In jewelry, the newest rock stars are drenched in color.
Women in Charlotte and across the country are snapping up necklaces, rings, bracelets and watches in brilliant hues, designers and jewelers say. The trend is a move away from the more neutral jewelry palette that has dominated in recent years.
"The bigger and more colorful it is, the more popular," said Lyle Nearby, director of the Tiffany Co. store at SouthPark mall.
The store's Paloma Picasso bead necklaces, in shades of pink, green or blue, are the best example, he said.
Customers are also adding gemstones such as pink and blue sapphires to celebration rings, which mark milestones such as a promotion or new baby.
The rise of color may be in response to the opposite trend on the runways, jewelers say. Many of the spring collections feature black, white, ivory and new neutrals such as champagne, pewter, tan and birch.
That's inspiring customers to look for more showy jewelry, says Jennifer Shanks, owner of Jewelology, a design-your-own-jewelry store in south Charlotte.
"They come in saying they have neutral colors in their wardrobe," Shanks said, "and they want to add a nice splash of color with their jewelry."
The preferred stones have also changed, said Crystal Ivester, store manager at Beya Fine Jewelry in Ballantyne.
Instead of rubies and emeralds, she said, customers are gravitating toward white topaz, blue topaz, citrine and peridot, which are less expensive.
"You can get those stones big and in dramatic colors," she said, "and people want them big."
Michelle Crouch, .
The Dallas Morning News contributed.
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