Uptown Jewelry Signals

Uptown Jewelry Signals

New York jewellery has a specific look right now and it is not delicate. Weight and shape are doing the talking. Three categories, worn together rather than separately.

Chains, pendants and chokers

The neck is where it starts. The Moon & Meadow herringbone fringe and Nadri's statement necklace sit flat and wide, while Sophie Bille Brahe's pearl and the Jia Jia rhodochrosite and moonstone go softer. L'Atelier Nawbar's Boa and the Meira T emerald pendant are the ones with stones doing the work.

Cuffs, bangles and bracelets

Cuffs changed the volume. Cult Gaia's Iris and the Ann Demeulemeester Dagvin are solid metal with no give, while Reformation's Joan and Nina Gordon's Daija keep the same idea lighter. Zoe Chicco's mariner link and the By Adina Eden tennis bracelet layer under a sleeve.

Sculptural rings

Rings are where the sculpture happens. Anita Ko's curved diamond and the Repossi Antifer Heart bend the band rather than sit flat, while Melissa Joy Manning's freeform moonstone and Shay's Wave do the same in different materials. Simuero's sapphire toe ring is the outlier and the most fun.

Our honest take

If you take one thing away, it is that this look needs pieces of different weights on at once. One thin chain reads as an afterthought, while a heavy cuff with a flat chain and two rings reads as a decision, and the cost of the individual pieces matters far less than the mix. Build around one solid item and add lighter things near it. Gold plating wears through at the contact points on cuffs and rings faster than on a necklace, so put the money where the friction is. Stack rings on adjacent fingers rather than the same one, which sounds fussy and looks better. And take everything off before the gym, because that is where most of the damage in a jewellery box actually happens.