It’s not just the beauty of a jewel on the red carpet but the story behind it. Below, we’ve picked some of our celebrity jewellery highlights of 2023, focusing on the moments that made them special: the emotional acceptance speeches, the gossip behind the scenes, and the fashion-shaping films that put pink back on the map… here’s looking at you Barbie!
January - Rihanna & A$AP Rocky at the Golden Globe Awards
Diamonds were a big hit at the 2023 Golden Globe Awards, and no one did them better than Rihanna. Even though Salma Hayek, Micelle Yeoh, Angela Bassett, Lily James and Jenna Ortega all rocked colourless gems on the night, no one could beat the attitude and confidence of Rihanna, who skipped the red carpet, snuck into The Beverly Hilton Hotel once the ceremony had already started, and quietly sat down in a plume of black velvet. She wore a pear-shaped diamond stud from REZA, a diamond ear climber, further Cartier diamond-set earrings and a Cartier Sixième Sens High Jewellery necklace. Talk about arriving fashionably late!
February – Ke Huy Kan at the SAG Awards
We described the SAG Awards as ‘surprising’ earlier this year because of the amount of colour and creativity on display. There was Aubrey Plaza wearing Brazilian imperial topaz earrings by Mouawad Jewels, Michelle Yeoh in 24.70 carats of fancy intense yellow diamonds, Amanda Seyfried in Cartier emeralds and Jessica Chastain in rubellite earrings by Gucci. But the real highlight of award season was undoubtedly actor Ke Huy Quan, who stole our hearts with his emotional acceptance speeches and genuine amazement when his name was called in the Supporting Actor category. So, in honour of Ke Huy Quan, he’s our February highlight, seen here wearing the De Beers The Alchemist of Light Ascending Shadows brooch with a 2.70-carat oval-shaped fancy grey diamond.
March – Cara Delevingne at the Academy Awards
The 95th Annual Academy Awards didn’t necessarily wow us in 2023. There were some highlights, like Emily Blunt in bright pink Chopard earrings, Sophia Carson in 122 carats of Chopard emeralds, and Sandra Oh in a vintage Harry Winston pendant, set with citrine, sapphires and diamonds. However, the jewellery gossip from the red carpet centred on whether actress and model Cara Delevingne had been paid a whopping $250k to wear a suite of Bulgari Serpenti jewels on the night. According to some American magazines, all her pieces, including a 4.55-carat oval-shaped emerald ring, were part of a placement deal…although no one really knows if it’s true or not.
April - RZA Athelston Mayers in Amrapali
For anyone not in the loop, this super cute cherub is Rihanna and A$AP Rocky’s first-born son, RZA Athelston Mayers, pronounced Rizz-uh. To celebrate Easter, he was shown on Rihanna’s Instagram wearing a rather elaborate Amrapali necklace, surrounded by live rabbits, and reading a book called ‘How to Catch the Easter Bunny’. The necklace is a one-of-a-kind piece, according to our sources, set with multiple strands of pearls, diamond-framed emeralds, sapphires, rubies and tourmalines in 18k white gold and black rhodium. Not bad for a one-year-old!
May – Kim Kardashian at the MET Gala
The 2023 MET Gala was a celebration of the life of Karl Lagerfeld, the late artistic director of Chanel, and many celebrities channelled his quintessentially Parisian sense of chic. Pearls were the winners on the night, with Kim Kardashian wearing a Schiaparelli ensemble featuring 50,000 draped freshwater pearls, plus a choker, pearl drop earrings and a ring by Lorraine Schwartz. Elsewhere, tennis star Serena Williams opted for multiple strands of pearls from Tiffany & Co., while Karlie Kloss emphasised her figure with pearls by Garrard & Co. Oh, and let’s not forget Dua Lipa wearing 200 carats of Tiffany & Co. diamonds, including an enormous radiant-cut drop pendant. There really was some monochrome magic happening on the red, blue and cream-swirled carpet.
June – Isabeli Fontana at the Cannes Film Festival
Technically, the Cannes Film Festival ended in May, but by the time we’d assessed every jewellery look on display, we were well into June! The Cannes Film Festival is always a fantastic opportunity to see sneak peeks of upcoming High Jewellery collections. This year, for example, we saw Alexa Chung wearing the Pearl Soap Bubble necklace from the Boucheron More is More High Jewellery collection, which didn’t debut until July. However, our favourite look of the whole event was model Isabeli Fontana wearing the Elsa Jin Fireworks shoulder brooch, composed of two detachable parts with a 50.14-carat Ceylon sapphire and a Paraiba tourmaline of 61.29 carats. The piece is also adorned with 8,221 diamonds totalling 722.48 carats, and 1,457 brilliant-cut rubies, adding a further 71.73 carats.
July – Margot Robbie at the European Premiere of Barbie
The summer of 2023 was absolutely dominated by ‘Barbenheimer’ – otherwise known as the concurrent releases of two mega-blockbusters, Barbie and Oppenheimer. The press tour for the Barbie movie was something of a fashion extravaganza, with actress Margot Robbie right at the centre of the pink-hued furore. One of our favourite jewellery looks from the entire promotional tour was at the European Premiere, where Robbie wore a three-strand pearl choker by Assael. Just a few weeks later, she wore a pair of 19-carat diamond stud earrings and four diamond necklaces by Lorraine Schwartz, totalling nearly 350 carats. Barbie would be proud!
August – Jessica Chastain at the Tony Awards
Jessica Chastain was a ray of sunshine at the 2023 Tony Awards, wearing a structured Gucci gown and matching cape in a shade of vibrant canary yellow. It was a special night for the actress as she was nominated for her first Tony in the Best Actress category for ‘A Doll’s House’. She accessorised with a long-line Gucci High Jewellery diamond-set chain necklace, leading to a pendant featuring a central 35.9-carat mandarin garnet that complemented her red hair perfectly. Sadly, she didn’t win on the night, but this look certainly gave her an air of positivity in the face of defeat.
September – Adriana Lima at the Venice Film Festival
The Venice Film Festival is growing year-on-year, although it doesn’t quite compete with the glamour and extravagance of the Cannes Film Festival. In 2023, the celebrities on display wore countless beautiful diamond necklaces, bracelets, earrings and rings, but it was Adriana Lima who stole the spotlight. She attended the Maestro premiere wearing a suite of Damiani jewels in pink gold, with diamonds, rubies, pink sapphires and Mediterranean coral from the brand’s Mimosa collection. The former Victoria’s Secret model faced negative comments about her post-baby looks in 2023, but she’s demonstrated resilience and grace on social media. Looking sensational at the Venice Film Festival was the ideal way to silence the silly online critics!
October & November – The Season of Jennifer Lopez
Without the lure of awards season, movie premieres and film festivals, the early autumn can feel a bit downbeat in La La Land. Fortunately, Jennifer Lopez can always be relied upon to save the day and bring some much-needed oomph to high jewellery proceedings. In October, she attended a Schiaparelli and Neiman Marcus cocktail party in celebration of the former’s creative director, Daniel Roseberry, wearing a Face brooch on the hip of her gathered champagne-coloured gown, Eyelash earrings, a Surrealist Eye Bijoux ring and an Anatomy bracelet (see lead image). Then, just one month later, in November, she stepped out at the 2023 LACMA Art + Film Gala wearing a suite of Gucci High Jewellery, including a 161-carat cushion-cut pink tourmaline pendant from the Allegoria collection. This gem is hung from a chain with 72 fancy tourmalines, totalling 88 carats, to create a gradient of colour around the neck. She completed the look with a multi-gem bracelet, a ring, and earrings featuring the Gucci lion emblem.
December - Beyoncé in Balmain
How could we say goodbye to 2023 without referencing the phenomenal Balmain dress that Beyoncé wore to her 'Renaissance' film after party in London? Think of it as a bling-tastic body suit decorated with a magnified ‘brooch’ featuring a central blue element to mimic a sapphire and radiating lines of pearls and sequins. She accessorised with a pair of pear-shaped drop earrings, elbow-length opera gloves and black high heels. We love it when fashion designers draw inspiration from jewellery, and this has to be the ultimate homage to a beautiful pendant or brooch. What a way to kick off the festive season!
So, what do you think of our calendar of celebrity jewellery highlights? We definitely witnessed jewellery being used as a tool for self-expression and for showcasing a nuanced sense of style in 2023. There was plenty of colour, the return of vintage motifs, and a focus on fashion-forward layering. Let’s hope 2024 lives up to the challenge that 2023 has laid down.
