By Vennette Lailani Seprado
As the month of May draws to a close, we put the spotlight on this month’s birthstone: the emerald. Emeralds have made a huge comeback thanks to Crazy Rich Asians and Princess Eugenie’s pleasantly surprising wedding tiara. It will be no surprise if brides and brides-to-be incorporate more of these precious verdant stones into their bridal ensemble.
Wearing colored stones on your big day is the perfect way to add a pop of color to your wedding-day look. It becomes even more significant when the gem happens to be your birthstone. Whether it’s the gemstone’s symbolic meaning or its metaphysical abilities, opting to wear colored stones such as emeralds is a nice personal touch.
At the recently-concluded Cannes Film Festival where attendees dressed to impress in Haute Couture and high jewelry throughout the 10-day long event, a number of celebrities donned couture frocks inspired by bridal styles. Although it’s usually the other way around, we did pick up on some jewelry styling tips for our modern and fearless brides.
Bollywood superstar, Sonam Kapoor was the proud wearer of Chopard’s multi-tiered necklace encrusted with 115-carats of pear-shaped emeralds and 91.92-carats brilliant diamonds. She wore a décolletage-baring jacket by Ralph & Russo over the spectacular bib-like necklace perfectly working the plunging neckline in its favor.
Danish model Josephine Skriver lived up to the saying “business up front, party in the back”. She kept her styling simple wearing a white caped top with matching slim-cut trousers by Ashi Studio. She wore a pair of matching brooch earrings and an eye-catching backlace of linked emeralds with large pear-shaped emerald pendant by Flavia Vetorasso perfectly accentuating her exposed back.
Hair accessories are enjoying a great deal of popularity these days from minimalist hairpins to embellished clips. The trend may have been sparked by a number of high-profile royal weddings with princess brides donning dreamy tiaras. For the romantic types, take styling cues from another royal princess who broke traditions and wore emeralds on her big day. Sofia Hellqvist walked down the aisle to marry the dashing Prince Carl Philip of Sweden wearing a new tiara fashioned from Queen Silvia’s necklace given to her by a Thai prince. The delicate tiara was designed in an Art Deco style featuring a series of graduated diamond palmette motifs topped by a set of graduated pear-shaped emeralds.
If a tiara is too extravagant or traditional, go for a stylish floral crown with green gem accents from accessories maker, Ashlee Lauren Designs.
Traditional brides may want to incorporate some colored jewelry into their bridal styling but are afraid to have that element stick out like a sore thumb. The solution is to add subtle touches like an emerald brooch pinned on the bridal bouquet or clipping on a pair of delightful gem-encrusted shoe clips by Absolutely Audrey to spruce up your wedding shoes.
