5 Best Fall 2023 Jewelry Trends to Complete Your Wardrobe

Earlier this year on TikTok, someone had a theory. She believed necklaces were over after seeing a handful of celebrities styled without them on the red carpet. The idea was given a name, “necklace theory,” and the corresponding hashtag has over 680,000 views.

Then came the fall 2023 runways, and necklace theory was over just as quickly as it began. Models at Schiaparelli and Ferragamo weren’t just wearing necklaces—they were wearing extremely large necklaces that looked like more like precious objects cast in silver or gold and worn around the neck. Large necklaces weren’t the only jewelry trend of note, either. At Coperni, there were brooches, like a cheeky, chunky silver one in the shape of a hand pinching at a model’s left breast and ruching the knit sweater she wore in the process. At Simone Rocha, models wore dainty red ribbons under their eyes to match those tied to their dangling crystal earrings. Bottega Veneta’s large drop earrings, which look like a pair of bubbly cartoon raindrops dipped in gold, incited an online hysteria that caused them to sell out across the globe while inspiring thousands of lackluster dupes.

And so the only jewelry theory I’m currently invested in is this one: Jewelry for fall isn’t just happening—it’s also big and exaggerated and funny and, at times, hyperfeminine. Designers do appear to be focusing on timeless wardrobe essentials as of late, but they’re also making some eccentric baubles to go with them, to add pizzazz.

Read on for the six biggest jewelry trends of fall 2023.

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Fall 2023 Jewelry Trends: Proudly Your Grandma’s Brooches

Queen Elizabeth II is the poster girl for brooches. When you Google brooches, most of the images are of her, smiling from ear to ear with a sparkling collection of pearls, diamonds, and gems gathered at her lapels. She was known to have an extensive collection of over 98, and certainly did not help change the reputation for the accessory, which is often associated with grandmas and geriatrics and the kind of quirky maximalists who would raise more than 30 corgis.

But the fall 2023 runways proved that brooches deserve as much attention as any other piece of jewelry, and not by trying to change how they’re perceived, but by presenting them as they are. At Schiaparelli, a model wore a brooch that appeared like an enormous silver leaf peeking out from under her enormous coat. At Alexander McQueen, there were blazers covered entirely in silver embellishments, a look that could easily be achieved by wearing multiple brooches at once. At Coperni, things got cheeky with the aforementioned hand brooch that gave the illusion of pinching the model’s nipple. They all looked like something you could imagine on Her Majesty or a stylish grandma from the Upper East Side—and that felt like the point. Brooches make you look like you’re wise beyond your years and have the accessories to prove it.

Fall 2023 Jewelry Trends: Anti–Necklace Theory Necklaces

In theory, necklace theory makes sense. The kind of necklaces that have populated our social media feeds for the past couple of years have been dainty and light; they have been easy to miss, gracing collarbones like a rogue pen mark in the margins of a notepad.

But they seem to mostly have disappeared as soon as the the term personal style picked up speed on our algorithms. Long gone are the day of minimalist chains—if you see someone wearing some, they are likely just branches for clunky charms to hang off of. The fall runways took this chunky look one step further, with models at Courrèges and Ferragamo wearing necklaces so large, they looked more like chic medals or chokers.

Fall 2023 Jewelry Trends: Girlhood Medallions

Plenty of people have declared this the Summer of Girlhood. There were the masses dressed in hot pink for Barbie, new seasons of And Just Like That… and The Summer I Turned Pretty, and another sold-out Sandy Liang collaboration covered in ribbons (this time with Baggu). It was as if everyone just realized being a girl can be fun.

But it isn’t just about resurrecting the “Am I a Carrie or a Charlotte?” debate or dabbling in a love triangle with two brothers. It’s also about dressing the part of a girl, with all of its cutesy clichés and sexy stereotypes, with absolutely no shame. If you don’t want to do it by dressing in romantic puff-sleeve tops or floral shift dresses, you can always just wear a pair of Simone Rocha earrings with ribbons tied tightly around their iridescent beads or a Sandy Liang floral corsage choker over the neck of an oversize sweater. While you’re at it, use eyelash glue to stick a couple of matching bows under your eyes or in your hair, as models at both Simone Rocha and Sandy Liang did.

Fall 2023 Jewelry Trends: Weight of the World Earrings

There are few delights quite like the sensation of a large earrings moving in unison with your facial expressions. In that sense, earrings can at times feel like the most personal of accessories. If eyes are the windows to our souls, then earrings are like the curtains putting our personality on display just out of our periphery.

The biggest earring trends for fall 2023 are quite literally huge, a movement likely started by the viral Bottega large drop earrings. If you want something a little more whimsical, there’s a heart-shaped pair by Nina Ricci that prove wearing your heart on your ears is better than on your sleeve, or a crescent moon option by Marine Serre that provide a more novel way to wear your logos.

Fall 2023 Jewelry Trends: Arm Cuffs Like Cleopatra

Throughout history, arm cuffs have represented empowerment, social class, and protection. In 2023, though, they can sometimes run the risk of looking too much like part of a gladiator costume.

And yet the runway models of Saint Laurent gladly prove that assumption incorrect. For the past couple of seasons, they’ve been effortlessly demonstrating how thick bands worn around the wrist look every bit as regal as anything else. A singular cuff also packs a punch, and eliminates the need to save up for an entire heap of bracelets that will somehow manage to get tangled before bed. No worries, thick cuffs still feel like an arm party—just a bit more edited and sleek than a stack.