Antique jewellery is no longer a niche interest reserved for collectors and specialists. From the pages of the style magazines to vintage fairs, historic pieces are enjoying an unprecedented revival.
Our salerooms are teeming with buyers as pieces achieve spiralling amounts.
And it’s not just the high price of gold and silver that is pushing demand.
It is, as ever, the Gen-Zs fuelling the boom.
That generation is leading the move away from fast fashion and disposable luxury with their goals ideally met in antique jewellery.
And where Gen-Z lead, us Gen-Xs and Boomers follow.
Few today are not aware of the sustainability message, and antiques – in all forms – are the ultimate low carbon purchase.
Added to which, Gen-Zs love a story. Not for them a brand-new sparkler in that legendary little blue Tiffany’s box. They want unique and they want authentic.
Heading the list are individual pieces boasting great provenance or a historic back story. And as an auctioneer of 30 years’ standing, who loves to bring lots to life, I could not be happier.
One of the most striking trends comes from a cultural icon, revered like a goddess among the under 30s. I am of course talking about the pop legend Taylor Swift.
After Travis Kelce proposed to the US singer with an old mine-cut diamond ring, it sparked a whole new trend in the saleroom.
Out were the modern machine-cut solitaires, in favour of something approaching the giant 10 carat stone now residing on Swift’s ring finger.
Stunning in every way, it would have been hand carved at the old mine where it was discovered (hence the name) likely 200 years ago in either India or Brazil.
Shimmering with history, it was designed to look perfect for sparkling in Georgian candlelight. Imagine the scenes it would have witnessed.
In the past, engagement rings, were made to be worn every day, with enormous gems typically reserved for special occasions such as cocktail rings.
Not anymore – big stones are back when popping the question.
Aside from celebrity engagements other cultural elements are at play when it comes to antique jewellery.
One such is Christopher Nolan’s highly anticipated film The Odyssey premiering this summer and set to inspire an interest in classical revival jewellery.
The style, characterised by intaglio pieces, first emerged in Italy in mid 19th century.
This was the time of some of the first archaeological excavations and designs typically imitated the jewellery of the ancient Etruscans, Romans, Greeks and the Byzantine Empire.
It was also the era the Grand Tour and the trend soon spread across Europe.
Today revival Roman intaglio carnelian rings and gemstone intaglio necklaces are once more popular in the saleroom and look set to become even more so.
Incidentally this is nothing new. It was the discovery of Tutankhamun in 1922 (the blockbuster of its day) that sparked the first wave of revival jewellery with art deco makers using Egyptian motifs in a number of pieces.
art deco white metal diamond and emerald brooch fetched £2,200 at a recent sale
For the next trend we return to Gen-Zs and their love of narrative.
The ultimate jewellery for story telling is, of couse, a charm bracelet, so it comes as no surprise these former teenybop staples are now flying out of the saleroom.
Once worn as amulets by ancient Egyptians to ward off evil spirits, today Gen-Zs are taking to TikTok to unbox charm bracelets in front of millions of online viewers.
For those who have never been a teenage girl, these bracelets are made up of dozens of individual charms each representing a personal memory, significant milestone, or hobby.Many of them are given as gifts from friends, boyfriends or family members.
Think of it as a permanent Instagram story on your wrist.
As modern as they appear, charm bracelets’ popularity has endured for centuries. The knick-knack loving Victorians adored them – suspending tiny portraits, locks of hair, or love notesfrom their bracelets.
So, with their emphasis on jewellery with a story, charm bracelets, along with Victorian lockets, Edwardian medals and antique fobs, are all having their time in the sun.
It’s also safe to say any jewellery emblematic of its era is going to be huge in 2026.
Trademark geometric designs from the art deco decades, cocktail rings from the 1940s and 50s, and even the bold brutalist designs famous from the ‘80s are all making waves.
Jewellery, like so many areas of the auction market, is driven by nostalgia and, in the words of the Gen-Zs themselves: I am here for it.
If you have a piece of jewellery you would like to consign to our quarterly fine art sale in March, contact our specialist Helen Smith, by emailing [email protected]
