How we wear diamonds is changing, fast: A-listers like Emily Ratajkowski and Rosie Huntington-Whiteley are injecting fun into stones with mismatched pieces and carefree casual styling
- EmRata mismatched Ana Khouri ear cuffs at the 2023 Met Gala and Rosie HW paired Jessica McCormack earrings with a swimsuit – other trendsetters are stacking diamond pieces or even wearing them as tennis bracelets
- Designers taking note include Anita Ko with her own diamond ear cuffs, while Bea Bongiasca, Olivia Bond and Marie Lichtenberg offer fresh ideas for wedding ‘ringfies’
Whether it’s Rosie Huntington-Whiteley wearing London-based designer Jessica McCormack’s signature diamond pieces with her swimmers, Emily Ratajkowski wearing mismatched Ana Khouri ear cuffs to the Met Gala, or the fashion set bringing back the classic tennis bracelet, diamonds are getting a makeover.
This can be seen in modern designs such as Anita Ko’s cool twinkling ear cuffs or Bea Bongiasca’s candy coloured enamel and diamond tendril rings. Then there’s fresh takes on diamond engagement ring settings, such as the scallop eternity bands at Olivia Bond and Jessica McCormack’s button back and tilted settings.
Marie Lichtenberg, a former fashion editor turned jeweller, says her Would You Marry Me ring embodies a modern way to think about diamonds, engagement rings and getting married.
“It is deeply ingrained in our brand’s DNA. This ring embodies wearing everything with humour and a lot of chic. The ring’s body, meticulously handmade, is adorned with princess-cut diamonds. However, the true surprise is found inside the ring which showcases a flawless two-carat pear-cut diamond. Discretion can sometimes be an extreme luxury,” she says.
Sydney-based jeweller Sarah Munro, founder of the Sarah & Sebastian jewellery brand, which now has stores in Melbourne and Sydney with more to come, says its popular ear piercing “labs” have helped to disrupt how we think about fine jewellery.
Her clients are guided – “ear alchemy” as the brand defines it – towards choices such as twinkling constellations of diamonds that snake around the ear lobes.
Munro has long believed that diamonds shouldn’t be something to be kept in the safe.