Prediction: These 6 Jewelry Trends Will Be Everywhere This Winter

It's that time of year... no, we're not talking about the holiday season but rather the point when you begin to get the itch for massive change. With a new year on the horizon, it's only natural to become dead-set on dramatically shifting your life. For most, that change comes from setting resolutions, but for fashion people, it means overhauling your look entirely. While there are multiple ways to go about this mission, not everything will give you that fix without regrets after. Dyeing your hair? You could come to hate it. Or cleaning out your closet? It's too big an undertaking. Basically, some changes are a bit over the top, but not all hope is lost.

There's one simple way to feel like you've done something without any of the pitfalls: swap out your jewelry. When in doubt, adopting a few new jewelry trends can freshen up your look without breaking the bank on an entirely new wardrobe. But if you're unsure which jewelry trends will offer you that "shiny-new" feeling, don't fret. We've got you. Ahead, we're breaking down the six biggest winter jewelry trends based on their prominence in F/W 23 collections and S/S 24 collections that are sure to be instant hits. Trust us when we say these trends will indeed transform your life (or, at the very least, your style). 

In case you missed the memo, the past year has been all about dressing like you've got "old money." It's an ethos influencing every aspect of cultural cannon, from television to runway shows. And while the notion of the "quiet luxury" aesthetic is very much rooted in minimalism, some aspects of the look felt excessive. Enter '80s-inspired earrings into the chat. With so many runway collections, we saw designers add a bit of luxury to streamlined staples by styling them with oversized earrings. The trend first resurfaced in Saint Laurent's S/S 23 collection, which featured large geometric-shaped clip-on earrings with gemstones. Since then, the earring trend has become more contemporary by embracing more sculptural shapes—e.g., Bottega Veneta and Zimmerman's F/W 23 collections had dramatic oblong shapes. While at Ferragamo and Chloé, earrings came in colossal metallic circles. And then, there was LaQuan Smith's collection in which a black satin mini-dress with shoulder pads was styled with oval-shaped hoops. Although varied in form, the unanimity of this trend lines in its ability to add an air of elevation to everyday looks, reminding us that the extra bits are what really shines. 

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Oh, you thought oversized earrings were extra? Think again. Designers seemed to take the quote, "Go big or go home," to heart this season with the jewelry featured in their F/W 23 runway shows. Case in point: colossal collars. While this trend varied from collection to collection, what made it continuous across the board was the designers' commitment to doing the most with them. On the surface level, that aim was embodied most evidently through the massive size of the necklaces. However, upon further inspection, one can see that designers also did so by playing with materials in unexpected ways. Some choose to do so by drawing inspiration from nature—e.g., Michael Kors's collars featured oversized geode pendants. At the same time, gold was cast into the appearance of large sea shells at Schiaparelli. In contrast, others went the more traditional route by leaning into metal work to create two-tone chain necklaces or ultra-sculptural collars (reference: Missoni and Simkai's collections). And then, some collections were a bit more courageous in re-creating the collar. For example, in Altein's collection, extra-large collars were exaggerated even further by being covered in crystals. Similarly, the oversized shape of the collar was made cooler in Ferragmo's F/W 23 collection through the usage of a transparent red resin material. Each colossal collar on the runway proved that more really is more. 

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If it's not abundantly clear, let us state the facts: eclectic jewelry is having a moment. We might be in an era in fashion where we can't escape the clutches of "quiet luxury" apparel, but jewelry is a different story. In almost opposition to the stark minimalism in the clothing department, jewelry has become a bit more maximalist. That's no more evident than with the wide embrace of eccentric ear cuffs across F/W 23 collections. Unlike the previous iterations of this jewelry trend, the earscapes of this season didn't center on layered dainty pieces but pieces that brought the drama. Of course, that's not to say there were some more traditional-leaning iterations of this trend (e.g., Valentino and Completedworks ear cuffs), but on the whole, we saw ear cuffs come in unexpected shapes, sizes, and shades of the rainbow. Reference how a large gemstone ear cuff was styled with an ear-climber earring shaped like a safety pin at Tory Burch. Or how Gucci's iconic logo was transformed into studs with a matching ear cuff. But possibly the most noteworthy was the ear cuff found in Rokh's fall collection, which was shaped unironically like a real-life ear. If that runway look alone doesn't convince you that designers were committed to bringing the drama this season, we don't know what will! 

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Although it might be wildly imaginative, one would not be entirely out-of-bounds to imagine that designers had a secret Zoom meeting to discuss what jewelry trends they'd be sending down the runway for the season. It seemed that no matter where you looked, there was always a little something extra added to their runways' looks—that thing being brooches specifically. While we've previously reported on how this formerly "dated" accessory has returned in recent seasons, with F/W 23 collections, they have become even more prominent (quite literally). It wasn't just that there were far more brooches featured on the runway, but they were far more bolder than ever before. For example, in Gucci's collection, a cobalt blue fuzzy mohair sweater was embellished with a crystal chain brooch across the chest—talk about being bold! At David Koma's show, open button-down shirts were fastened together by oversized Ruby and crystal brooches. Then, there was the more contemporary take on this jewelry, which came in the form of sphere-shaped brooches at COS and Wooyoungmi in various sizes. If brooches weren't doing something extra by adding sparkle or playing with portions, then we saw designers use them as a way to emphasize tailoring. That was most notable in Saint Laurent's collection, in which sculptural gold brooches tapered in extra-long scarves to create a dramatic billowed effect on the model's shoulders. It was a prime example that adding a little something extra is never a bad idea, even more so when it's a brooch.

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Feel that frosty breeze wafting in? No, we're not talking about an actual cold front but rather the wide embrace of one specific trend: crystal jewelry. Of course, it's not a surprise that we've seen sparkly jewelry resurface, as it always does around the holiday season, but to pass this trend off as reductive would be a mistake. Within various F/W 23 collections, designers embraced the icy drip to new extremes that made it feel exciting again. For instance, in Brandon Maxwell's show, models donned minimal frocks and were covered in oversized crystal bangles with matching earrings. While at Balmain, the traditional hoop earring was made shiner through the usage of oversized pear-shaped crystals. Similarly, at Alessandra Rich, classic pearl clip-on earrings had a wrap-around halo of rhinestones. And then, there were Gucci and Vaillant's collections, which featured excessively long crystal fringe earrings. Each variation of this trend on the runways reminded us of the enduring allure of being iced out. 

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If you only glean one thing from this story, let it be this: jewelry should surprise and delight. Don't get us, there's a time and place for pragmatism… but with jewelry? Not the time. Or at least that is the sentiment designers seemingly wanted to emphasize with their winter jewelry collections as we saw them shift away from those more "functional" everyday pieces to those purely for ornamental purposes. The unifying aspect of this jewelry trend wasn't so much a specific type of jewelry but instead surrealist items. Some drew inspiration from everyday fashion items, invoking the safety pin and belt (see Tory Burch and Y/Project's collections). Others drew inspiration from more unexpected items, including wheels, to create oversized earrings and bangles at Off-White. But the most alluring of all was how Acne Studios transformed items that would seem to be "trash" into masterpieces—earrings came in the form of crushed soda cans and bangles that looked like they were made from used paint tubes. The trend reminded us that the best jewelry isn't just approachable but augments our perspective.

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