Five Jewellery Trends Worth Investing In For 2021

In a year that had many extolling the virtues of sweatpants and shunning fancy garments altogether, wearing jewellery while sequestered at home seemed abnormal. What was the point of putting on dangling earrings or ring stacks when no one was around to see it? It just didn’t feel right, or so I initially thought.

Then Zoom became the standard, and I began logging FaceTime calls more in a few months than I ever did collectively since owning a smartphone. I kept my tights and well-worn (yet designer) sweater intact, but progressively, I started to pile on the baubles. It was a way to add some oomph to my authentically ho-hum outfit for the screen. Also, being a jewellery devotee, I missed the ritual of accessorising myself in the morning.

Related article: How To Take Care Of Your Jewellery

The pieces I gravitated toward, however, had much more personality than I was accustomed to wearing in the real world. And, as it would appear, I wasn’t alone in this thinking. Jewellery designers, themselves having to quarantine, perhaps saw the need to create things that were more conducive to being home alone and communicating virtually. As a result, their offerings for 2021 are sweeter, much more ornate, convey messages of good fortune, or really pack the heat—as much literally as figuratively. They truly pop on-screen and imbue good vibes.

Below are five jewellery trends that will start you on the right path for 2021. Whether we have to stay indoors a little longer and perfect our Zoom backgrounds or we finally get to venture into an office and commiserate about how much we miss working from home, this selection of rings, bracelets, earrings, and necklaces will work for any scenario.

Related article: 15 Jewellery Designers To Follow On instagram Now

Tokens of Affection

Untie your purse strings, because 2021 will be the year to shell out some coins for some, well, coins. From Versace’s runway to Foundrae’s showroom, fashion brands and jewellery labels have displayed an abundance of gold, silver, and diamond bullion and other charms of luck, love, and fortune. Currency from antiquity and tried-and-true symbols have been updated to stunning effects.

Bulgari, for example, took coins from the 5th century B.C., surrounded them with diamonds, and placed them on its signature Tubogas setting. 

As we enter the New Year, it is best to start on the right path by making use of all the good juju these tokens permeate.

Related article: Louis Vuitton’s Stellar Times High Jewellery Collection Is Inspired By The Galaxy

Foundrae Wholeness 18K Gold Necklace

A snake charmer. 

Versace Medusa Tribute Coin Bracelet

Pay it forward.

Bulgari Monete Necklace

Flip a coin. 

Jacquie Aiche 14-Karat Gold and Diamond Coin Necklace

Not-so-common cents. 

Related article: 18 Rising Fashion Brands To Fall For Now

Blaze of Glory

Since ancient times, fire has been a core element in philosophy and mythology. It is the reputed way civilisations began (think Prometheus); the symbol of power, assertiveness, and passion. And for 2021, jewellery designers are fanning the flames of this reputation.

Ambush’s Yoon Ahn created enamel earrings in the shape of blazes that are de rigueur on hot rods. Fernando Jorge created a whole collection with flames as a central theme, using sinuous strands of gold to create beautiful earrings and rings. And Irene Neuwirth sourced vibrant fire opals in varying shades of red and orange that look as if they are too hot to handle.

If you’re looking to shine bright in 2021, opt for jewellery that really packs the heat.

Related article: The Coolest 2021 Makeup Trends

Fernando Jorge Flame 18-Karat Gold Earrings

Take some heat.

L'Atelier Nawbar 18-Karat Gold Elements of Love Fire Pendant

Fuel to the fire. 

Ambush

Burn, baby, burn.

Irene Neuwirth Gemmy Gem Necklace with Fire Opal & Diamond Pave

Too hot to handle.

Related article: 9 Trends That Have Us Looking Forward To 2021 Even Harder

Body Ody Ody

Thanks to Megan Thee Stallion, music in 2020 was all about the body—the protruding parts, the curvy parts, and, yes, even the wet parts. Jewellery designers, too, focused on the birthday suit, celebrating the sensuality of the female form by offering gilded pieces that leave little to the imagination.

Chloé and Pamela Card, for instance, placed mini Venus figurines on long chains. Sculptor Anissa Kermiche reimagined her celebrated vases of the female body onto pendants. Tiffany & Co. reissued its iconic bone cuffs, which were designed by Elsa Peretti. And Danielle Gerber bared bosoms unabashedly.

Now, after months of being certified freaks, seven days a week, we’re trumpeting the same carefree mindset into 2021. And we can think of no better way to shake our body-ody-odies virtually—and hopefully, in the near future, IRL—than with the selection below.

Anissa Kermiche Le Derrière Gold-Plated Necklace

Tight buns. 

Danielle Gerber Boobies Ring

Bosom buddy.

Tiffany & Co. Elsa Peretti Large Bone Cuff

Bare bones.

Chloé Femininities Necklace

Go figure. 

Pamela Love Victorian Hand Thread Through Gold Single Earring

Rock on.

Pamela Card The Last Grace 24-Karat Gold-Plated Necklace

Body positive. 

Eye Candy

There were few instances that sparked as much joy in our childhoods as being treated to something sweet. And it appears that this sensation has extended into adulthood. As many jewellery designers have shown, rubies that resemble lollipops and bracelets that look as if they were freshly baked at Ladurée can still make our mouths salivate.

Instead of sugar, butter, and chocolate, however, the ingredients used to make these confections are much more everlasting and much less fattening (a win-win). Brent Neale, for example, used carved pink opals, sapphires, and amethyst to create a mushroom (or a baked edible shaped into one). Bea Bongiasca employed vibrant enamel to form winding rings that resemble stretched taffy. And Harwell Godfrey offered beaded necklaces that parallel a packet of Skittles.

It’s as if these designers walked into a candy store and fashioned the most special baubles out of the inventory. As a result, everything below looks tasty enough to eat.

Brent Neale Down the Rabbit Hole Puff Heart Studs

Magic shrooms. 

Bea Bongiasca Vine Tendril Nine-Karat Gold, Enamel, and Rock Crystal Ring

Looking at those baby blues.

Harwell Godfrey Diamond, Tiger's Eye, and 18-Karat Gold Beaded Necklace

Taste the rainbow.

Alison Lou Heart-Shaped Ruby Cocktail Ring

We heart you.

Jenna Blake Pastel Mariner Link Bracelet

Pastel perfect.

Oyster Bar

Oysters are an aphrodisiac, but what really gets our hearts racing are the pearls that are produced in their shells over time. From those that are natural to those that are cultured to even the imitations, these gems have been revered throughout the centuries. They’ve been worn by royalty, society swans, and, lately, Harry Styles.

Over the last decade, pearls have evolved past their prim-and-proper reputation. No longer are pearls relegated to a common strand. They now can be glamorous, punk, or, in the case of 2021, super ornate. Anita Ko, for example, surrounded a single pearl with pavé diamonds on an 18-karat gold, shell-shaped setting. Chanel created a brooch of pearls in varying sizes, dangling from chains made of gold, glass, and crystals. And Sophie Bille Brahe sourced two massive Baroque pearls and attached them to smaller round ones fashioned into daisies.

These aren't your grandmother's pearls. In fact, they haven’t been for quite some time. So if you've been slow to the shift, it’s high time you take a bite out of this prevailing trend.

Chanel Gold, Pearly White, and Crystal Brooch

The only kind of cc we'd like to be added to. 

Sophie Bille Brahe Margherita Venus 14-Karat Gold Pearl Earrings

Going for Baroque.

Anita Ko Diamond, and Pearl Necklace

Come out of your shell. 

Ana Khouri Lily Diamond, Pearl, and 18-Karat Gold Single Earring

Spiral up.  

Gucci Pearl Double G Layered Bracelet

Chain and the gang. 

This article first appeared on Harper’s BAZAAR US