Spend a few hours walking around the downtown core of almost any sizeable city these days and you’ll frequently notice a relatively high number of jewelry shops, the majority of which now provide custom jewelry design and creation. Wherever modern urbanites are found, you’ll find them ordering everything from uniquely spelled nameplates to feather-covered watch faces. But that’s enough to make you wonder, is custom jewelry a modern fad for a fickle crowd or is it here to stay? Should you hurry to have your dream piece made now, or can you wait until you don’t have to cut corners to afford it?
Custom Jewelry as a Trend
According to Dictionary.com, a trend is simply something that is currently popular. Well that makes custom jewelry manufacturer a trend, but it doesn’t mean it’s going to disappear tomorrow along with neon hats and hipster glasses. Custom jewelry is an idea as old as society and, although it was traditionally only accessed by royalty or people of stature in the past, it grew in popularity among the middle class during the 1980s. Sure, the designs have changed, but the concept has stayed the same. People like to own and wear beautiful things that were made specifically for them. In a world of mass production where what you own often defines you, even common people desire unique belongings.
As Long as There Are Fads, Custom Jewelry Will Be Widely Offered
In the late 80s and early 90s, teens and young women in their 20s began flocking to the jewelry store and laying down their hard-earned mall money to get an artfully crafted nameplate, a chain necklace or bracelet with a centerpiece consisting of a name or phrase cut out of plated silver or gold in a handwritten script. The trend got so big that whenever a girl got a new boyfriend, she needed to find new custom jewelry to represent their union. It was an expensive time to be in a short-term relationship. In the last few years nameplates have made somewhat of a comeback, in no small part due to Carrie’s necklace on Sex & The City, but not to the extent that they were popular before. Right now custom jewelry shops everywhere are busy satisfying the public’s latest obsession with pieces for less decorated body areas like the shoulder, the head, and the legs. As long as there is a current look, special events that deserve commemoration, and people who love each other too much to have the same wedding ring as another couple, there will be custom jewelers. If you’re saving up to have a classic or heirloom piece crafted, there really is no rush.
You might pay a bit more for your custom jewelry than you would for a widely distributed factory-made item, but that little extra bit guarantees that you’ll be the sole possessor of your uniquely beautiful personalized piece and you’ll never run into another person wearing it. It’s also more likely to stand the test of time, because the one thing all fashion trends have in common is that they seek to be constantly unique and inventive. What better way is there to guarantee you’ll always look chic than by having a go-to accessory of your own invention? So show off your shining personality with a fabulous flash-worthy piece of custom jewelry and you’ll stand out wherever you are – today, tomorrow, and for years to come.
