What’s trending in jewellery

There’s a consistent thread that runs through the many jewellery trends that have emerged this year: the bigger and louder, the better. Maximalism has come to the fore in the shape of layered necklaces, statement chandelier earrings and — as seen on the spring/summer 24 runways — non-traditional materials including fabric and tassels. Even those jewellers that veer towards the minimal are doing so with pumped up volume and interesting, sculptural shapes. Here, we highlight some of the standout, and most wearable, trends from the season.

Gold standard

With the price of gold at an all-time high, designers are looking at alternative ways to make jewellery that has the same impact as the precious metal, but at a fraction of the cost. “Plain gold styles that you used to buy for a certain price 10 years ago are now about double [the price],” says Stéphanie Roger, founder of Paris-based jewellery retailer Whitebird. “But people still want to buy gold jewellery that you can see, not just thin little pieces. So to have the same volume, they will go for these materials that were before really for costume jewellery.”

Roger cites Lebanon-based Karen Chekerdjian, who is a furniture and interior objects designer first and foremost, but has recently branched out into jewellery with a collection of statement woven rings and chain-link necklaces made from gold-plated brass. London-based Alighieri, too, makes necklaces from gold-plated brass, and recently released a collection of bronze-plated fish dangling from leather cords, while Dallas-based Julie Cohn designs bold yet sleek jewellery out of bronze, as in her Knot and Ribbon link chain necklaces. “Julie designs classical chains, nothing very extravagant, but the prices are really good, so our customers really like it,” adds Roger. “She mixes these with pearls and semi-precious stones.”

Wristy business

The freewheeling, romantic stylings of the 1970s have made a resounding comeback, bringing with them a hallmark of the era: the cuff. The trend is perhaps best epitomised by Tiffany & Co’s Bone Cuff, the chunky, contoured bangle designed by Elsa Peretti when she first joined the house 50 years ago and which is having a resurgence today.

This bohemian renaissance was seen on the spring/summer runways, too: at Saint Laurent, in a show filled with larger-than-life jewellery and accessories, there were silver and gold cuffs designed to resemble stacked bangles, as well as futuristic-looking, split-dome cuffs in palladium. At Schiaparelli, creative director Daniel Roseberry brought his signature surrealism to the style, pumping up the volume of the bangle, as well as warping it into architectural shapes. And at Chloé, models wore striking silver cuffs that appeared to peel off the wrist.

“These bold statement pieces instantly add a modern finishing touch to any outfit,” says Libby Page, market director of Net-a-Porter, which has cuffs from Alexander McQueen and Bottega Veneta this season, as well as from jewellery brands Completedworks and Anita Ko. Thomas De Haas, CEO of jewellery retailer Auverture, says cuffs in all styles and sizes are popular at the moment, but “especially oversized and in gold”. He points to Bibi van der Velden’s Rock Pool cuff — a bubbling amalgamation of diamonds and blue, white and grey Keshi pearls — as a particularly outré take on the trend.

Fine forms

“When fashion gets more minimal, jewellery gets more sculptural,” says Los Angeles-based designer Sophie Buhai. “I think there has always been a woman who wears sculptural jewellery — the art lady or museum woman. It’s trendless among a certain type, but recently it has found a new wider audience.”

Buhai is known for her cerebral designs — fluid drop earrings or rigid, architectural collars — that speak to the current trend for sculptural jewellery. She cites art-jewellers Vivianna Torun Bülow-Hübe, Art Smith and Catherine Noll as the original advocates of this look. “[The designs] feel more modern today than ever. When you own a piece of jewellery like this, it feels like you own a wearable sculpture.”

More modern iterations include the New York-based, São Paulo-born designer Ana Khouri, who trained in sculpture before turning to jewellery and creates curvaceous cuffs that hug the ear; and Repossi, which recently sponsored the Constantin Brâncuşi exhibition at Paris’s Centre Pompidou, and contrasts linear and angular shapes with negative space. Even newer proponents are Tabayer, which uses minimal, tubular shapes that wrap around the fingers and wrists, and Panconesi, designed by Italian Marco Panconesi, who is known for his curling hoops that resemble snakes and subtle, cubed ear cuffs.

Net-a-Porter’s Page also points to New York-based Agmes, who “values thoughtful design and artisanal craftsmanship. Agmes’ jewellery is handmade using as many recycled and [responsibly sourced] materials as possible; the Juliette recycled silver pearl earrings are the perfect addition to an elevated everyday jewellery collection”.

In living colour

The most striking trend to note is a bold use of colour, in gemstones that run through the rainbow as well as materials such as enamel, lacquer and glass. “I think people need colour at the moment — and we have a lot of customers who like to mix bright hues and textures,” says Whitebird’s Roger.

Grainne Morton, one of Whitebird’s best-selling designers, uses gemstones, antique cameos and vintage glass to create kaleidoscopic necklaces, bracelets and chandelier earrings that speak to the trend. “She’s incredible at mixing different colours and elements from the past, that she’s been collecting for years and years, into pieces that are very joyful,” adds Roger.

For Dior’s latest fine jewellery launch, artistic director Victoire de Castellane used lacquer to create vivid colours that often can’t be achieved through the use of natural stones, for a collection inspired by Christian Dior’s Milly-la-Forêt garden. While jewellers Alison Lou, David Webb and Alice Cicolini all have collections rich in enamel — incorporating vibrant pinks, greens and blues into stripes, spots and intricate florals.

London-based jeweller Jessica McCormack also added colour to her spring-summer collection, Hello Sailor, in the form of pearls engraved and painted with blue enamel stripes. “I grew up surrounded by all things nautical, so when designing this collection I knew I wanted to add tones of blue,” says McCormack. “Stripes felt like a perfect way to do this, and when we found a way to enamel pearls, I was excited to introduce this new technique to our craft.”