EditorsDec 31, 2025
The Top 5 Stories of 2025EditorsDec 19, 2025
2025 Jewelry Superlatives: A Yearbook-Style Year in Review
The National Jeweler editors revisit the most noteworthy industry happenings and design trends from 2025.
The “Lil’ Buddies,” Harwell Godfrey’s pet rock-inspired, googly-eyed opal pendants, were one of several memorable pieces of jewelry we saw this year.
It’s been a busy year for the jewelry industry, full of notable career shifts, tariff turbulence, big discoveries, and of course, heaps of beautiful jewelry.
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
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
Ashaha’s 18-karat white gold fancy brown and white diamond necklace
Jade Ruzzo’s 18-karat yellow gold “Drum Head” ring with champagne diamonds
Emily P. Wheeler’s “Champagne Ombré” fringe earrings with brown and white diamonds in 18-karat yellow gold
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 one-of-a-kind pendants are from designer Lauren Harwell Godfrey’s “1975” collection, released this year in celebration of her 50th birthday.
The pieces feature nostalgic motifs inspired by the iconic symbols of the groovy era.
Most Likely to Thrift Their Outfit
Vintage-Inspired Engagement Rings
The pieces feature nostalgic motifs inspired by the iconic symbols of the groovy era.
Most Likely to Thrift Their Outfit
Vintage-Inspired Engagement Rings
The “Adele” ring from Single Stone showcases a 1.07-carat old European cut diamond
A Stephanie Gottlieb engagement ring with an M color, oval-shaped diamond in a bezel prong vintage-inspired setting
The “Cori” ring from Single Stone featuring a 3.18-carat antique cushion brilliant-cut diamond of O-P color, VS2 clarity
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
Karina Choudhrie unicycling “Starfish” pendant with 2 carats of diamonds, 1.38 carats of rubies, and 2.24 carats of sapphires in 18-karat yellow gold
Renna “Jumbo Lobster Clasp” necklace with green, blue, and yellow beryl beads totaling 240 carats and 0.30 carats of diamonds with the jumbo “Lobster Clasp”
Bea Bongiasca “Clownfish” earrings from the “Tarallo” collection in sterling silver with “Savanna Orange” enamel and black and white details
Zahn-Z “Beluga Spout” ring featuring a 1.70-carat elongated cushion-cut gray spinel set in 14-karat yellow gold
Francesca Villa “Secret Dreams” pendant in titanium and 18-karat yellow gold with diamonds, tsavorite, blue sapphires, yellow sapphires, and enamel
Tiffany & Co. “Sea Turtle” brooch from the “Sea of Wonder” Blue Book in 18-karat yellow gold and platinum with more than 8 carats of diamonds and sapphires. (Image courtesy of Tiffany & Co.)
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
Los Angeles Dodgers’ pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto wore this sapphire necklace at the 2025 World Series.
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.
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