While the fall 2026 haute couture runway shows were taking place in Paris last week, the most important jewelry houses in the City of Light were also presenting their latest showstopping pieces. For the uninitiated, high jewelry is the sister to haute couture—known as the highest form of jewelry-making.
This season’s new creations required thousands of hours of work (sometimes, up to 4,000 hours or as long as two years for a single piece); on some occasions, artisans employed up to 200 different tools per a single necklace. Beyond all the glimmering, rare gemstones and awe-inspired craft, patterns always emerge. Here are our favorite trends from the 2026 high jewelry presentations.
Egyptian Revival
This look flourished during the Art Deco movement of the ’20s and ’30s, and in the 1970s—now, the Egyptian Revival seems to be having its own little moment in the world of high jewelry. Van Cleef & Arpels presented its new Fascinating Egypt collection, inspired by the maison’s own heritage; like the 1939 sets created for Princess Fawzia of Egypt and Queen Nazli of Egypt. The new collection is an imaginative fantasy decked in Egyptomania aesthetics: gasp-worthy turquoise and lapis lapidary work, pavé gemstone rings with hidden hieroglyphics, and (perhaps most impressive of all) transformable statement necklaces dripping with rubies, emeralds, sapphires, and pearl tassels. Some of the pieces from Chanel’s new Signes & Symboles high jewelry collection had an Egyptian look, like the Lion Topaz necklace layered in yellow gold, diamonds, yellow sapphires, beryls, imperial topaz, and orange spinels. At Piaget, the Blue Illusions necklace, earring, and ring set were fit for a queen, with velvety blue sapphires, a rare Paraíba tourmaline, and a striking black opal. Serti sur Vide’s emerald diamond necklace, meanwhile, put a modern and minimalist spin on a collar.
Equestrian Vibes
The horse-girl aesthetic is one of fashion’s favorite trends—and this season, the style has reached high jewelry, too. (That’s no surprise. This is, after all, the Year of the Horse on the Lunar calendar.) For Gucci’s new high jewelry collection, the house presented a series of horsebit designs (think: white gold tsavorite, diamond, green tsavorite, and blue tanzanites). The pavé multifinger ring, with its signature horsebit emblem, has an ultramodern look. Elsewhere, Hermès took a very literal approach with sculptural, saddle-shaped bracelets designed by Pierre Hardy. The 90-piece collection took inspiration from stirrups, whips, and all kinds of other equestrian ephemera.
Tactile Textiles
Some of the most creative high-jewelry collections of the season captured the look of textiles. Buccellati released its Serenissima range as a tribute to Venice, and the Italian city’s centuries-old traditions of lace-making. The light, intricate work of needle lace was reinvented through substantial, yet delicate diamond-covered cuffs and gloriously intricate collar necklaces. Boucheron creative director Claire Choisne, on the other hand, presented a surreal statement necklace made of onyx. It was engraved with a lifelike houndstooth pattern, which looks like the fabric is delicately draped over the 163 monumental stones. At the family-run French jewelry brand Messika, artistic director Valérie Messika made the Terres de Contrastes high jewelry collection, which includes The Kalahari necklace—a stunner with onyx details that mimic the look of leopard fur (not to mention a 15.18-carat yellow diamond centerpiece).
Star Power
Stars, suns, and moons also emerged as a major trend in the high jewelry collections. One vibrant necklace at Dior dripped with diamond stars and opal crescent moons, bearing an otherworldly kind of sparkle. At Mellerio, the Asteria medallion was embedded with signs of the cosmos—like diamond constellations—and set in the unusual material of tantalum metal. Chanel showcased large, Art Deco-inspired star necklaces (a Coco Chanel classic) in striking shades of bright blue. And from its Place Vendôme atelier, the fine jewelry brand Graff revealed a pair of 22-carat yellow and white diamond earrings that resembled dazzling comets.
Delicate Blooms
Flowers are practically omnipresent in the world of high jewelry. But this season, brands experimented with ultradelicate, tender blooms crafted from precious metals, filigree, and gemstones. At Louis Vuitton, the monogram flower—first invented by Georges Vuitton in 1896—was remixed to take on the form of sparkling pavé diamonds and white gold on dainty necklaces and rings. Elsewhere, Dior’s new Diorissima collection was a bountiful garden of petite flowering gemstones. House jeweler Victoire de Castellane did what she does best: mixing iconic, colorful gemstones in festive floral designs. Take, for example, the Glycines necklace, which combines a whopping 4,000 round-cut and pear-cut stones, replete with 12 shining pink spinels. Or look to Tiffany & Co.’s Hidden Garden collection—particularly the Monarch, drawn from an archival Jean Schlumberger necklace. The diamond-studded leaves look like they came right from the vine.
