Why Shoulder-Duster Earrings Are This Season’s Cult Jewelry Trend

Michelle Yeoh swept the board this awards season for her incredible performance in Everything Everywhere All At Once, and while admiring her awards style, it would be impossible not to give a nod to her impeccable jewelry styling. Accepting the Bafta for Best Actress, Yeoh wore a suite of twinkling pink-hued jewels – a pink sapphire and diamond cuff, pink sapphire cocktail ring, bedazzling timepiece and, most crucially, a pair of shoulder-sweeping ruby and diamond earrings. Emily Blunt, Elizabeth Olsen and Jessica Chastain similarly adopted high-impact earscapes this awards season, accenting black or block-color dresses with cascading drop earrings. The red carpet is, of course, the time and place to pull out all the stops, but long statement earrings are the hero piece for both daywear and after-dark dressing this season.

“SS23 is the season of stripped-back simplicity,” says Libby Page, market director at NET-A-PORTER. “Designers turned to clean silhouettes and fuss-free eveningwear, allowing jewelry, especially chandelier earrings, to become the centerpiece,” she explains. Ready-to-wear collections by Alessandra Rich and Isabel Marant really acknowledged the ability of low-swinging styles to add pizzazz to purist design codes this season, but where to begin when looking for the perfect pair?

“Shoulder-skimming earrings can be trend-led or classic, depending on which style and brand you go for,” says Edwina Hilton, fine-jewelry buyer at NET-A-PORTER. Those seeking a style similar to Yeoh’s should consider Garrard’s pink tourmaline, pink sapphire, mother-of-pearl and diamond earrings – an Art Deco-inspired design that feels simultaneously modern. Amrapali London’s opulent tassel design offers a similar color palette, featuring swathes of pearls that gently sway as you sashay, while Fred Leighton’s tassel style features a vivacious shade of hot-pink rubies.

Movement is key in the drop-earring world, and long metallic threads offer the most hypnotic dynamism – the waterfall effect of Kimaï’s ‘Brilliant’ single earring is hard to resist, while Melissa Joy Manning’s ‘Herkimer’ diamond earrings feature a type of quartz that evokes the potent sparkle of diamonds. Jacquie Aiche’s feather-inspired designs, a nod to her Native American heritage, flutter delicately with every movement, while Larkspur & Hawk’s ‘Estrela’ style features shimmering moonstones that gleam from every angle.

For those seeking a design with more structure, David Yurman’s ‘Carlyle’ earrings have a sculptural, almost architectural feel – a winning accent to a chic column dress but equally wearable with a white shirt and jeans, much like Ofira’s oversized triangular style. Buccellati’s ‘Hawaii’ hoops are a popular choice for those seeking a neutral and pared-back yellow-gold design, while Diane Kordas’ large ‘Rainbow Star’ style is seriously striking, especially when worn as a single earring. Those hoping to continue this colorful theme should turn to Emily P. Wheeler’s ‘Bernadette Patchwork’ design with pastel-hued gemstones, or Sabbadini’s lacquer and amethyst pair, where vivid petals seemingly bloom on the earlobe.

If you have more than one piercing, you don’t have to shy away from a stacked ear, either. “We have also seen a trend for stacked earrings with shoulder-skimming length in the first hole and then studs and huggies in graduating sizes up the ear,” explains Hilton. Marlo Laz’s ‘Natasha’ style is an ideal piece for pairing with studs in secondary piercings, while Octavia Elizabeth’s ‘Nesting Gem’ design is pared-back enough to be accompanied by complementary huggies, studs, or even a cuff further up the ear.

For minimalists, the most on-trend style is modern pearls. The perfect pairing with fashion’s old faithful – the LBD – drop pearl earrings are impossible to resist. “Black – fashion’s favorite hue – was an overwhelming trend for occasionwear this season, and it offers the ideal opportunity for statement earrings,” says Page. “Pearl designs offer such a striking accent to a simple black, off-the-shoulder dress.” Mateo’s drop pearl earrings are effortlessly elegant, while Mizuki’s graduating design and Sophie Bille Brahe’s ‘Grand Bisou’ earrings feel like contemporary takes on a classic fail-safe. We defy you to try a pair and not enjoy the free-feeling, swinging sensation that adds a spring to your step – it’s up to you how low you go.