Coming out of the recession that made us all a bit nervous and tightening our pocketbooks, we have pared down to a simple way of looking at things. Big and bold gives us two distinct feelings when it comes to our jewelry: Extravagant and safe. These are the feelings that played out during these tough economic times and now we have a different feeling ahead of us… a sense of relief.

Whenever we feel as consumers that the time is right for paring down, we focus on simple designs and simple, warm colors. Plain metals and eco friendly materials: wood, bone, simple and soft semi- precious stones with Earth colors and a simple palette will prevail for 2011. This is our breathing room. This is our nervousness winding down. Gone are the statement necklaces of the past two years and in with the thinner, yet charming and graceful strands. Creativity will overrun our need for security and gentle pairings of blackened metals and all natural materials: pearls, bamboo and recycled media will tone things down considerably.

Pearls will be the big player as we see them with different eyes than ever before. They will convey a sense of hope and simplicity with tones that will match anything in your wardrobe. If the recession keeps us as consumers from buying everything we want and making smarter choices, we will have to go with what we can get the most mileage from. I know one very positive thing: we needed this recession. We needed to correct the overdone hype and over-the-top, crowded marketplace with designers that were
taking their business seriously. I welcome the very simple, yet creative work that will be here for us this year.

Source by Lisa Jesse