The 7 Weirdest Jewelry Stories of 2025

By Rob Bates | December 28, 2025

Another year is ending, and it’s time to take stock of all the very strange things that happened during the past 12 months.

So, once again, we bring you JCK’s annual roundup of the oddest, silliest, and (sometimes kind of) disgustingest jewelry-related stories of the year. This time, we have an ear piercing in court, a jewel-cleansing “shaman,” plus that old perennial, somebody swallowing a jewel—but this time with a very industry twist. We also have two celebrities, from distinctly different generations, who had their body parts made into jewels.

Sounds strange? Yeah, it is. Hope you enjoy another year of weird.

Claire’s bankruptcy lawyer gets ear pierced in court

We start with a story that is definitely unusual, but also kind of nice. When arguing during bankruptcy proceedings that ear piercing chain Claire’s should not be liquidated, Kirkland & Ellis partner Joshua Sussberg recalled that, in high school, he got his ear pierced at Claire’s. He vowed that, if the chain was saved, he’d do it again. “I will hold you to [that],” said the amused judge. “Maybe it will spur market interest.” And maybe it did, because, lo and behold, a buyer did appear. And so Sussberg kept his word, and his ear was pierced in court by two Claire’s employees, armed with a piercing gun (which had to be waived past security), while he sported a paper Claire’s crown. Shannon told the London Times he was “happy” to have it done, and “would do it again, no problem.”

Cardi B has umbilical cord made into jewelry

Congratulations to Cardi B, who just had a boy with New England Patriots wide receiver Stefon Diggs. To commemorate, she had the kiddo’s umbilical cord turned into a jewel by Mommy Made Encapsulation, a Bakersfield, Calif., creator of post-birth “keepsakes.” The company’s website says it makes these mementos by dehydrating the umbilical cord into the shape of a heart, and then dipping it in gold chrome. Yet when it proudly displayed how it produced Cardi’s piece on Instagram, not all the rappers’ fans were impressed: “Can’t you all just get a name necklace like other people?” one wrote.

For the record, this wasn’t the only story this year we found involving Cardi B jewelry and body parts, though we decided to spare you the other one, as it’s not for the squeamish. (If you’re still curious, click here.)

Elton John turns kneecaps into necklace and brooch

Elton John is proving it’s not just young stars like Cardi B who are turning their body parts into jewelry. In a new World Gold Council documentary, the rock legend boasted that he loves the yellow metal so much, he had his surgically removed kneecaps covered in it. According to John, following knee surgery, he asked the “startled” surgeon if he could keep the caps. Told that he could, John approached jeweler Theo Fennell to see if anything could be done with them. The London-based designer said he’d give it a go, while admitting kneecaps are an “unusual” jewelry material. “We had to bake them to dry them out,” Fennell said. “Then they get rather like pumice stone, they’re very porous. So we had to paint them with acetate and then just polish them up.” Fennell eventually fashioned the kneecaps into a necklace and a brooch, leaving John impressed. “I honestly think,” the singer said, “these are timeless pieces that will last for centuries.”

Man receives “Trump Watch” without the T

In last year’s weird stories, we pointed out the weirdness of now-President Trump selling branded watches in the middle of an election campaign. Yet this year brings an even stranger twist to the story. One Rhode Island man reportedly bought a Trump watch for $640, but it arrived without the T, meaning it says RUMP—which, critics might say, is far more fitting. The man, however, wasn’t amused. When the watch seller ignored his complaints, the man pled his case on local TV. Eventually, he received a replacement, as well as a $600 credit to buy more items—which hopefully won’t be emblazoned with a synonym for buttocks.

Diamond thief feels guilty, turns himself in

Yes, it’s true, some people still have a sense of shame. Sometimes even criminals. Take the U.K. man who stole two engagement rings worth £11,000 from a local jeweler, and then hocked them at a local pawnshop. That night, the father of three found himself racked with guilt, unable to sleep. The next day, he went to the police and confessed. His lawyer said the man was desperate for cash, as he owed money to a local loan shark. A sympathetic judge sentenced him to a year of community service.

“Shaman” relieves victims of “cursed” jewelry

Self-described “shaman” Mariana Mijailovic has landed on Europol’s most wanted list after allegedly conning 19 people out of millions in jewelry by convincing them it was cursed. Austrian prosecutors charge that Mijailovic and her daughter-in-law told their victims that, for a large fee, they’d conduct “cleansing rituals” for their jewels. The Daily Mail says that when authorities raided Mijailovic’s home, they found lots of items and cash—but not Mijailovic, who is still on the loose.

Florida jeweler swallows wedding ring

“This is the kind of [thing] that only happens to me, bro,” said the unnamed owner of West Miami Jewelry, in an Instagram video filmed from his hospital bed. The jeweler said he was constructing a wedding ring when he put it “in between my tooth. As I was doing the head on the other ring, I swallowed the ring. This person’s getting married this weekend. So hopefully we can get this ring back out.” In a next day follow-up, the man said he’d spent “the whole night pushing” and finally produced the ring. Of course, not every customer would want a ring that’s been where this one has, but the jeweler said that “I will make sure and disinfect [the] ring. I promise I’m gonna clean it, really good.” Here’s hoping that, as the saying goes, everything came out fine in the end.

https://www.tiktok.com/@westmiamijeweler/video/7525113316356771085

(Photo: Getty Images)