Ali Est.

Right: Earrings in 18-karat gold with pink sapphire and Swarovski Elements "Passion Topaz Infinite Blue" and "Complexion" by Silvania.

Oversized Games: sculptural, theatrical, stylized interpretations of nature

Left: Design in 925 silver and enamel with cubic zirconia and marcasite from Pichet Chaiprasit of Pochai Jewelry.

Center: Ring with blue-black sapphire in 18-karat gold by Hannah Martin.

Right: "Spheres" necklace in 18-karat gold with ruby by Roberto Demeglio.

Pure Chaos: drapery, random imperfections, layering

Left: Necklace in 925 silver with amethyst, synthetic ruby and synthetic spinel zircon by Nancy Edwards.

Center: Ring in brass with citrine by Claudia Holledge.

Right: Bracelet in 18-karat gold and enamel with Swarovski Elements' "Chaos" cut in white cubic zirconia, "ZenNeo" cut in synthetic spinel aquamarine and mint cubic zirconia by Divinder Layal of Sangam Chains.

Divine Chimeras: mismatched materials, fantasy, escapism

Left: “Fairyland in Rome” cuff in 18-karat gold with blue sapphire, amethyst, rhodolite and amethyst briolette by Michael Yang of Goldmill Jewelry.

Center: "Garden Goddess 'Divinity of Nature'" in 18-karat green gold and solid cast art bronze with ruby and gemstones in various colors by Barry Kieselstein-Cord of Barry Kieselstein-Cord International.

Right: Nano-ceramic and stainless steel watch with diamonds by Ching Kin Sang of Corning Technologies Ltd.