How close is too close when it comes to replicating jewelry design ideas?
When I was writing my article about the Vera Wang's Spring 2008 jewelry collection I trolled around on Amazon for a picture to accompany the article.
The Vera Wang jewelry picture I uploaded totally reminded me of David Yurman and I could just imagine the conversation at Vera Wang regarding what design styles present in this pendant and necklace needed to be changed in order to avoid a law suit with Yurman. From what I read in the trades Yurman keeps his legal team occupied full time fighting design knock offs.
Interestingly enough about a week later I read an article in the February 2008 edition of W magazine on the topic of clothing designers maybe getting too much inspiration from their fellow designers. It does seem that once a trend is established for a season, all the designers show variations of the theme. But, is that a bad thing - how close is too close when it comes to replicating design ideas?
Wang was quoted as saying, "Nothing has never been done before ... we're still working within a certain structure."
I agree - the use of untraditional materials in jewelry designs is just about the only way to truly get a new spin on the old designs.
