Why A Coin Necklace Is Your New-Season Cult Jewel
Precious Details: our edit of trending fine jewelry and timepieces, plus expert styling advice
Year on year, the chasm that once existed between women’s and men’s jewelry trends closes even further. Genderless jewelry is now ubiquitous, and designers are consistently borrowing from multiple archives to inform collections of cool and contemporary pieces that appeal to all. The latest cult jewel to resurface? Medallions. “Men have always gravitated towards medallions, and the simpler round silhouettes on a gold chain will never go out of style,” says Maxim de Turckheim, senior fine-jewelry and watches buyer at NET-A-PORTER and MR PORTER. “Expect this trend to really bloom in time for summer, when the medallion will be gleaming from a loose, open shirt.”
What often springs to mind when talking medallions is copious amounts of chest hair and shirts slashed to the navel, 1970s style; Elvis, Steve McQueen and Burt Reynolds probably won’t have you adding one to your wish list any time soon. However, much like signet rings, the medallion has a far richer history, and its potential for personalization and self-expression has reaffirmed it as a cult jewel for every fine-jewelry collection, for any gender. Today, you’re more likely to see the likes of Jennifer Lopez, Emily Ratajkowski, Blake Lively or Gwyneth Paltrow teaming a medallion with an oversized shirt – the perfect high-low pairing for today’s elite tastemakers.
Historically speaking, medallions have been utilized to convey social status – Ancient Greek and Roman civilizations, for example, wore gold coins to indicate their wealth. Over time, they began to display important motifs such as family crests, meaningful engravings and precious gems, too; the large flat dime providing the perfect canvas for peacocking. Today, these nuances are more finely tuned, with sentimental dates, monograms and special phrases executed on the front, plus secret messages engraved on the reverse.
Alison Chemla, creative director at Alison Lou, has adopted this personal touch with her own collection of gold and enamel medallions. Whether you’re marking the arrival of a newborn with her ‘Welcome Home’ design or treating newlyweds to the ‘Just Married’ style, the brand’s cute slogans are ideal for celebrating milestones. “To me, a sentimental piece is something you wear all the time, so being able to layer them and even style them together to create one larger meaningful charm necklace was important,” says Chemla of the easy-to-stack silhouettes.
Indeed, it’s the effortless wearability of medallions that makes them such a covetable choice as we move into spring. “Medallions are classic and easy to layer with every style of necklace, which is why I love them,” says Edwina Hilton, fine-jewelry buyer at NET-A-PORTER. “They can hold their own as an individual piece or layered up, and you can alter the chain length so that they look great with a T-shirt or shirt, or even over a chunky knit.”
‘Chunky’ is a recurring theme with medallions, and there is something deeply tactile about their solid-gold weightiness. “I think we have seen a shift from people wearing delicate pieces to wanting something a bit more substantial, especially if it holds meaning,” explains Chemla. This innate preciousness also makes them the perfect accompaniment for eveningwear. “A heavy gold medallion easily transitions from day to night; I love wearing pieces that can be true staples in my wardrobe – jewelry I don’t have to take on and off with each outfit change,” she says. “A plunging neckline can really elevate the look,” adds Hilton. “A medallion is a quick-fire statement piece to ramp up any after-dark outfit.” Those seeking a ‘one-and-done’ jewel need look no further than the medallion.
What’s more, there’s a whole host of designers offering their own take on the classic coin necklace this season. Azlee’s 18-karat-gold discs are adorned with talismanic motifs of goddesses and precious gemstones, while Marlo Laz’s quirky and contemporary ‘Porte Bonheur’ designs are intended as good-luck charms. For the maximalists out there, New York-based brand Storrow incorporates medallions into its eclectic charm necklaces. “Medallions are an investment piece. Their substance and quality allow them to be passed on for generations, and I love the idea of them being used to commemorate special occasions, collected over time,” says founder Jennifer Koche. Meanwhile, Foundrae has chosen the medallion as the keystone of its intricate system of 18-karat-gold chains, coins and clips that can be mixed and matched to your own curation. This is your chance to tell your story, with a collection of coins bearing symbols of strength, love, resilience and karma – it’s just impossible to resist the jingle jangle.