Marie Lichtenberg Looks to Trend (Again) With Leather

By Karen Dybis | January 16, 2026

With gold and silver prices reaching all-time highs, other materials could gain traction in 2026 as jewelry designers try to keep costs in line. Marie Lichtenberg is embracing leather—but in her traditional cheeky style, she says she’s doing so not for its price but for its beauty.

This month, the Paris-based artist debuted leather in her jewelry collections in the form of a short necklace and a bracelet, both named for their lasso style. Lichtenberg uses Italian calf leather in the Lasso pieces. She says it’s an evolution for the brand. For her longtime fans, it’s likely the next big thing to star in their neck or wrist stack.

“Following the rise in gold prices, all of our new designs are now crafted with more gold than before. We chose to move upmarket and raise our level of standards. The use of leather is not a compromise—it is first and foremost an aesthetic choice,” Lichtenberg tells JCK via email.

Leather marie lichtenberg — *Marie Lichtenberg’s leather Lasso bracelet with baby locket in 18k yellow gold and 0.19 ct. ruby ($8,180)*

The natural-colored Lasso bracelet holds one of Lichtenberg’s signature 18k gold barrel-shaped lockets, dotted with a single gemstone, either a ruby, emerald, or diamond. (The white gold version with diamond is already sold out on her website.) The Lasso necklace, available in three lengths—approximately 14.5, 16.5, or 20 inches—and black or brown in color, is sold separately from any locket or pendant.

Lichtenberg says leather proved an interesting material to work, and using it in jewelry fits into what is happening across luxury now: Brands are becoming more playful while still offering refined, well-constructed products. (Lichtenberg knows about being playful with high jewelry—she’s made a suede bandanna adorned with nearly 400 hand-sculpted gold pieces and more than 20 cts. of rubies and diamonds.) Leather jewelry also matches what Gen Z wants as well as what the fashion industry is doing overall, she says.

“Leather introduces a different kind of tension. It brings something more raw, more grounded, and more lived-in to precious pieces,” Lichtenberg explains. “Brown tones in particular create contrast and warmth, anchoring the jewelry in something authentic rather than purely ornamental.”

Marie Lichtenberg lasso emerald — *The Lasso baby locket bracelet is also available with an emerald.*

Lichtenberg has worked with such materials as beads, silk, and fabric cord in her jewelry, and famously used resin for fashion jewelry versions of her lockets. She introduced the Raiz’in collection in 2023; originally priced at $240 each, the resin locket necklaces now go for three times that on resale sites.

In 2024, Lichtenberg expanded Raiz’in with scapular pendants made of gold-plated brass and enamel with mother-of-pearl or glitter resin (her high jewelry original scapulars are crafted in 18k gold with precious gemstones).

So if the Lasso bracelet and necklace become favorites of her fashion-forward and celebrity fans, you’ll probably see much more leather in Lichtenberg’s jewelry. And that’s exactly what she wants as a designer.

“Evolving feels natural—it’s about staying connected to my creative mind while pushing the work forward. I love being ‘scary,’” she says.

Top: Marie Lichtenberg’s new leather bracelet comes with a baby locket in white gold with diamond ($8,320) or in yellow gold with ruby or emerald. (Photos courtesy of Marie Lichtenberg)