Well, sort of. It would be misleading to say that any one jewelry trend could define a single year; our industry moves slowly, gracefully, allowing time for consumers to really absorb certain styles that, although they may ebb and flow, have never really ceased to exist in the first place.

But as we look back on 2025, there were certain aesthetics that seemed to excite both shoppers and industry members—ones that feel, if not definitive, at least important to the year nearly in our rearview.

Some of it might have been economically motivated—it was a year of record-breaking gold prices and tariffs (hello, chunky sterling silver)—some a reflection of where pop culture and celebrity swayed our tastes (Taylor Swift taught us to love orange again), and some still steered by the perspectives of wonderfully talented designers whose work is influenced more by their own personal styles.

Whether these endure or flame out come 2026, these were a few of my favorite trends from this year.

Opaque Gems

We saw quite a few collections this year centered around opaque gemstones, such as Pomellato’s modern reimagining of its Mora and Mosaico lines. Stones like carnelian, labradorite, malachite, lapis, turquoise, and jade were abundant in new offerings, with jade having an especially big year.

Brown

I don’t know about the Color of the Year for 2026, but Pantone nailed it with its Mocha Mousse for 2025, adding more fuel to the fire that was built on, for our industry, brown gemstones. After years of bright color, brown felt refreshing, exceptional, and warmly comforting, and we took to it in the form of tiger’s eye, quartz, and—the stone that had the biggest year of all—brown diamonds. Thanks to De Beers’ Desert diamonds push and the butterfly effect that followed, brown diamonds were on the lips of every industry insider this year, including Gen Z, who, according to a Pinterest report, had eyes for brown diamond engagement rings. Could its momentum continue into 2026? Without a doubt—it might even take the cake as the gem of the year at this rate.

Layering

Maximalism started to make its way into jewelry once again this year as layering became all the more common. From a long necklace comeback and multistrand chain layering from the early aughts to the satisfying jingle of a bangle stack, piling it on was the name of the game, which is sure to continue into the new year.

Top: Retrouvaí’s brown tourmaline and labradorite Lollipop pendant (price on request) boasts two of the year’s favorite trends—brown and opaque gems. 

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