2025 Jewelry Superlatives: A Yearbook-Style Year in Review
The National Jeweler editors revisit the most noteworthy industry happenings and design trends from 2025.

From Los Angeles to Italy to Montana, our team traveled the world this year to tour new stores, visit mines, and attend global industry events.
Of all the experiences we’ve had and stories we told, there are a few moments that deserve to be revisited.
With all the nostalgia in the air, the National Jeweler editors thought the best way to do so is in yearbook style.
From classic superlatives like Teacher’s Pet and Most Athletic to modern-day recognitions like The Vibe Killers, we’re going back to high school to recap the biggest headlines and trends of 2025.
The Trendsetter
Desert Diamonds
White diamonds are so last year, according to De Beers Group.
In 2025, the diamond miner and marketer released its first “beacon” program in 16 years.
Called “Desert Diamonds,” the initiative emphasizes designs using warm white, champagne-, brown- and amber-colored diamonds.
The move overlapped with Pantone’s 2025 Color of the Year, “Mocha Mousse,” resulting in some beautiful warm-toned diamond jewelry throughout the year.
Teacher’s Pet
Harwell Godfrey’s Lil’ Buddies
These opal pendants inspired by pet rocks are getting an A+ from us this year.
Who could say no to those big googly eyes?
The pieces feature nostalgic motifs inspired by the iconic symbols of the groovy era.
Most Likely to Thrift Their Outfit
Vintage-Inspired Engagement Rings
Over the past few years, the interest in vintage and antique jewelry has exploded, notably in bridal.
Several celebrities who got engaged this year debuted rings with old-world influence, from Zendaya’s ring with a Georgian cut-down setting to Taylor Swift’s ring, which reportedly features an antique-cut diamond.
The Vibe Killers
Tariffs and the gold price
In April, President Donald Trump announced higher tariffs on goods from all the United States’ trading partners, including countries like India (50 percent tax on imports), Switzerland (now 15 percent), Thailand (19 percent), Vietnam (20 percent), and Botswana (15 percent).
As if that wasn’t enough, gold soared to record highs in 2025, and silver followed along with it. As of press time, gold was nearly $4,360 an ounce, while silver was nearly $66 an ounce.
The one-two punch came on the heels of a complicated couple of years, particularly for the diamond industry because of the ongoing sanctions on Russian diamonds.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection kicked off the year by announcing that beginning in April, diamond importers would have to list the country in which their goods were mined.
While that requirement was indefinitely postponed not long after it was announced (a story that should be familiar to anybody who followed the tariffs saga), news emerged this week that starting Jan. 1, the European Union will require more proof from polished diamond importers that their gems did not come from Russia.
Most Likely to Make Waves
Ocean-Inspired Designs
From Tiffany & Co.’s 2025 Blue Book to a major Buccellati exhibition, jewelry that channeled the color, wildlife, and power of the sea showed up and showed out this year.
Some designers like Renna, Karina Choudhrie, and Pippa Smalls debuted collections featuring fish, turtles, starfish, and dolphins.
Meanwhile, Zahn-Z and Bea Bongiasca used colors, patterns, and shapes from the water, marine life, and plants in the ocean in their collections this year.
We hope the motion of the ocean continues into 2026.
Most Athletic
An MVP’s Sapphire Tennis Necklace
Since the close of the Paris Olympics in summer 2024, we’ve been in need of a standout athlete jewelry moment, and the Los Angeles Dodgers delivered.
Pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto wore a gorgeous blue sapphire tennis necklace to the World Series this year. In Game 7, he induced the double play that secured the team’s win against the Toronto Blue Jays and subsequently was named MVP.
California retailer Happy Jewelers made the piece, which features more than 30 carats of natural blue sapphires set in 14-karat white gold.
Most Likely to Skip Breakfast
The Jewelry Eaters
Sometimes thieves panic under pressure. We’ve all been there, right?
In March, a man in Florida allegedly stole almost $800,000 worth of diamond jewelry from a Tiffany & Co. in Orlando and then ate it during a traffic stop.
More recently, in New Zealand, a man was charged with theft for allegedly ingesting an entire Faberge egg locket in an Auckland jewelry store.
Both pieces were eventually recovered and returned to their respective retailers.
Most Popular
London Jewelers
The New York-based jewelry retailer will celebrate its 100th anniversary next year, a milestone only a small percentage of family-owned businesses survive to see.
London Jewelers was the subject of a special feature in this year’s Retailer Hall of Fame, which ran alongside profiles for the three 2025 inductees.
At next year’s Gem Awards, London Jewelers owners Mark and Candy Udell will receive the 2026 Gem Award for Lifetime Achievement.
Most Likely to Make a Comeback
Claire’s
Claire’s filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in August as it battled declining mall traffic and increased competition, and the retailer began looking for a buyer.
It marked the second filing in seven years for the struggling chain of accessories stores that has catered to generations of kids, tweens, and teens.
Stores began to close, and nostalgic fans of the brands took to TikTok to express their sadness at the loss of an icon.
The mall staple may have been down, but it was not out.
Later that month, Claire’s signed an agreement to sell its business operations and intellectual property in North America to private equity firm Ames Watson for $140 million.
The acquisition was completed by September, and a significant portion of Claire’s stores were saved.
Most Likely to End Up as a Screenplay
The Louvre Heist
Nothing brings people together like a thrilling heist.
In October, a group of masked thieves broke into the Louvre Museum in broad daylight and, in less than 10 minutes, made off with eight historic jewels from the museum’s Apollo Gallery.
News of the brazen robbery at the famous Paris museum shocked the world, and French authorities have been searching for the stolen artifacts ever since.
Although none of the jewels have been recovered yet, a total of five people have been charged in connection with the heist.
We want to extend a big thank you to all our readers; we loved keeping you informed in 2025.
To keep up with all the jewelry news in 2026, subscribe to our free daily newsletter.
Happy holidays and Happy New Year!
-- Editor-in-Chief Michelle Graff, Senior Editor Lenore Fedow, and Associate Editor Natalie Francisco contributed to this report.
The Latest

The family-owned jeweler will open a new showroom in Bel Air, Maryland, this fall.

Amanda Ileana Hernandez is married to Carlos Hernandez, one of two men in prison for the 2024 murder of Michigan jeweler Hussein Murray.

The reimagined jewel, our Piece of the Week, trades the diamonds in the original 1998 design for blue, pink, yellow, and green sapphires.

Retailers are seeking new ways to attract customers, increase traffic, and create revenue – Estate buying events are a popular solution.

Sponsored by American Gem Trade Association


In the United States, second-quarter sales were flat amid soft consumer sentiment and lower in-store traffic.

The 22-karat gold egg, sold at Batemans Auctioneers in the U.K., was part of a 1980s treasure hunt ad campaign for Cadbury Creme Eggs.

Colored gemstones, artisan finishes, mixed metals, and meaningful details are shaping demand in bridal jewelry.

Lucara Diamond Corp., which recovered the “Motswedi” diamond from the Karowe mine, sold the stone for an undisclosed amount.

The expanded collections now feature hand-cut gemstones like topaz, tanzanite, chrysoprase, chalcedony, smoky quartz, and fire opal.

The lab-grown diamond jewelry brand’s newest boutique is in Westfield Valley Fair in Santa Clara, California.

The gemstone supplier and manufacturer acquired the remarkable 104-gram Zambian emerald at Gemfields’ auction in May.

Two suspects offered to trade the woman a “winning” lottery ticket for her jewelry.

Finsch has been in business rescue since May, and owner Petra Diamonds said it sees no viable path forward for the mine.

Michel Patrick DeSalles was sentenced after pleading guilty to the 2017 murder of Omid Gholian, who owned a jewelry store in Manhattan.

Longtime industry executive Beth Miller has taken on the role.

The brooch was owned by Virginia Fortune Ryan Ogilvy, who served as a lady of the bedchamber to Queen Elizabeth II for nearly 50 years.

Jamie Cygielman will take on the role on Aug. 24.

Moore, Polly’s husband, is remembered as a family man with an easygoing spirit and a love for sports and the outdoors.

Duvall O’Steen and Jen Cullen Williams share the best ways to display, present, and explain colored gemstones to younger customers.

The mid-year conference for jewelry and watch appraisers will take place Sept. 5-6 on Zoom.

Honest Hands Ring Co. Founder Benjamin Bosworth shared his thoughts on jewelry technology and why AI can never replace the human element.

QVC Group President and CEO David Rawlinson is temporarily being replaced by a familiar face, former QVC CEO Mike George.

The brand also added two one-of-a-kind brown diamond pieces to the “Sanssouci” series of its “Gardens” collection.

Ostbye took home top vendor honors at the Independent Jewelers Organization’s show, held last month in Kentucky.

Sponsored by Stratus Estate Buyers

Cloud, who will officially join Blue Nile on Monday, spent 26 years at Tiffany & Co. and founded jewelry brand Roseate.






















