Wedding jewelry highlights more meaningful styles

By Heidi Wurpel
NH Mirror Contributor

It is rare that an offhand statement sticks with you and makes you re-evaluate your profession. This happened recently, though. While I sat behind my desk overwrought with notes, to-do lists and bridal magazines – phone wedged between my shoulder and ear – a rep from weddingsolutions.com said, “Every wedding starts in a jewelry store.”

I stopped for a moment to reflect on the beauty of the most monumental of new beginnings, a wedding. Weddings aren’t just a great celebration, but also act as the social rubric of our culture – creating families, giving us new relatives and dovetailing what were once two lives with separate purposes into one.

Perhaps this realization comes to you subliminally when you first get engaged. I believe this is why the newest jewelry trends are leaning toward more meaning-laden styles.

One of the newest jewelry trends is wearing an “eternity band” as a wedding ring. Traditionally an anniversary gift, an eternity band is a ring of gold or platinum with diamonds completely encircling it, representing your never-ending love.

Platinum is also an increasing metal of choice for couples. Both durable and rare, platinum beautifully represents the strength of your love for one another.

One of the more unusual and budding jewelry trends is placing “something borrowed,” “old” or “blue” in the form of jewelry in the bridal bouquet. Brides are draping lockets with pictures of relatives who have passed away over their hands; entwining heirloom strands of pearls or pearl earrings into their roses and entangling blue topaz and aquamarine necklaces between their flowers to accent their color.

This trend allows brides to carry a piece of the past with them down the aisle while still maintaining their own uniquely modern look.

Finally, a duality is being created in bridal jewelry. Many brides are sticking with a vintage or traditional look such as pavé diamonds or pearls, but some are trying very modern looks such as journey jewelry or bezel-set stones.
These modern looks still have a story behind them with journey jewelry representative of how your love has grown throughout the years and bezel mounts paying homage to two separate but interdependent units.

As you select the jewelry for your wedding, think about the meaning behind each of the pieces you choose to wear or carry. This is a way to guarantee that no matter how the styles change (and trust me they will), when you look back on your wedding pictures you will always be reminded of people and ideals not fads.

Heidi Wurpel is the marketing coordinator for Day’s Jewelers and a wedding blogger. She can be contacted at hwurpel@daysjewelers.com.