John Hardy Pays Homage to Its Past Even as It Pushes Forward on 50th Anniversary

By Karen Dybis | February 21, 2025

John Hardy has been a fine jewelry powerhouse since 1975, and the brand is honoring its five decades in business with three new lines that reimagine signature styles for the years ahead.

The Bali-based jewelry brand started by Canadian artist and eco-activist John Hardy is known for its silversmithing, chain-weaving, granulation, and cutwork. Creative chair Reed Krakoff designed three collections for the anniversary: Icon 50. Spear 50 and Spear Slim. Prices range from $450 for an Icon 50 sterling silver band to $14,500 for a Spear 50 flex cuff in 14k gold with diamond-encrusted tips.

“These 50th-anniversary styles recognize emblematic John Hardy designs, paying them homage but pushing them forward,” Krakoff says. “With an emphasis on our artisan craft and exclusive technical know-how, we’ve given the Icon 50 and Spear 50 a familiar yet fresh design point of view.”

John Hardy anniversary jewelry — *Icon 50 pieces include bangles, pendants, and men’s and women’s rings in 14k gold with pavé diamonds, as well as styles in sterling silver and leather.*

Krakoff describes the Icon 50 collection as a “legacy builder.” It features a dimensional, chain-inspired pattern that evolves the Icon style in a fresh direction, using a proprietary new cutwork technique. Now the Icon motif is abstracted, distilling the high-low relief in a different way, he says.

Spear 50 highlights what is probably the brand’s most recognizable design element. This collection centers on Hardy’s hand-carved chain motif with affection for the past, inspired by vintage jewelry kept in the John Hardy archive, Krakoff says.

The Spear Slim collection, with lighter-than-ever versions of the snakeskin-inspired Spear cuff, is about innovation and artisanship, according to Krakoff. At 4 mm (about half the width of the original Spear cuff), the Slim style is suitable for stacking and is flexible, elegant, and modern in a way that clients expect from John Hardy, he says.

The John Hardy Icon 50 Curb link bracelet ($1,695 in sterling silver) features a hand-cut motif inspired by the brand’s Icon chain.

Krakoff joined the company in 2022 and has led John Hardy into a new era with the Artisan series, limited-edition designs elevated into high jewelry by natural diamonds and colored gemstones.

Other John Hardy milestones include the 2002 opening of its New York City office and first showroom. It brought the Balinese legend of the water dragon into jewelry in 2006 with its celebrated Naga collection.

The brand has been committed to sustainability since its inception, using 100% reclaimed silver and recycled gold in its jewelry. John Hardy’s bamboo agroforestry partnership with the Environmental Bamboo Foundation has planted nearly 1.5 million seedlings in rural Indonesia since its start in 2007.

After joining the Responsible Jewellery Council in 2013, John Hardy instituted new standards regarding the supply chain, business ethics, labor, and human rights. By 2021, John Hardy had begun running its production facility with 100% renewable energy.

Top: The Icon 50 collection is one of three new additions to the John Hardy jewelry legacy as the brand celebrates five decades in business. (Photos courtesy of John Hardy)