While many flock to Las Vegas to gamble, Assael had only jewelry on the mind when it recently visited. From a tony ballroom perch inside the Wynn Las Vegas, Assael took part in the Couture show from June 2–6, the most prestigious high-end, trade-only fine jewelry fair in the country. While hundreds of exhibitors unveil pieces, just a few common themes, colors, and motifs routinely rise high enough from the crowd of collections to be called directional. Here are three of the top trends to emerge from the show and Assael’s interpretations of them.

Collector-worthy Tahitian Pearl Strand

One-of-a-kinds

From exquisite emerald collars to jaw-dropping diamond earrings and rings, there were plenty of super-limited-supply styles to drool over at the show. Assael had its own one-off offerings in the form of museum-worthy Tahitian pearls and carved angel skin coral. A pearl farmer ready for retirement reached out to Mrs. Assael to offer a stash of 40 years of premium pearl crop picks. She scooped up the lot and turned them into 39 sublime strands. Additionally, Assael secured a massive carved powdery pink coral necklace with a whopper of a backstory: another jewelry brand had commissioned a master carver to create the intricately patterned beads, but bailed after 10 years of waiting for its completion.

Assael Carved Angel Skin Coral Necklace

Modern pearls

Contemporary presentations of pearls have been a trend for several seasons, and the looks show no sign of stopping. While store buyers dished to trade magazines about their favorites, Instagram snaps and hashtags revealed an even more vivid tale of luster love, including Assael’s whimsical new Bubbles collection. As the name suggests, playful combinations of graduated sizes of pearls create sweet effervescent ensembles that proved irresistible to editors (see photo of Elite Traveler’s Manon Crespi modeling a ring).

Large Bubble Ring & Manon Crespi modeling Bubble Ring

Layering

Finally, long necklaces of varying styles prove their staying power, as demonstrated by the multitude of artisans that debuted new options. From lanky link numbers to gem- and pearl-set stations, designers still want us to layer up. Assael makes that possible through ropes of akoyas and South Sea pearls or mixed varieties of both—all winning combinations no matter the choice.

Assael Sunset 7-Row Akoya Pearl Necklace