Handmade Jewelry Trends (2019)

Jewelry is a popular category in the handmade community and that often means a lot of competition online and at craft shows.

 

If your jewelry brand is fashion-forward and follows the trends, here are a few ideas you may want to incorporate into your holiday collection.

 

There are so many “trends” that come from the runways, however, I find most designers are trying their best to stand out and create something different. So there isn’t typically a ton of crossover between looks seen on all the different runways.

 

However, there are some. Those are what I’ve included here, along with other trends I discovered through extensive research on Google Trends, social media platforms, and products major fashion retailers are carrying.

 

 

COLORS

Jewelry is typically meant to compliment an outfit, so it’s important to look at colors that are trending in fashion/clothing.

 

There was such a variety of colors on the fashion runways for fall/winter 2019/2020, however, in general, the most popular ones were pretty bold. Not really your typical deep, rich, earthy fall colors.

 

Ones that seemed to be on most of the top 10 fashion color trend lists were:

 

Shades of red

 

Shades of purple

 

Shades of green

Shades of pink

Bright orange

 

With these brighter, bolder colors in mind, neutral materials such as gold or pearls would be a good option or incorporating a touch of these bold colors through gems or stones.

 

Rose gold has been so popular in the past, and not that I think people are going to stop wearing it, however, I don’t think it works as well with these trending colors.

 

 

*NOTE: I would LOVE to share all the photos I’ve found, right in this post, but unfortunately, copyright laws prevent me from doing so. If you would like to see examples of the trends I’m mentioning, please follow the links provided.

 

JEWELRY STYLE TRENDS FOR 2019

PUNK

Think spikes and chains. This trend is made a little more mainstream with tiny, not-so-intimidating, spikes. Here’s a great example of the mini spikes used in a bracelet, which also incorporates the gold and pearl trend.

 

And chains, often associated with “punk” styles, are bolder/chunkier for this year’s trend. Here’s an example, or another example here in earrings 

 

 

WORDS

Word hairpins are quite popular right now, which are typically short words spelled with rhinestone letters and attached to a hairpin. Here’s an example by FALL FOR DIY:

 

Not technically jewelry, I know, but this trend does trickle into jewelry as well.

 

For example, the floating letters spelling “BABE” used for this bracelet.

 

Short words were also used for earrings, using just a couple of letters per ear. You could spell a short word on one earring, like “WOW” or “BAE” (for the younger kids;) or break a word into two earrings, such as “LOVE” (e.g. “LO” on one earring and “VE” on the other).

 

Or, words shaped into hoop earrings, for example, these ones.

 

MOONS & STARS

I mainly noticed an abundance of this style when searching jewelry on Pinterest, which tells me it’s more of a mainstream trend (one that’s been around for a while and has 100% caught on) vs. a leading-edge trend (e.g. fresh off this season’s runway).

 

They’re used in dainty rings, earrings, and necklaces.

 

 

JEWELRY MATERIAL TRENDS FOR 2019

Gold, rhinestones, and pearls are definitely dominating. Retailers are still carrying silver, just not as many silver pieces as gold ones. I didn’t come across many rose gold pieces.

 

Pearls are almost always mixed with gold this season, but found in a wide variety of styles, from hoops, like these ones, to studs and chandelier earrings (a few more examples here) and even drop earrings using gold, pearl, and shiny jewels, like these ones.

 

I did see a decent amount of fringe; either created with several strings of rhinestones or with thread, like the DIY by A BEAUTIFUL MESS shown below:

 

Tortoiseshell showed up on a few sites, such as these hoops, as well as animal skin prints in shades of brown, such as this faux snakeskin bracelet. And these faux snakeskin earrings incorporate the tassel trend too.

 

 

EARRING TRENDS 2019

LONG

Typically long fringes of rhinestones or a drop-style (e.g. a longer chain with a gem at the end), hanging to chin length or lower. Here’s one example, as well as another.

 

ASYMMETRICAL / MISMATCHED

One earring of the pair might be a stud, while the other is a long statement earring. Here’s one example, or this beautiful and delicate pair.

 

PAPERCLIP

Earrings in the shape of paperclips are frequently searched on Google lately. Here’s an example in 18K gold.

 

CROSSES

I realize that religion isn’t a trend, however, “hoop earring with cross”, “cross earring men”, “hanging cross earring”, etc. were popular search phrases according to Google Trends.

 

 

NECKLACE TRENDS 2019

Again, gold, pearls, and rhinestone materials carry into necklaces. Punk also influences this subcategory with chunky chain necklaces and sometimes spikes.

 

Here’s a pearl and gold, chunky chain necklace. And one with spikes and rhinestones.

 

Layered necklaces could be found on almost all major fashion retailer sites. And many incorporated the coin trend, which I pointed out at the beginning of this year in this article. Here’s an example of a layered necklace.

 

“Puka shell necklace”, “cowrie shell necklace”, “white shell necklace” etc. is a popular search term.

 

As I mentioned in CHRISTMAS CRAFT TRENDS FOR 2019, the term spiked and is starting to decline (as it definitely has more of a summery vibe to it), however, it’s still being searched much more than in the past.

 

H&M has a gold version, but I love this DIY by THE STYLE SAFARI

 

“Universe necklace” has increased in searches. It peaked last December, which jewelry searches tend to do (for the holidays), so it may do so again this year, but it’s not for certain. It a necklace with a round resin or glass pendant that looks like a galaxy. Here’s an example.

 

 

RING TRENDS 2019

I didn’t find specific ring trends through Google Trends, but based on what bigger brands are carrying, it seems the gold and rhinestone trend applies here as well.

 

Many retailers are also carrying stackable rings, such as these ones (which also incorporate gold and pearls) or rings that look like they’re stacked, even though they’re one piece, such as these ones.

 

 

SUSTAINABILITY

One other trend to note is consumers’ shopping trends.

 

More and more people are waking up to the damage we’ve caused to our environment through our consuming ways. Sustainability/eco-friendly isn’t a trend, but offering jewelry that keeps the environment in mind will make it easier for consumers to choose your products.

 

There are many things that have contributed to the state our environment is in now and fast-fashion is one of them. Cheaply made, here-for-the-season pieces end up in landfills.

 

Handmade and quality go hand in hand, so you’re ahead of the curve there. And although you’re reading an article on trends 😉 there is a way to offer pieces that are on-trend but will remain staples in customers’ wardrobes year after year.

 

A pair of earrings inspired by a pair Arianna Grande wore and being sold at Forever 21 for $5 isn’t likely to stand the test of time.

 

A $40 pair of earrings that incorporate a beautiful on-trend color, material, or style will still attract customers and make sales, but it’s not likely to get tossed after a season.

 

My grandma and mom didn’t have fast-fashion retailers like Forever 21 or H&M to shop at. So when they purchased an item, it was because they really loved it and it was worth their money. Most of those pieces have been passed down or donated because they stood the test of time.

 

Trends always come back around and although trend-forward pieces may not be classics that can be worn year after year, if they’re quality pieces, people will hang onto them and pass them down to the next generation when the trend comes back into style…keeping pieces out of landfills.

 

Another reason not to underprice your work!

 

Make people see the value of your pieces and want to take care of them, as well as hang onto them. If they love a pair of earrings enough to spend $40, they’re going to love them for a long time, wear them, and show them off to other people. All good stuff for your business 😉

 

Quality is one way to make your jewelry more sustainable. You may also look at:

• Materials & procurement
• Packaging
• The way you sell
• Giving back

 

 

Aside from these trends, I always like to draw inspiration from outside my niche, so I can ensure I’m not copying a competitor or becoming one in a crowd of many. (Remember when round druzy studs were all the rage and then everyone started making them and then no one stood out? Ya, we don’t want that happening.)

 

 

KEEP IN MIND

There are, of course, more trends than covered here, AND, just because a type or style of jewelry isn’t mentioned here, doesn’t mean it won’t sell.

 

What’s most important when it comes to your jewelry line (more than following a trend), is that you have a unique selling position so your pieces stand out among the millions of other options out there. You may find the following helpful:

• HOW TO MAKE JEWELRY THAT STANDS OUT
• 3 MISTAKES HANDMADE BUSINESSES MAKE WITH THEIR USP
• HOW TO FIND A SIGNATURE STYLE FOR YOUR HANDMADE BUSINESS

 

Running a successful jewelry business also has a lot LESS to do with WHAT you make and a lot more to do with HOW you market and sell it. If you’d like to take a look at some of the best practices a successful Etsy shop selling jewelry applies, outside of creation, check out:

• HOW TO START A SUCCESSFUL JEWELRY BUSINESS

 

And when it comes to selling handmade jewelry at craft shows, you may enjoy:

• HOW TO DISPLAY JEWELRY AT CRAFT SHOWS

 

 

Which trends are you going to try? Share your creations by linking to your online shop in the comments below.