The Top Summer Jewellery Trends According to 9 Designers
From elegant chains to playful rings, L'Officiel gets the scoop on six major jewellery trends from the designers creating them.
Whether the finishing touch on a look or the statement pieces to create your outfit around, jewellery is a versatile companion to fashion. With the world opening up, people are eager to show off their style, and the shiny metals, crystals, and gemstones used in jewellery are the perfect vehicle to do so. As summer approaches, we can expect to see more individuality in our accessorizing, from colourful combinations to personalized pieces.
Here, L'Officiel consults nine designers across fine jewellery and ready-to-wear about these trends and the other standout styles they're forecasting for summer.
Bold Golds
Why not add a golden touch to those bright summer days? “It’s a timeless staple that always sparks happiness,” Katkim designer Katherine Kim says. From a chain necklace to a sculptural ring to a pair of chic hoops, gold is the metal of choice this summer. For Anita Ko, the designer behind the eponymous LA-based label, her yellow gold Zoe necklace is a favourite: “It goes with every outfit, takes you from day to night, and looks cool layered with other necklaces in your collection."
Rainbow Jewels
“This summer, it's all about colour!” says Mateo designer Matthew Harris. For his fine jewellery, turquoise and malachite become stars of the show. Elsewhere, all the colors of the rainbow can be seen in Bea Bongiasca’s mega-popular enamel rings and earrings, Adina's Jewels’ multi-colour stone necklaces, and fashion-girl favourite Notte’s playful pieces. Jessica Tse, Notte’s founder, agrees that the colourful, “happy jewellery” trend is here to stay. “These pieces are really versatile, there's no right or wrong way to wear them,” she says. “Mix and match whatever makes you happy—I think that's what makes these fun, whimsical pieces the ultimate mood boosters.”
Pearl Accents
“Pearls have been having a moment, especially when they're done in modern ways,” Katherine Kim says. “They're effortlessly classic and feminine and great to pair or layer with other pieces from your jewellery collection.” The oceanic jewels have long been an elegant adornment, but new ways of incorporating them have gone above and beyond the classic strand. At Misho, pearls are embedded into cuff earrings and rings, or hang as organic pendants. Meanwhile, Notte brings a kitschy vibe to pearls, stringing them with smiley face charms and colourful jewels.
Personalized Pieces
From repping your astrological sign to wearing your initials, personalized jewellery can be tailored to anyone’s tastes. PD Paola co-founder and chief creative director Paola Sasplugas is among the designers who have noticed this growing trend towards just-for-you jewellery. “Pieces that represent who you are in a very personal way are most popular…” she says.”[They] are special and unique to the person wearing it and that sentiment deeply resonates with people.” According to Sasplugas, the brand’s letter necklaces and engravable pendants are favourites. Matthew Harris also saw a higher interest in the zodiac and initial jewellery in Mateo's line, chalking it up to how people have processed the past year. "COVID rocked everyone's world," he says. "I believe the way we shop has dramatically changed. Most have lost the sense of frivolity and are desiring pieces with meaning." Other designers, like Misho’s Suhani Parekh, have embraced personal pieces in their own day-to-day adornment. “Through these months, I often found myself reaching for my personal everyday jewels,” Parekh says, accessories that “feel like a second skin.”
Layers on Layers
With post-pandemic fashion already embracing maximalism, our jewellery is following suit. Whether layering chokers and chains, piling on the arm candy or draping yourself with body jewellery, there is no limit to accessorizing this summer. “When the weather gets warmer and clothing becomes optional, I love to wrap up in layers that empower,” celebrity-loved designer Jacquie Aiche says. “Body chains and anklets are the perfect, sensual pieces for days spent barefoot by the sea.” Another easy way to go for a high-impact jewellery look is by wearing multiple rings. Bea Bongiasca, whose funky rings are Dua Lipa’s favourites, says that she sees people embracing the look. “Stacking rings seem to be the way to go and I see so many people (for the little amount I people I see these days) doing that more-is-more kind of style,” Bongiasca says." Adina's Jewels designer Adina Kamkhatchi is on the same page, noting that people are becoming more experimental when it comes to combining jewellery. "Heavily stacked neck and ring looks are really pumping now since the weather is getting warmer and people are dressing more openly."
Nature-Inspired Motifs
Various flora and fauna are cropping up in our jewels as delicate charms and embedded motifs. For PD Paola, Sasplugas wanted to “show appreciation for these little backyard creatures” with a collection of earrings, necklaces, and rings featuring gem-encrusted beetles. Butterflies are another winged critter getting glammed up in jewellery collections. Jacquie Aiche creates handmade statement butterfly necklaces and rings crafted from semiprecious stones, while Adina’s Jewels offers rhinestone encrusted butterfly anklets and stacking rings.
