Why black jewellery is in: Dior and Chaumet have stunning offerings, and it’s loved by Jennifer Lawrence
From big names like Boucheron to independent designers from Anabela Chan to Repossi, jewellers are leaning into black
From blackened metals and enamel to onyx and the use of wood like ebony, monochrome jewellery designs are cropping up across new collections, bringing a luxurious edge to pieces you can wear every day.
“Black is bold yet neutral, meaning it pairs effortlessly with everything and often becomes something you wear instinctively, without overthinking,” says Laura Vann, a British designer who founded her namesake jewellery label in 2013. “There’s a kind of nonchalance to black that makes it a subtle statement without shouting for attention.”
Vann, who specialises in vintage-inspired pieces, works with black enamel, plated metals and dark cord to make her “modern deco” jewels read more clearly on the body. “For us, it’s about incorporating the colour as a way to add a graphic edge,” she explains. It enables her to introduce depth without losing the underlying material, such as on her Freya signet ring, which features a chunky gold vermeil band encrusted with a central baguette-cut white topaz, framed with alternating sections of black plate and round-cut white topaz.
Blackened metals and surfaces allow us to create more striking silhouettes and patterns,” Vann says. “Applying it to a gold or silver piece is almost like sketching with dark on a light canvas. It gives the jewellery a sculptural quality and drama, which we love.”
Designer Anabela Chan, who was among the first jewellers to elevate lab-grown gemstones and recycled metals to high jewellery, uses dark hues to rework her classic floral motifs into something a touch more moody. “I like to use black onyx, black diamonds and black rhodium in my jewellery for its contemporary edge – a floral design in jet black suddenly becomes empowering,” says the London-based jeweller. “Monochromatic black diamonds used against white diamonds transform a classic design to a fresh contemporary look,” she adds, noting that “black toned metals have the ability to deepen colour stones by adding contrast and depth”.
That play between light and dark is also what makes black rhodium so compelling when paired with white diamonds, according to jeweller Jessie Thomas, who argues that black can change the entire appeal of a piece. “Unlike with white gold, the black adds a neutral but contrasting tone to diamonds, highlighting them without going against them,” she says. “Yellow is a softer, more understated match for diamonds and coloured stones, which some prefer aesthetically.”
Nataliya Mehta, founder of Duniya, a label that handcrafts its jewellery in Jaipur, India, also utilises black to shift the entire mood of a design. “Black changes the energy. It makes everything feel deeper and more intentional,” she says. “Other elements of a design hit differently when black is incorporated – stones feel richer, shapes feel stronger … There’s a sense of mystery and edge that you just don’t get with lighter metals.”
