Here’s What One Jeweler Is Looking for on the Red Carpet

By Karen Dybis | February 26, 2026

With the entertainment awards season fully in session, Tyler Moradof, a principal at vintage specialist Yafa Signed Jewels, is watching every red carpet—and he says he’s more than willing to judge the jewelry.

For every bare neck or empty lapel, there’s a jewelry-loving celebrity like Kylie Jenner, Elle Fanning, Zoe Saldaña, or Timothée Chalamet who wears something that meets Moradof’s rigorous criteria: jewelry that is rare, preferably vintage or antique, and so stunning the world can’t stop talking about it.

So what can the jewelry industry expect to see at the Actor Awards (formerly known as the Screen Actors Guild Awards) this Sunday, or at the Academy Awards on March 15? Moradof hopes vintage pieces—perhaps from the 1960s and ’70s—from his favorite brands, including Cartier, Harry Winston, and Van Cleef & Arpels, and extraordinary gemstones, such as Kashmir sapphires or fancy red diamonds.

Moradof approves of the growing trend among the Hollywood elite and their stylists to use older jewelry on the red carpet. “People are starting to notice the design, the craftsmanship, the iconic and distinguished look of those pieces,” he says. “The craftsmen who made that jewelry are literally a level above. What they did cannot be re-created today.”

Cartier Bracelet yafa — *One of Tyler Moradof’s all-time favorite jewelry pieces is this 1960s Cartier Deux Têtes tiger bracelet, because of its craftsmanship and rarity.*

In particular, Moradof appreciates that Chalamet has sported vintage Cartier at…well, seemingly every awards show or premiere he’s attended over the past two years. A standout was the yellow gold Cartier bracelet from the 1990s that the actor wore with his buttery yellow suit at last year’s Oscars.

Other recent favorites, Moradof says, include Stranger Things star Noah Schnapp’s vintage Tiffany & Co. diamond brooch at the 2025 Oscars and his Torsade de Chaumet pin at the Critics Choice Awards in January. As well as Jennifer Lawrence opting for a classic Longines watch from 1916 and Teyana Taylor wearing bold 1950s Tiffany & Co. earrings, both at last month’s Golden Globes.

A bare neck isn’t necessarily a terrible thing, Moradof says—less can be better than more if the gown or suit demands it. But wearing jewelry with a story behind it is important to building mystique and legendary fashion status, he adds.

“Fashion in and of itself is the ultimate way for someone to express themselves without opening their mouth,” says Moradof. “Seeing these stars walking down the red carpet wearing something one of a kind tells me far more than their words ever can.”

Tyler Maurice Moradof — *Moradof (left) works with his father, Maurice, who is the cofounder and CEO of Yafa Signed Jewels.*

Celebrities embracing vintage or antique jewelry also communicates to the public that rarity, exquisite materials, and well-made jewelry are important, he says. Plus, a great piece of jewelry helps your confidence, even if you’re not a movie or social media star.

“Anybody can just throw on a necklace or earrings—it’s the way you wear it and how you carry yourself,” he says. “Kylie Jenner is a perfect example. When she walks into a space, she arrives. Because she has that persona, that energy, she can wear big, bold pieces. She showcases them.”

Yafa Signed Jewels frequently receives calls from Hollywood stylists searching for particular pieces, Moradof says. His family-run business rarely lends out its jewelry, mostly because some of it is so rare, you likely will never find it again—for example, the gold cuff Jackie Kennedy Onassis once wore or Barbara Sinatra’s famous Van Cleef & Arpels “wing” earrings that are said to have inspired her crooner husband’s hit “Come Fly With Me.”

“They wore these iconic, notable pieces. They set a standard,” Moradof says.

Top: These Van Cleef & Arpels mystery-set ruby and diamond earrings are the kinds of pieces that make red-carpet legends, according to Yafa’s Tyler Moradof. (Photos courtesy of Yafa Signed Jewels)