Style Spotlight: Contemporary
It has been said, many times, that everything old is new again. Fashion and jewelry are no exceptions. We’ve seen the return of circle skirts, bell bottoms, and leg warmers (for reasons I can’t honestly fathom). While these old trends are refreshed when they come back around, sometimes they haven’t developed enough modernity to appease a discerning eye (I’m looking at you, anything-from-the-1980s).
Jewelry though, thankfully, takes the evolution of style and design seriously. Things don’t “come around” again like in other categories. In jewelry, it’s a full evolution. One style transforms or greatly influences another. For example, we’ve covered at great length my love affair with Art Deco jewelry. The strong architecture, the bold colors, the clean and strong lines: I love it all. So it should come as no surprise that as I age and mature like a fine wine, my tastes have ripened to include the contemporary style.
Historically, in many cultures throughout the world, jewelry has been seen as a status symbol. Many of the motifs were about showcasing the wealth and opulence of the wearer. But like all things, time marched on and as the world was undergoing incredible technological and scientific growth in the 1950s and 1960s, jewelry artists joined the movement. While the social revolution was changing the way everyone thought about everything, jewelry designers started focusing of form, content, meaning, character, and above all else, the expression of art through jewelry. Previously, jewelry was about the glitter, the glamour, and the wealth. Now it was being redefined as an expression of art. It became more about the world around us and interacting with it.
The world was so quickly becoming driven by technological advances. The last time this happened, in the Art Deco period, jewelry reflected the architecture of the time with geometric themes and platinum and white gold showcasing the time’s preoccupation with the modern and futuristic. The same sort of thing happened in the middle 20th century. As the world turned toward embracing a more modern take on everything from social issues to household maintenance, jewelry artists focused on forging a modern take on the form and content of their art pieces. Jewelry shifted from being a stage for the luxurious to being a stage for social commentary about what constitutes art, life, and style.
Lines were slimmed down, a renewed love of the abstract and modified popped up everywhere, and fewer precious gemstones were used (if any). Wedding bangs have been no exception to this shift. The contemporary style appeals to many people, both young and old, who prize artistry and commentary above the status symbol that jewelry can be. Now, while I appreciate that sentiment, I still love me some diamonds. Fortunately, so do most jewelry designers. There are multitudes of gorgeous contemporary designs that incorporate diamonds or other gemstones.
Timeless Wedding Bands has painstaking curated an impressive contemporary collection of men’s wedding rings and ladies’ wedding bands. No matter specifics you have in mind for your wedding ring, Timeless has a contemporary match for you.
For the men, if you’re looking for a smart and sharp wedding band that relies on style and intrigue to make a statement, check out the Moda Wedding Band. This band favors architectural lines and an abstract take on a wedding band. For the man who has everything and likes a little something extra in his ring (read: diamonds), perhaps a tuxedo-inspired ring? The Oblo Wedding Band features three diamonds set in white and black titanium.
Ladies, we get to have a little more fun. My personal pick is the Coral Wedding Band. This beauty features a white and yellow gold two-tone metal combination, with over two-thirds a carat of diamonds expertly set in an undulating wave pattern. The feeling of this ring is almost hypnotic. I adore it. Timeless also has some outstanding picks for ladies who’d rather not have diamonds or other stones. The Petals Wedding Band has a graceful geometric starburst pattern on it and speaks to the high taste level of the wearer.
The contemporary style will no doubt evolve from its current meaning as the years go by. But the love your contemporary wedding ring represents will never go out of style.
Fashionably yours,
Rebecca
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