Fashion Jewellery Trends For 2010

Despite 2009 harbouring much doom and gloom with talk of recession, credit crunch, redundancies and the harsh economic climate the human spirit and desire for beautiful things has endured.

To climb out of depression, treating oneself to beautiful fashion jewellery at affordable prices is the smart way to accessorise with budgets in mind. The trend towards fashion jewellery has grown like wildfire with women appreciating how easy and cheap it can be to change their look without the expense of a whole new outfit.

A fabulous pair of dangly earrings, a well placed glitzy brooch, necklaces with coloured jewels, funky bangles with attitude can turn around a look instantly at a fraction of the price it costs to buy gold. In fact, the rise in gold prices has seen a huge surge in people eager to offload their booty in exchange for hard cash. For the price of a gold necklace it is possible to buy a dozen fashion jewellery pieces which gives value for money in more ways than one.

Unless you buy the very cheap and tacky version of costume jewellery, you can expect most pieces with careful wear to last for a considerable time. Buy quality costume jewellery and it will be become the collectors must have of the future. Right now, people are snapping up fashion jewellery from the 1980's which is being described as 'vintage'. This is stretching the term 'vintage' somewhat but it means that jewellery from the noughties will be someone's 'vintage' find of the future. So treat the pieces you buy today with care as in the future your grandchildren or great grandchildren could be wearing it and be the envy of all their friends.

This idea is borne out by the fact many people are wearing items passed through generations of their family today. Fashion is hugely expansive right now, encompassing styles from every era. Look futuristic or retro, create a Forties vibe for your outfit or channel the Sixties buzz, it doesn't matter so long as you are being an individual and creative. No one look is dictated, only your imagination is the limit.

So what will happen in 2010 on the accessories front? Well the past will continue to be a strong influence on the future, it's where we come from that matters so we will also harbour great affection for vintage and antique pieces, eager to update them or create our own special look.

But while we look to the past for inspiration there will be lots of key modern items to give voice to the times we live in right now. 2009 gave us some great tubular futuristic metal necklaces, industrial pewter looking cuffs, huge chunky necklaces, lots of colourful flat bead shapes infused with marbling. 2010 and beyond will see these styles developing even further, more inspiration will come from the Far East where their genius production knows no bounds. More people will experiment with making their own jewellery to fit their individual style as many will have learnt lessons from the dark days of recession and know that homemade doesn't mean there has to be a compromise on style. Also it is a great way to make a bit of extra cash by selling pieces to friends or setting up a little business.

The recession has to end some time and although we will feel singed and sorry in many ways, the human spirit will triumph, beauty and the passion for fashion will continue to thrive.