Red carpet jewelry is frequently lovely and often showstopping, but rarely is it historic. That all changed this year during an awards season that, from the Grammys to the Oscars, was marked by a notable prevalence of legendary archival gems.
It’s not that such a thing has never happened before. (See: Nicole Kidman’s vintage Mughal earrings from Martin Katz in 1997, Eva Mendes in vintage Van Cleef & Arpels turquoise in 2009, Charlize Theron in a vintage Cartier headband in 2012.) This year’s dip into jewelry history follows a similar drive and pattern. It is evidence of access, a sort of stylist and star oneupmanship, a “they let me into the vault” kind of thing. Plus, vintage jewelry guarantees singularity—and a good story. And it’s an important reminder that jewelry is always a reflection of the time in which it was made.
Elle Fanning
In vintage Cartier at the Oscars.
Cartier
Tradition necklace, 1958, cartier.com
Colman Domingo’s 1946 Boucheron bracelet at the Oscars and Jeremy Allen White’s Tiffany brooch at the SAGs, from the same era, both contextualized the dominance of yellow gold during that period (platinum had been restricted to the war effort).
Colman Domingo
In vintage Boucheron at the Oscars.
Boucheron
Bracelet, 1946, Boucheron Private Collection, 646-349-0088
Also at the Oscars, Mikey Madison’s Edwardian Tiffany necklace (circa 1910) deepened our understanding of how technology can impact jewelry design; advancements in torches allowed platinum to be shaped in ways never before possible, so we got the openwork and lacelike designs of that era. Seeing the Anora star win the Best Actress Oscar in that necklace also sharpened our appreciation of Art Deco, the immensely popular style that followed. To see the delicate curves of what came before makes you realize just how radical the geometry of Art Deco must have seemed.
Lady Gaga
In a never-before-seen 1930s Tiffany necklace designed by Meta Overbeck.
Tiffany & Co. Archives
Meta Overbeck/Louis Comfort Tiffany necklace in gold with tourmaline, pearl, and onyx (1930-33)
Then there was Lady Gaga at the Grammys in a never-before-seen tourmaline, pearl, and onyx Tiffany necklace from the early 1930s that was created in the studio of Louis Comfort Tiffany (one of the wildest minds in design) by one of the many women who worked there, Meta Overbeck. That it can come out of the vault and onto the red carpet and look perfectly new is another reason these archival moments are so important. They remind us of jewelry’s central power: It remains.
This story appears in the May 2025 issue of Town & Country. SUBSCRIBE NOW
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