What Jewelry Trends Are Inspired by Recent Movies and TV Shows

TV shows and movies have a huge impact on fashion trends. When a popular show or movie features a memorable piece of jewelry, people notice and often want something similar. It’s no surprise that the accessories we see on screen can influence what’s popular in real life. But this isn’t exactly a new thing. 

For years, iconic jewelry, especially rings—like Princess Diana’s sapphire engagement ring–have influenced people’s fashion choices. Fans love recreating popular looks, and jewelers frequently receive requests to design affordable versions of famous styles. Let’s take a closer look at some of the most popular jewelry from recent TV shows and movies to help show you how to get a similar look–without spending a fortune. 

Period Dramas

Some of the most popular shows in the past several years have been period dramas. It all started with movies like Pride & Prejudice, Atonement, along with the more modern Bridgerton, Downton Abbey, and The Crown. 

Period dramas like Bridgerton and The Crown have heavily influenced the popularity of vintage-inspired jewelry. These shows feature intricate pieces such as tiaras, chokers, and brooches, along with gemstone adorned necklaces, pearl drop earrings, and delicate rings with intricate filigree. The style of Downton Abbey is from the Edwardian Era, so it featured styles such as pearl strands and floral designs. An easy way to incorporate this trend into your wardrobe is by layering pearl strands of different colors and textures for a unique look.

Jewelry in Bridgerton was very lavish and ornate, with diamond and gemstone necklaces, long drop earrings, and tiaras. To mimic this trend at home, you can layer different jewelry (costume may be necessary for this kind of opulent look) with plenty of sparkle. Look for pieces that have a lot of detail and pattern to them.

Jewelry featured in The Crown are replicas of jewelry actually worn by the British royal family and include everything from Princess Diana’s iconic sapphire engagement ring to Queen Elizabeth II's famous tiaras. You may want to keep an eye out at thrift stores for pieces that emulate The Crown including brooches, hair pins, and other statement jewelry.

Barbie

The film Barbie had everyone seeing pink for a while! The jewelry featured in the movie has bold colors such as pink, yellow, and blue, and show up in large earrings, rings, and necklaces. To recreate this style at home, look for jewelry in bright colors with large gemstones and designs you may have considered wearing in the 80s and 90s. Think of plastic charm bracelets, necklaces with large beads, and metallic hues. Layering these larger gemstone pieces with pearl strands and different chain styles will add dimension. You may want to check out vintage stores to find some of these jewelry pieces, and you could get lucky enough to find a Barbie themed item. 

Retro Shows

Shows such as Mad Men and The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel have a sophisticated retro vibe that was prevalent during the 1950s and 1960s. Women in these shows were often shown wearing pearl necklaces, earrings, bracelets, and brooches of varying styles on hats, jackets, and even dresses. Yellow and rose gold were more popular during these decades than white gold, and they were typically set with bright hued gemstones. Another popular accessory in these shows was the cocktail ring, which added a bright pop of color to any outfit. Copying this mid-century jewelry style at home isn’t too difficult, as you likely have some of these items in your jewelry box already. Pearl strands and pearl stud earrings make a dress look even more elegant. Most antique shops have a nice selection of brooches (often costume jewelry) that can be pinned to the clothing of your choice. When choosing jewelry for this retro style, try to choose pieces that are warmer toned metals to properly mimic the style of the time. 

Gothic Revival

Gothic styles have recently experienced a resurgence thanks to shows like Wednesday and The Umbrella Academy, both of which had dark themes and similar jewelry and clothing styles. The jewelry style in Wednesday was heavily influenced by Victorian style and had a dramatic design. Prevalent designs were dark, oxidized metals with dark hued gemstones (onyx, obsidian, agate, etc.), along with themes such as skulls, spiders, and other gothic imagery. You can emulate this at home by looking for black choker necklaces and other dark metal chains with gothic style charms–think Halloween jewelry. Brooches or rings with intricate details or cameo stones also fit with the Wednesday vibe and can be found at most jewelry stores. The Umbrella Academy, while also quite dark, isn’t quite as dark as Wednesday. It has a more whimsical, religious dark vibe with necklaces featuring cross pendants, leather bracelets, and dog tags, which are fairly common jewelry items that can be used to copy these styles.

Iconic Chic

Although it’s not as recent, Sex and the City and the reboot And Just Like That were both undeniably fashion forward shows, and that includes the jewelry styling. Carrie Bradshaw’s style in this series led to bold trends, which included mismatched outfits and jewelry. You can emulate Carrie’s style at home by choosing one designer piece and matching it with other more affordable items. For example, a custom designed bracelet layered with costume jewelry in bright colors. This show also brought men’s fashion into the forefront, with tailored suits, tie bars, and cufflinks. Men can accomplish this at home with a casual, patterned dress shirt accompanied by a bold tie bar and gemstone cufflinks.

Modern TV shows and movies are consistently pushing the envelope when it comes to trends, including clothing, jewelry, and even popular slang. As the audience watches, they are inevitably affected by the costume styling and, if they like what they see, are prone to desiring that style for themselves. Once a trend takes off, stores start carrying more items in line with the trends, and jewelry designers see an increase in requests for certain styles. From the elegant, vintage designs of period dramas to the bold, colorful looks of the Barbie movie, there are plenty of different styles to please every viewer. And they do say that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.