Bold, random and asymmetrical

Fashions are continuing along the neutral and pale-colored trend we've seen during the past year. Jewelry manufacturers are ready for the look, offering plenty of options to help you either spice up your colors in a big way or blend with the neutrals for a more subdued appearance.

Think bold, random and asymmetrical this year. Go for big, brightly colored beads in long strands that drape around your neck, or pick shorter necklaces made with an assortment of bead sizes and styles.

Slip some bangles around your wrist and don't worry if they don't "match." Try metal bangles stacked on either side of brassy-looking versions or mix them with colors that reveal your own style. Rings are bold too. Put away your narrow band with a gemstone on top and try a wide band made from natural materials or from chunks of molten glass.

Earthy Colors and Materials You'll find an increase in jewelry made from woods, stone and shells this year. These organic components are a good choice when you want to add color and visual texture to your ensemble.

Metals Are Big

Brassy and vintage-looking metals are everywhere in the form of bracelets, beads, chains and other jewelry. Bracelets might be hammered or adorned with vintage-looking motifs. Try mixing your metal jewelry with jewelry made from earthy materials and brightly colored gemstones.

Ethnic Jewelry

Jewelry includes African inspired jewelry and accessories and jewelry styles that are associated with other specific locations.

Mediterranean styles are popular, especially jewelry with a vintage look. Beachy looking jewelry-made from shells, pearls and pale gems, is another hit for summer and fall.

Many styles of ethnic jewelry are made from natural materials so they're a perfect match for current trends. Explore the ethnic jewelry on Ethnos.biz. For antique jewelry try Black Dog Antiques. Turquoise and Other Semi-Precious Gems Turquoise and coral remain popular and you'll see a growing demand for jewelry made with colorful pearls, another organic.

Shimmer and Stone is a good place to explore current styles in jewelry.

Natural Pearls

Natural pearls are formed when an accidental intruder enters a mollusk's shell and continuous layers of nacre grow like onion skins around the particle. Natural pearls vary in shape depending on the shape of the piece being coated.

Natural pearls have always been considered rare and are quite expensive. Like natural pearls, cultured pearls grow inside of a mollusk, but with human intervention. A shell is carefully opened and an object is inserted. Shapes of objects vary, depending on the final shape of pearl that's desired.

Over time the object becomes coated with layers of nacre. The depth of the nacre coating depends on the type of mollusk involved, the water it lives in, and how long the intruder is left in place before being harvested. As nacre thickness increases, so does the quality and durability of the cultured pearl.

Cultured pearls are sold by their size in millimeters.

Saltwater Pearls

Saltwater pearls originate within a saltwater mollusk. Saltwater pearls can be either natural or cultured.

Freshwater Pearls

Freshwater pearls grow inside of a freshwater mollusk ? one that lives in a river or a lake.

Pearl Shape Classifications Spherical pearls are round, which is traditionally the most desirable shape. The rounder the pearl, the more expensive its price tag. Symmetrical pearls include pear shaped pearls and other shapes that have symmetry from one side to another, but are not round.

Baroque pearls are irregularly shaped pearls. They are often the least expensive category of pearls, but are unique and quite beautiful.