My favorites and the trends from the last few weeks, including the jewelry collections presented in Paris in July 2025. All this against a backdrop of turmoil in the luxury market…
By Sandrine Merle.
The price of gold is skyrocketing, long live gold
At a time when gold is soaring, jewelers are not considering reducing the volume of jewelry they sell. On the contrary, customers are increasingly viewing jewelry as an investment that can be resold and passed on. In this context, chains (Pomellato, Nouvel Héritage), reminiscent of those worn by rappers, are the big winners with their oval and rectangular links, sometimes paved with diamonds or colored stones (Gucci). Another consequence of this explosion in the price of gold is the attention paid to finishes, with a resurgence of mirror polishing: the metal is so shiny and perfect that you can see your reflection in it, which increases its perceived value. At Nikos Koulis, the mirror-polished basin on which the diamond is set acts as a magnifying glass.
Diamonds versus colored stones
In May 2025, Rapaport (an organization that provides diamond market analysis) estimated that the price of a one-carat diamond had fallen by 20% compared to the previous year. At the same time, the price of almost all colored stones continues to soar. Lagoon blue Paraiba tourmaline (Astrom, Damiani, Gucci), red spinel, green Colombian emeralds, and blue, yellow, and pink sapphires are becoming real investment values, seen in all collections without exception. No brand has been left out, not even the Japan’s Tasaki, whose history is based on pearls, or Valérie Messika, who for 20 years has sworn by diamonds (her father, a diamond dealer, is also her supplier). For the first time, she has introduced spinels, Zambian emeralds, mandarin garnets and sapphires. This is the ultimate manifestation of the hold that colored stones have on us.
Jewelry, the exception in luxury
While McKinsey forecasts slower growth in the luxury sector, between 1% and 3% annually until 2027, the excellent health of the jewelry industry is an exception. Once again, customers see it as a much better investment than a handbag, hence the flood of jewelry in the latest haute couture shows, as well as in men’s fashion (which precedes them by a few days). With its accumulation of signet rings, chains, and charms (in gold metal), Céline’s first show by Michael Rider, scrutinized by the whole world, confirmed the trend.
My favorites
The Piaget necklace (banner image) formed by a marquetry of intensely colored and sharply cut ornamental stones: sugilite, verdite, turquoise, etc.
The caterpillar brooch crawling across one of the six floral compositions in Boucheron’s “Impermanence” collection. The gold and diamonds are bristling with 6,000 micro white brush hairs used to create the gouaches for the jewelry. This refinement is representative of the entire collection, which was inspired by ikebana.
The highly graphic aluminum and emerald cuffs by Greek designer Nikos Koulis.
Anna Hu’s brooch with titanium petals covered in red lacquer.
The leather and diamond necklaces by Gucci x Pomellato, with their wonderful purity, inspired by a 1984 Pomellato design.
Banner image: Piaget – “Shapes of Extraleganza” necklace in a mosaic of rhodochrosite, sugilite and verdite ornamental stones.
Related articles:
Highlights of Haute Joaillerie – Paris, June 2024
Takeways from Jewelry Week – Paris, July 2023
Memorable moments of fashion and jewelry weeks – Paris, January 2023
