Statement Jewelry Is Back?

Today’s accessories of choice are weirder and wackier than ever.

Kristin Merrilees
6 min readMar 15, 2021
Tarot Card Earrings by The Pulp Girls, artwork by Pamela Coleman

In 2021, anything can be an earring — a gummy worm, a cherry pie, even a Monster Energy Drink. When it comes to earrings and jewelry as a whole, the boundaries are being pushed like never before. Beads, paint, metal, and clay are used to create wearable art, to experiment, to embrace one’s personal style, to make a statement.

So-called “statement” jewelry is not a new thing. In fact, several years ago, very decorative, opulent pieces of jewelry — necklaces in particular — were extremely popular. One could find such necklaces at the boutique Francesca’s (where I got mine) or department stores such as Macy’s or Nordstrom. They would consist of many large jewels, often of very bright or opulent tones. I remember having a few of them, one made out of mirrored crystal beads and the other a combination of pink, blue, and yellow beads. You could also find these necklaces at J. Crew, and they were often worn with cocktail dresses or jeans and a blazer.

Francesca’s Lettina Statement Necklace

Eventually, though, these large, attention-grabbing necklaces largely fell out of fashion. They can be seen as tacky or gaudy and…

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