From boho beads to slinky, snake-like styles, these jewels will take your clients through the holidays, into 2026, and beyond.
BY MELISSA ROSE BERNARDO
As the holiday season approaches, fine jewelry retailers are balancing beloved classics with bold new discoveries.
BY AMY ELLIOTT
Aging jewels are finding fresh life, thanks to valueand sustainability-minded shoppers and an appreciation for personal history.
BY PRIYA RAJ
Snake charmers Halle Berry and Alexa Chung
STAFF PICKS
Jade bangle bracelet in 18k yellow gold with diamonds; $6,500; octaviaelizabeth.com
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What JCK’s Victoria Gomelsky is loving this month
Misha bracelet in 18k rose gold with brown diamonds; $34,334; nomis-jewelry.com
“Nothing conveys confidence quite like a single spectacular statement bracelet.”
Victoria Gomelsky, JCK editor-in-chief
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WELCOME TO OUR second annual fully digital issue of JCK, just in time for holiday planning.
I’m giving you a glimpse of a few of my favorite stories—like our trend spotlights—in the video above. Let us know what you think!
Victoria Gomelsky Editor-in-Chief vgomelsky@jckonline.com
Chopard Red Carpet Collection snake necklace in ethical 18k white gold with 87+ cts. t.w. pearshape and brilliant diamonds, 11.93 cts. t.w. emeralds, onyx, and yellow sapphires
RED CARPET
SNAKE HIT
Serpentine jewels were the stars at the 78th edition of the Cannes Film Festival
BY MELISSA ROSE BERNARDO
Vintage gunmetal and emerald-green snake collar; $750; kennethjaylane.com Master & Serpent King Cobra brooch with diamonds, emeralds, green agate, and motherof-pearl in titanium and 18k white and yellow gold; $66,500; stephenwebster.com
hAlle BeRRY
It wouldn’t be Cannes without Chopard, the fest’s decades-long partner, designer of the prestigious Palme d’Or prize, and jeweler to the most glamorous celebrities—such as actress Halle Berry, one of this year’s jurors. Berry, who seems to be aging backward, stunned in a ruched jersey Jacquemus gown and a Chopard snake necklace that would make Cleopatra do a double take.
RED CARPET
AleXA ChUNG
At this year’s Cannes, British model and TV presenter Alexa Chung was all about black dresses and Boucheron. The brand, which counts her as a global ambassador, bedecked her in what she called her “dream jewels,” including a replica of a vintage 1988 yellow gold, platinum, and diamond Serpent set. Chung’s pieces aren’t available, but Boucheron’s current Serpent designs—such as the ring pictured here—can be purchased by snakeloving jewelry collectors the world over.
Double-Headed Serpent ring with 2.11 cts. t.w. lab-grown diamonds in 14k yellow gold; $4,400; darakayejewelry.com
UNDER $5,000
gold with 0.66 ct. t.w. diamonds; $11,650; boucheron.com
UNDER $50,000
18k yellow gold toi et moi ring with 2 ct. fancy color light brown pear-shape diamond and 1.5 ct. fancy color brownyellow pear-shape diamond; $50,000; vanessa-fernandez.com
HOT STOCK TIPS
by Melissa Rose Bernardo
1. 20k yellow gold necklace with Sleeping Beauty turquoise, enamel mandala beads, and 1.79 cts. t.w. diamonds; price on request; buddhamama.com
2. Electric Dreams Beads with heliodor, carnelian, amazonite, yttrium fluorite, paraiba quartz, lapis, chrome chalcedony, and white, pink, and blue opals in 18k gold; $3,300; sorellinanyc.com
5. Convertible Petrified Wood Mini Discs; $975 (shown with 18k yellow gold earring base, $1,430); marlaaaron.com
3. Rowena wooden collar with 24k gold–plated chain; $220; ben-amun.com
4. Walnut Wooden Disk necklace and “Carpe Diem” pendant with 18k gold, titanium, brown resin cover, and blue aventurine disc; $3,000; annamaccierirossi.com
6. Kashmir butterfly earrings in wood marquetry with 18k gold and diamonds; price on request; silviafurmanovich.com
7. Stretch Tessa bracelet with wood and white agate in 14k gold–plated brass; $190; bounkit.com
8. Lion Head bracelet with 18k gold in ebony wood or sandalwood; $23,600 each; lalaounis.com
1. Bracelet with 2.81 ct. aquamarine, 0.16 ct. t.w. diamonds, and 0.11 ct. t.w. paraiba tourmaline; $7,200; justjules.com
2. Pendant with 3.03 ct. fancy-cut aquamarine and 0.54 ct. t.w. diamonds in platinum; $7,145; parlegems.com
3. Earrings with 4.27 cts. t.w. flame-cut aquamarines, 1.98 cts. t.w. marquise-cut diamonds, and 0.98 ct. t.w. pear-cut diamonds in platinum; $24,005; rahaminov.com
4. Aquamarine Dream necklace in 18k rose gold with 53.93 cts. t.w. aquamarines and
diamonds; price on request; pomellato.com
5. Griffen ring with 9.82 ct. modified cushion aquamarine in 18k yellow gold; $9,665; laurenk.com
Trellis necklace with 3.03 cts. t.w. baguette, emerald, marquise, pear, brilliant, and princess diamonds in 18k yellow gold; $24,850; dorianwebb.com
“We are focused on natural diamond studs, tennis bracelets, rivière necklaces, bangles, and diamond hoops. Mixed-shape diamond jewelry has been a key trend for our clients this year, and we think that will continue through the holiday season.”
executive vice president, Princeton, N.J., and Palm Beach, Fla.
Andromeda bracelet with 86.86 cts. t.w. sapphires and 2.36 cts. t.w. diamonds in 18k white gold; price on request; ruchinewyork.com
“We’re [putting] a stronger focus on exceptional color— vivid sapphires, rubies, and emeralds—and collections in the six- to seven-figure range. We are also building our signed estate collection, as we anticipate heavy demand for Cartier, Van Cleef & Arpels, Tiffany, and David Webb.”
Seth Berman, managing partner, Provident Jewelry,
South Florida
SHOWCASE SHOWTIME 2
One-of-a-kind opal and diamond three-stone ring in 18k rose gold; price on request; ireneneuwirth.com
“We cover a range of price points with diamond collars by Melissa Kaye and Kwiat, charms by FoundRae and Monica Rich Kosann, bangles by Sidney Garber and Mark Davis, colored gemstone pieces by Irene Neuwirth, and chains and medallions by Azlee and Sylva & Cie.”
AS THE HOLIDAY SEASON APPROACHES, FINE JEWELRY RETAILERS ACROSS THE COUNTRY ARE CURATING THEIR SHOWCASES TO MEET THE MOMENT, BALANCING BELOVED CLASSICS WITH BOLD NEW DISCOVERIES
by Amy Elliott
3 4 5
Jennifer McCurry, buyer and lead fine jewelry curator, Marissa Collections, Naples, Fla.
“Most price points are from $200 to $2,900. Classics still reign, especially in hoops and beaded, curb, and paper clip chains.”
Chae Carter, owner, C arter’s Collective, Hattiesburg, Miss.
Kate ring with 0.71 ct. t.w. diamonds in 14k gold; $2,495; shycreation.com
Confetti Crescent earrings with 3.87 cts. t.w. diamonds in 18k yellow gold; $16,000; ondyn.com
“Pre-holiday, we are doing a six-week trunk series to bring in some of the amazing designers that we, and our followers and customers, have been watching and loving, such as Ondyn and Mark Henry.”
AGING JEWELS ARE FINDING FRESH LIFE, THANKS TO SUSTAINABILITY- AND VALUE-MINDED SHOPPERS AND AN APPETITE FOR PERSONAL HISTORY OVER FLASHY NEW BLING
by Priya Raj
“There’s something so special about breathing new life into an heirloom. The before-and-afters always feel like magic.”
Jillian Sassone, Marrow
Fine
WHEN
INDUSTRY PROGNOSTICATOR Martin Rapaport proclaimed, at the 2024 JCK show in Las Vegas, that the next big opportunity in jewelry would center on aging Americans looking to pass down their jewels, he touched on a phenomenon that many designers and retailers have already experienced: consumers eschewing purchases of new jewelry in favor of repurposing pieces they already own.
“We’ve definitely seen a noticeable uptick in interest over the past two years,” says Jillian Sassone, founder of Marrow Fine, a retailer in Southern California that specializes in heirloom redesigns.
The trend, according to many jewelers, gained traction during the pandemic, when people
These diamonds went into a new Marrow Fine–designed ring set (far l.).
found time to go through their closets and discover jewels that had sentimental value but didn’t reflect their aesthetic sensibilities.
“I made my mother the diamond Serenity ring, and the collection was born. The stones were from her mother’s band. The rest of the diamonds went into earrings in the same design with new emeralds.”
Joy Haugaard, Lionheart
In some cases, clients are embracing heirloom jewelry in order to “honor their history,” says Joy Haugaard, cofounder and creative director of fine jewelry brand Lionheart, based in New York City. Among millennials and Gen Zers, the decision to repurpose a piece of jewelry often reflects a desire to update a family heirloom to make it their own. Yet another motivation, says Dennis Claspell, vice president of sales and marketing at the jewelry supply powerhouse Rio Grande, is supporting the circular economy. Many “younger consumers view redesigning as responsible luxury,” he says.
New York City–based jeweler Tanya Farah has noticed a similar eco-awareness among her clients. “People are more conscious now about where their materials come from,” she says. “Redesigning heirlooms is a way to create something new without mining fresh resources.”
Amid the uncertain economic climate of 2025, another factor is incentivizing clients to go shopping in their closets. They’re “trying to offset costs by recycling precious metals into new items,” says Chris Ploof, founder of Chris Ploof Designs, in Leominster, Mass.
In light of the skyrocketing gold price, this makes perfect sense. Jewelers typically melt and
reuse the existing gold and, in the case of rings, they can often reset natural diamonds and certain gemstones, making the new designs more affordable, Sassone says.
But for retailers, the heirloom redesign process is not without its challenges. First and foremost, says Farah, is “preserving the soul of the original piece while breathing new life into it.” Sassone contends that “the tricky part is guiding people through what’s possible with their piece.”
To make the most of the redesign opportunity, Claspell says it’s important to have training and tools in place to educate clients on the options. After all, in an age of fast fashion and fleeting trends, repurposed heirlooms serve as a potent reminder that few things are more enduring, or reusable, than precious jewelry.
Inspired by a family heirloom redesign, Lionheart’s Serenity collection includes amulets, earrings, rings, and bracelets.
SHOP THE LOOK
Email: thoms@rembrandtcharms.com
1. Layered in elegance, these gold and sterling silver paper clip necklaces feature festive Christmas charms— snowflakes, stars, trees, and bells—blending holiday spirit with modern style for a magical seasonal look.
2. Celebrate freedom and grace with our new bird charm collection, delicately perched on sleek gold paper clip bracelets—symbolizing hope, flight, and beauty in every handcrafted detail. A timeless, uplifting statement.
3. Celebrate unbreakable bonds with our Mom & Baby charms in radiant gold and silver, accented with a custom touch of color—personalized, heartfelt keepsakes that honor love, life, and connection.
4. Transform your gold and silver necklaces with a Charmdrop: Designed to hold multiple charms, it’s the perfect way to personalize your look and tell your unique story with style.
1. Masterfully crafted in 14k yellow gold, this bold statement ring features a 2.5 ct. oval diamond—anchoring devotion in radiant luxury.
Style number: R11-175481
2. Your essential pop of color: Brilliant sapphires meet diamonds in a timeless 14k gold silhouette.
Style number: R22-174813
SHOP THE LOOK
THE WAY WE WORE
MEGAWATTAGE ON AND OFF THE SCREEN
GLOW GETTER
Model Naomi Sims is radiant in this beautifully bejeweled photo by Chris von
TWO MONTHS AFTER Naomi Sims made history as the first Black model to cover Ladies’ Home Journal, this photo appeared in Harper’s Bazaar…and didn’t even mention her name. The magazine did, however, ID the David Webb jewelry: “heavily textured gold pieces from the late 1960s, with a bracelet cuff in her hair, and a few layered ‘nugget’ necklaces around her neck,” says Levi Higgs, head of archives and brand heritage for David Webb. The image ran with a beauty feature on achieving luminous skin; we think the pieces gave Sims a perfect golden glow. —MELISSA ROSE BERNARDO
