You might be thinking the holidays are over, but trust us: People are still shopping—especially for themselves. (Raise your hand if you’re on the hunt for that perfect ring for yourself!)
For the past few months, we’ve been pounding the pavement, from the mid-September VicenzaOro show in Italy to designer studio visits and jewelry press previews in New York City, keeping an eye on trends and looking for the latest and greatest jewels—which we’ve collected below.
And while the styles started to gain popularity and visibility in late 2023, they don’t carry any expiration date; they’ll last well into 2024.
Yellow gold
Silver is still going strong, but yellow gold fashion jewelry is hotter than ever, despite the metal’s seemingly astronomical per-ounce price. “People are asking for a lot of earrings, from smaller layering pieces to big, bold, puffy hoop styles,” Phillip Gabriel Maroof, creative director and designer for Phillip Gavriel and Royal Chain, told us after the VicenzaOro show. Think staples—”new takes on the classics,” he said. If it’s textured or hand-finished, even better.
Convertibility
When you can get two or three (or more) jewels for the price of one, it lowers the price-per-wear…thus enabling the client to buy something else! We believe that’s what they call Jeweler Math.
Post-VicenzaOro, Picchiotti vice president Umberto Picchiotti cited the popularity of the brand’s recently introduced Reversible Xpandable line. “It capitalizes on the success of the Xpandable collection—allowing rings and bracelets to expand and contract—while also adding the element of versatility and reversibility, revealing two designs in one.” Double the sparkle, double the fun.
Bold men’s jewelry
Pearls were only the beginning. Men are going bigger and bolder with their jewels. Just look at the candy-inspired necklace that Timothée Chalamet wore to the Wonka world premiere in London: The Cartier brand ambassador actually created the white gold, onyx, opals, tourmaline, and emerald piece with the maison (“It pops in a crazy way,” Chalamet says in a behind-the-scenes Instagram reel).
Hard stones
Maroof says he noticed “lots of opaque stones—malachite, mother-of-pearl, onyx” at Vicenza. Once we started visiting showrooms and designers around NYC, we too were seeing those opaque stones everywhere. Black onyx seems especially ubiquitous at the moment…a reflection of the mood at the end of 2023, perhaps?
Beaded bracelets
The Taylor Swift era isn’t close to over, and beaded bracelets are here to stay. As much as we like a DIY version, we definitely prefer anything made from real gold and gemstones. But you’ll never get us to trade ’em—sorry!
Playfulness
You’ve been hearing about “dopamine dressing” for a while now. This, friends, is how you do it: with a wink, a smile, and a hefty dose of nostalgia. Who remembers hanging out at the roller rink in the ’80s? Listening to your favorite Madonna tape on the boom box? (Fun fact: Madonna is now older than the cassette tape. She, however, is still going.)
Red
Before you dive head-first into Peach Fuzz—Pantone’s soft and cuddly 2024 Color of the Year—don’t forget about red, which was all over the fall 2023 runway shows. But not everyone can pull off a statement-making little red dress or an attention-grabbing crimson power suit. So say it with jewelry: These red jewels are cheeky, chic, classic, and strong—everything the color stands for.
Top: Puffy heart pendant on Puffy star chain in 20k yellow gold, price on request; Buddha Mama