With every new year, we see an exciting new crop of jewelry trends. This year’s trends show a general shift away from the more bold and unique styles that dominated 2020. Many of the latest trends are rooted in minimalism, which suggests that 2021 will be a year of sophisticated jewelry styles. Yet, maximalists need not fear-- there are still a few highly dramatic trends that will excite those who like to be bold with their looks. No matter how you like to express yourself, you’ll find something that sparks inspiration in the top jewelry trends for 2021.

 

 

 

Delicate Chain Links

The 14k Gold Hollow Curb Chain will keep you looking stylish all year long.

Chunky chain link jewelry was spotted on virtually every celeb, influencer, and fashionista last year, making it arguably the most dominant jewelry trend of 2020. As we head into the new year, the chain link trend continues on, albeit with a change in proportion.

 

 

Delicate links appear poised to take over chunky links in popularity. This is evidenced by the fact that delicate chain link pieces are already trending on a pretty massive scale in 2021. Most notably, delicate chain links are suddenly everywhere on social media.

 

 

This is great news for anyone who loves jewelry layering or for those who prefer more minimalistic jewelry styling. Delicate chain link necklaces and bracelets are fantastic additions to layered looks, but are equally stylish when worn on their own.

 

Silver Statement Rings

Add just the right statement to your look with the Ruze Ring.

In 2020, the thin stacking ring trend was replaced by a polar opposite trend: the bold, oversized gold ring trend. This year, gold statement rings show no sign of falling out of fashion. However, it looks like silver rings are joining gold to round out the statement ring category.

Silver-colored jewelry has been making a comeback in general, becoming much more popular for both fashion jewelry and fine jewelry. Recently, we’ve noticed an uptick in silver jewelry on fashion runways (including at Louis Vuitton and Chloé), more stylish silver fashion jewelry on Instagram influencers, and many more white gold engagement rings trending on sites like Pinterest. With such a silver revival going on, it makes sense that statement rings crafted from sterling silver, white gold, platinum, and stainless steel are becoming just as popular as their yellow gold counterparts.

 

 

 

Stranded Pearl Necklaces

Image Courtesy of Elle Blogs

Recently, pearl jewelry came back in a big wayl. Over the last few years, wearing unique and unexpected pearl baubles, especially pearl earrings, has been all the rage. In 2021, the lovely and lustrous pearl is still en vogue, but more classic and simple pearl pieces are getting much more love.

 

 

Stranded pearl necklaces, a highly traditional type of pearl jewelry, are currently the top trending style in the pearl jewelry category. Since stranded pearls are very traditional, so much so that they can look old fashioned when styled wrong, how you style this fine jewelry classic is crucial. It’s more modern to wear pearl jewelry in such a way that it acts as an accent, rather than a focal point, of your look. Unless you’re actually going for a Dior New Look or Coco Chanel aesthetic, make sure your pearls blend in a bit with your clothes and other accessories. Another modern way of wearing pearls is by pairing them with juxtaposing pieces. For example, wearing a strand of pearls with a t-shirt (à la Harry Styles and Gigi Hadid) is an effortless and edgy way to wear these luminous gems.

 

Herringbone Chain Necklaces

Whether your look is upscale or casual, the Flat Snake Herringbone Necklace is the perfect accessory.

One of our favorite trending jewelry styles for 2021 is the herringbone chain necklace. Herringbone chains have a sleek modern look and a beautiful shine (which, we have to say, really pops on Zoom calls). They add sophisticated detail when worn on their own, while also being a chic and versatile addition to any layered necklace look, making them endlessly wearable.

In the herringbone chain category, gold herringbone necklaces are the most popular choice. However, as with statement rings, we are starting to see a rise in the popularity of silver herringbone chain necklaces. So, silver-loving fashionistas can wear their favorite precious metal tone knowing that they’re still right on trend.

 

Oceanic Elements

Even though we’re still in winter, beach-inspired jewelry has already started to trend. Consider that a sure sign that jewelry with oceanic elements will be a major trend throughout 2021.

So many different oceanic elements are trending at the moment, like shells, coral beads, starfish motifs, and baroque pearls. While many of the jewelry fashion trends for the upcoming year are on the minimalistic side, much of the jewelry we’re seeing in the beach-inspired trend has a “more is more” vibe. This includes sculptural rings and brooches that feature oceanic motifs, beaded necklaces in nautical colors, shell-laden chokers, and plenty of mixed media pieces that combine precious metals with beads, shells, string, and freshwater pearl gemstones.

 

 

 

The Single Earring

While it has some stiff competition from the logo earring trend (as seen in spring 2021 collections from Prada, Chanel, and Jacquemus), the biggest earring trend of 2021 is set to be the single earring trend. Wearing a single earring or mismatched earrings had a minor moment in 2018, but faded away rather quickly. However, based on what we’re seeing in spring fashion collections and on social media, this trend seems poised to make a strong comeback.

Single earrings and asymmetric earrings had a particularly strong presence in Spring/Summer 2021 fashion collections. Jewelry and fashion brands, including Fendi and Valentino, released quite a few single earrings this season. Then, plenty of designers, including Simone Rocha and Ulla Johnson, have also released purposely mismatched and asymmetric earrings. We also saw quite a bit of single earring styling done on Spring/Summer runways, most notably at Chloé during Paris Fashion Week.

On runways, the trend is to style a look with one very dramatic earring, then round out the pair with a stud earring or no second earring at all. However, if that’s too bold for you, there are also more subtle interpretations of this jewelry trend to look to. For example, wearing a charm on one hoop earring and not the other is popular on social media, as is wearing earrings that are largely similar, yet are still different in some notable way (length, color, motif, metal, etc.).

 

 

A Maximalist Take On Chain Links

Stand out with the Cuban ID Link Bracelet.

This last 2021 jewelry trend is another that focuses on maximalism rather than minimalism: ultra dramatic chain link jewelry. This style of chain link, seen in the latest Victoria Beckham and Hermès collections, goes in the opposite direction of the delicate link trend. These oversized chains move even more to the bold side of last year’s chunky gold chains, providing a more graphic effect.

Oversized chain links are incredibly eye-catching, making them the perfect choice for those who like to stand out and embrace drama. For maximum impact, you can wear an extra large chain link piece with an upscale outfit on exposed skin, where it can shine without distractions. If you want to create a more casual-cool look, you can also try mixing a dramatically oversized chain link piece with a casual outfit. For example, you could wear an ultra bold chain link necklace with a hoodie and sweatpants, or an oversized chain link bracelet with flannel.

 

- Suzy Sogoyan

Brand Director