July may be the only month that’s purely summer—nothing but summer—and therefore it should be enjoyed to its fullest. Some retailers close their doors for summer travels, taking an extended Fourth of July break or a late-July recess to soak up those long days of sunshine. They may even hit up a jewelry event or two, in anticipation of their future stocking needs. Because come August, it gets real.
August has a bit of summer baked in, it’s true, but by mid-month the back-to-school rush kicks in. Then, before you know it—boom!—the holidays. So July may also be the most carefree month (if only we had the pleasure of ever feeling a microscopic dose of carefree).
My inbox has reflected that, touching on summer’s biggest trends—which have a lot to do with what lives under the sea and have us dreaming about the styles we’d wear on a lovely Euro summer holiday. Ruby has been abundant in my July inbox—that’s expected, given it’s the month’s birthstone—and, with summer a prime time not only for weddings but for engagements as well, there’s plenty of wedding-related jewels…enough to get one thinking about starting an engagement ring collection.
Overall, though, things were relatively quiet, and I’m enjoying the gentle hush of July, as it is remarkably fleeting. I hope you are too. Best of luck to all those jewelers getting back to business and buckling down for the seasons ahead. Since our love for jewelry never really takes a break, here are some highlights from my July inbox.
Polka Dot Nomad ring in 14k yellow gold with diamonds and 1.07 cts. t.w. sapphires, price on request; Claudia Mae
Constellation Double Huggie Multishape earrings in 14k yellow gold with 3.45 cts. t.w. lab-grown diamonds, $5,200; Dara Kaye
Hubba ring in 18k yellow gold, price on request; Harwell Godfrey
Necklace in 18k white gold with 24.66 cts. t.w. rubies and 23.15 cts. t.w. diamonds, price on request; La Marquise
Earrings in platinum with 46.22 cts. t.w. rubellite and 1.96 cts. t.w. diamonds, price on request; Cicada
Top: Heart love token in 14k yellow gold with 0.45 ct. ruby and 0.1 ct. t.w. diamonds, $1,780; Ashley Zhang