The world's best fashion jewelry designers

From Daus to Wieck, who's who in the world of fashion jewelry

Jewelry design has become a special art form into itself. The discovery of hundreds of different gemstones, the perfection of the cubic zirconia (CZ), and the new plating processes now available have opened new doors for jewelry designers. Now, the world’s best, like Nicky Butler, Heidi Daus, Joseph Espisito, Kenneth Jay Lane, Nolan Miller, Joan Rivers, Suzanne Somers, Robert Tacori, and Victoria Wieck, have entered into the fashion jewelry realm.

Designers like Robert Tacori and Victoria Wieck have been working with real gemstones and precious metals for decades. Only after CZs and gold and platinum plating processes became perfected did they dare to cross over into the fashion jewelry industry.

Robert Tacori

Tacori is a name with which the rich and famous are familiar. This famous jewelry line combines platinum and diamonds in some of the most innovative designs ever made. Many of Hollywood’s brightest stars wear Tacori down the red carpet each and every year. Tacori has become a name synonymous with beauty, elegance, and grace; and now it is also a line that the everyday woman can wear. In conjunction with the television retail giant QVC, Tacori now offers the same stunning jewelry in diamonique - QVC’s cubic zirconia - and sterling silver plated with platinum. The line, which is called epiphany, also often includes simulated gems like blue diamonds, rubies, and sapphires. At a mere fraction of the cost of the real thing and with a limited lifetime warranty to back it up, the epiphany line has quickly become one of QVC’s, and Tacori’s, shining stars.

Classic rings

Classic rings have always been trendsetters; and something you can never go wrong with. You might want to get a diamond solitaire or a diamond accented at the sides with baguettes. As far as stone shapes are concerned, round and emerald-cut diamonds continue to be strong, but the latest classic cut on the scene is the oval. And platinum continues to be the metal of choice for a classic setting. Antique rings are the newest fashion entrants. The trendy yet nostalgic pieces fit well into the vintage theme that's now hot in clothes and accessories. These rings can feature unique details like filigree settings, floral accents, or gemstone baguettes.

Platinum has come in as the new choice metal for many diamond engagement rings because its rich luster brings out the brilliance and fire of diamonds like no other metal. Platinum is naturally white and will maintain its shining luminosity forever, unlike other white metals, which, in time, may turn yellow or tarnish. It is also the strongest precious metal used in jewelry, and is almost twice as heavy as 14-karat gold. Platinum Bands enhanced with hand-carved custom designs, filigree and inset stones are in fashion. Chunky platinum rings encrusted with diamonds continue to be popular among men, while women favor delicate vintage-inspired platinum creations. Modern styles capitalize on clean, streamlined designs for that cosmopolitan chic and daily wear use. For a most contemporary style, look for bezel-set styles and designs where the diamond is "tension-set" (seeming to float in space, held in the setting at its very edges) or set flush to the surface of the metal.

Rings with colored stones are very fashionable, since they offer a very personalized flair. Even colored diamonds are in rage, with yellow, pink, blue and black varieties. If you want to stick with a white stone, you could accentuate it with lively gems like sapphires, rubies, emeralds or even your birthstone. Recent innovations in the diamond cutting industry can help you to opt for entirely new shapes. The popular new cuts include the Zales Diamond, which display more facets than traditional cuts to increase the stone's fire; and alternative shapes like the princess-cut (modified square), which offer the bride-to-be more individuality than the more traditional round, marquise, emerald, pear, or oval shape. New settings for engagement rings are tension (the stone is only held on its edges, suspended, and appears to float) and bezel (the stone is flush with the ring's surface).