The Retro Revival is here to STAY!

If it's old, it's new. The return to the retro, which began at the dawn of Y2K, is firmly ensconced in the lines of this new century. Vintage diamond cuts have been revived with designs heavily influenced by the stylings of the Victorian, Edwardian and Art Deco eras. The past year's push by the DPS for fancy cut diamonds have borne fruit, with retailers promoting solitaires in a wide-range of shapes, over and above the traditionally popular rounds. Drops are some of the most popular styles in the antique settings, available in a variety of shapes and sizes. "There's a lot of swinging and movement to the pieces and I hope that women will feel a sort of feminine freedom when they wear the jewelry," says Cathy Carmendy. Judith Ripka also echoes this sentiment when she notes, "They can be bold, they can be delicate, but the key is movement and certainly lots of sparkle," when referring to earrings.

Crosses with a twist are also found in almost every line. The traditional cross is out, with this year, crosses continuing their reign with of course, that return to retro look...

The styles that are coming to the forefront of the retail market can usually first be found adorning the ‘in' crowd of Hollywood. Stylish stars are aligning themselves with not only fashion designers, but jewelry designers too, turning previously little heard of names, into overnight sensations. "You've got to create lust for the jewelry," explains Leon Hall, the guru of ‘red carpet' fashion. Some one billion people worldwide are glued to the Hollywood extravaganzas and award ceremonies. "Put red in your cases, put red carpet in the windows," he urges retailers. "When Celine Dion wore a necklace by Chanel, all eleven necklaces Chanel had were sold in just two days." Not bad considering the pieces went for half a million each. Nicole Kidman created a storm at the recent Golden Globe Award ceremony wearing chandelier earrings by Fred Leighton. There is now, barely a designer who isn't including chandelier earrings in their collection. "If something is worn by a celebrity, then the customer wants it," Hall emphasizes. Just take the incredible rise to popularity of pink diamonds. All it took was the engagement of two Hollywood heavyweights to be sealed by a pink diamond engagement ring, and suddenly - pink is the ‘must have' of the season.

So who are the trendsetters of the moment? According to Hall, Gwyneth Paltrow, Jennifer Lopez, Jennifer Anniston, Sarah Jessica Parker and... Audrey Hepburn (proving elegance never fades).

Some source material reprinted with permission from IDEX Magazine.