Jewelry Predictions for 2026

Let’s Do It… Jewelry Predictions for 2026

I love starting the year with a forecast, a round-up, an all-encompassing listicle. Almost as much as a year-end review! Any chance to play oracle is fully my thing.

This list of jewelry predictions for 2026 is a mash-up of my own thoughts plus a summarization of reading almost every single prediction list that comes my way.

Here’s what I’m looking forward to this year:

1. Use of Innovative Materials

I saw some seriously amazing and innovative things at the Cluster Crafts Jewelry Show in London in November: earrings and necklaces made with bio materials like volcanic rock and sterling silver clay that was additively 3D-printed and cured into rings. And then over on Instagram, NYC Jewelry Week recently shared an artist (Andrea Carrera) who is creating rings from bacteria. 

And, of course, as silver and gold prices continue to rise at never-seen-before rates, I think we’ll see even more artists turn to alternative materials and methods. The use of innovative materials and methods will continue driving a lot of new design work.

2. The Continued Rise of Indie Designers

I have to mention the Taylor Swift engagement ring, one of the biggest jewelry stories of last year. Ladies, and gentlemen too, took notes on that whole announcement and exactly how it went down! As the story goes, Taylor had mentioned a designer she liked, Kindred Lubeck, and Travis took note when she shared her jewelry work with him nearly 18 months prior to the proposal. I think more people are going to follow suit and seek out the unique, under-the-radar, and not-as-well-known designers. 

3. Doing Your Own Thing

Clean girl aesthetic. Quiet luxury. I think people are tired of reading about these trends almost as much as they are of trying to understand and either copy them or to steer clear of them. As we consume more content than ever, and after years of influencers steering us towards homogenous looks, I do think that we, as a whole, will start to return to embracing our uniqueness, our weirdness, our one-of-a-kind potential. Remember when everyone had the Bottega Veneta teardrop earrings (and similar dupes) for what felt like forever? I think we’ll see less of that, and more emphasis on expressing the true self, trends be damned. 

4. Sculpturalism > Delicate Minimalism

I think we’re going to see even less of the dainty, delicate minimalism in jewelry that was popular for so long. There’s a particular Etsy shop that has reigned supreme for many years as the top-selling jeweler, with many of their pieces involving itty bitty stones, tiny filigree details, mini initials, and thin-as-a-whisper stacking ring bands. Already I’m noticing a decline in that look, with the rise of big, bold, chunky hoops or sculptural bangles over the last few years. And I think we’ll continue trending that way, as people crave more organic, sculptured pieces that make a statement and turn a head. I'm all for taking up more space, not less, especially when it comes to jewelry.

5. More Mixed Metal

Nothing brilliant here, other than a continued embracing of mixed metals. I’ll add that I think this will include more mixed materials (not limited to just metals, see point number 1 above). Concrete with silver? Recycled glass and gold? Yes, please.

6. Storytelling

Meaning and story will still be the single most important part of jewelry for those that are buying. Why does it matter? What does it symbolize? I've read about a lot of predictions for this year about moving away from AI and embracing the analog, and I think this fits along with storytelling. Whereas AI and it's elements feel cold, impersonal, and misunderstood, I think that analog implies return to the human connection, the personal touch. And storytelling is as old as time, as analog as it gets.

7. "Glitch Glam"

I came across this term on TikTok and I've seen it several places since then. It's all about experimentation, originality, and bold looks. Though it was referring to makeup and nails in the linked video, I think we can extrapolate this to experimenting with jewelry looks. Think: mismatched stud earrings (how about a sun and a water droplet in each earlobe?) or two of the same hoops in one ear, if you have multiple piercings? Anything unexpected and fun would work for this!

So, what do you think?

Did I miss anything? Do you agree? I'd love to know your thoughts in the comments.

xo

Lori