How many times have you moved in your life? The average American moves 11 times, according to US census data, and this on-the-move lifestyle has fueled one of the biggest trends in jewelry right now, tribal-inspired jewelry design.
According to Trendbook 2013+, a guidebook on jewelry trends, there’s a deep need and desire driving tribal jewelry: “we’re urban nomads…which creates an urge to go back to the authenticity that can be found in ancient cultures…a connection with nature…and turning artisan craft into fashion products.”
Tribal revival jewelry is raw, artisanal, asymmetrical, and irregular. It looks handmade and flawed. And it’s inspired by ancient tribal wear, with materials including amber, beads, bone, yellow gold, leather, nuts, diamond crystals, shell, seeds, wood, bamboo, and minerals.
You’ll find tribal revival pieces at all prices and places – from large department stores displaying wooden bangles, to elite jewelry designers creating one-of-a-kind statement pieces using precious metals and gems. You’ll see it on runways, red carpets, and city streets.
When wearing tribal-inspired jewelry, most stylists recommend keeping your outfit minimalist, and using the jewelry as the focal point.
One example of this trend is Colin Waylett’s arm cuff, winner of the Tanzanite Celebration of Life Jewelry Design Awards. This statement piece pays homage to the traditions of the Maasai people. The interlocking shields set with tanzanite and tipped with diamonds represent the unity of a warrior tribe returning from a hunt under a blazing sun.
Image courtesy of the Tanzanite Foundation
Brazilian artist Miriam Mirna Korolkovas’ necklace is a contemporary interpretation of the tribal trend. The metals used, anodized niobium and titanium, are ultra-modern and the look is cutting-edge, yet the piece resembles a tribal chieftain’s collar necklace.
Image courtesy of Miriam Mirna Korolkovas
These sterling silver, gold, enamel, lapis lazuli, and tourmaline Brazilian Dream earrings by designer Bernardo Krengiel look like weapons – claws, thorns, or a boomerang.
Image courtesy of Bernardo Krengiel
Trend watchers predict that tribal revival is here to stay, and will be even more popular in 2014. Have you embraced the tribal revival? What is your favorite way to wear this style?
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