Jewellery trends disappear and then come back in vogue every few years but classic round diamonds are always in style, writes Sonya Bateson
When it comes to fashion in jewellery, individuality is key.
There are no real set trends or seasons, with different styles resurging every few years in a repeating pattern, says Harry van Heerden from Peet Jewellers. Pearls made a comeback in spring, in earrings and plain strands.
But always at the forefront is the classic, round diamond.
Different cuts go in and out of style, but the round, brilliant diamond always has been and always will be the favourite, says van Heerden.
"Princess cut was big a few years ago, but they don't have as much life as a round diamond. Also, with round, there's a lot more you can do with it."
Women who like the square-cut style often opt for a round stone in a four-claw setting, which gives a more square appearance. Van Heerden also designs bespoke jewellery.
"We go through phases. Some people bring in their own bits and pieces. People will come in with a picture in their mind and they know what they like."
Buying custom jewellery for major birthdays such as a 50th is becoming more common. Couples who were unable to afford an expensive engagement ring 30 years ago are now in the financial position to pay a bit more for something they want. "It's not cheap. We pay a premium to have something custom-made so it is seen as a luxury. It's something people strive towards having one day."
Women are often drawn by jewellery similar to what their mother or grandmother wore, as it is familiar and has fond memories attached.
"Jewellery is very personal. We'll have a grandmother bring her granddaughter into the shop and they'll have quite similar tastes; the granddaughter has grown up looking at her grandmother's jewellery."
Articulating ideas around taste is hard, particularly when a professional speaks a different, more technical, language. To assist in getting the design right, van Heerden gives his clients magazines and catalogues to look through and see what "takes their fancy". He also gets them to try on different pieces of stock in store. That way, the client can find something similar and van Heerden can begin sketching.
Van Heerden encourages buyers to try on as many rings as possible. He says clients may not like a style initially but may find it suits them better than the style they had in mind. "People may not like something but then they try it on and it looks completely different on their finger and they fall in love. Others come in and the idea they had just doesn't suit them.
"Creating a visual just by using words is difficult."
It's hard to pinpoint the current trends in jewellery.
"It's almost like winter brings out a lot of old-fashioned stuff and those coloured gems. In winter, it's nice to brighten yourself up with colour.
"The fashion at the moment is 70s-inspired, it's quite square. But diamonds are always the top of the list."
Yellow gold is always a staple in the workshop, although a lot of younger people are tending towards white or rose gold.
"We do the most rose gold charms in the whole country."
Coloured diamonds are also popular nationally, but van Heerden says shoppers in Tauranga are a bit more conservative and prefer the traditional diamond. Jewellers are also restoring a lot more heirloom jewellery than in the past. Van Heerden suggests this could be because the wealthy baby-boomer generation is beginning to pass their jewellery on to their families.
"It's that generation that made a bit of money and were able to buy quality, valuable jewellery."
Most heirloom jewellery custom is repairing worn bands or claws, although van Heerden says the occasional person comes in with an old piece of jewellery and wants the stones set in a new piece.
The store is also seeing a lot more brooches after they fell out of fashion.
"It's a shame, there are some lovely antique brooches coming through and they're just getting melted."
A Peet Jewellery favourite is tanzanite, a lilac/purple stone found only in Tanzania, discovered "quite recently" by Tiffany & Co. "I think it's a lot nicer than some of the general sapphires out there."
Bethlehem Jewellers owner Adrian Redding has noticed a definite trend towards vintage and Art Deco looks, but custom-made to be sturdier for everyday wear.
"Original pieces were lightweight or finely made, more for holidays and special occasions. These days, people wear their pieces hard all day.
"People are trying to reproduce that vintage look with a lot cleaner lines and a lot more simplistic - trying to capture that era in the general sense."
One example of this is the rising popularity of cushion cut stones, a silhouette typical of 100 years ago.
Redding says coloured stones are also popular, but rather than the bright "lolly" coloured stones recently popular, people are going for more "earthy" greens and ambers in garnets and tourmalines. White gold is losing its appeal as more people turn to platinum for its durability.
Combinations of white and rose gold in rings and pendants have been popular over Christmas.
Redding says women are exposed to different kinds of jewellery on the internet and this has broadened their horizons, leading to a bigger range of designs than in the past.
Te Puke Jewellers owner Jannine Pearce says name-brand jewellery such as Evolve and Pastiche have been popular.
Pearce says rose gold is making a comeback and combined with white gold for pendants, chains and rings, it looks good with the tanned skin common in Bay people.
"It blends really nicely and isn't as harsh as yellow gold."
Diamonds are big sellers at the moment and Pearce has recently completed two princess cut eternity rings.
"I also did a lovely emerald cut diamond which was rather beautiful. Multi-stoned bands, wedding and eternity bands are popular."