Designers are increasingly embracing the notion of casual imperfection with a relaxed attitude to precious gems that doesn't forego the precise nature of their craft. Their playful response fuses signature design codes with a blase approach, creating not-so-perfect pairs for those who take their jewels seriously, but still want a whole lot of fun.
Francesca Villa at Objet d'Emotion
Francesca Villa often delights in bringing playful concepts into her fine jewellery, marrying exquisite craftsmanship with a tongue-in-cheek humour. ‘‘Beauty in the Mirror' is the name I chose for this pair of earrings,' she tells us of the asymmetrical rose gold and pavé diamond piece. ‘When she looks into this mirror, her reflection surprisingly shows on the second earring as a multitude of diamonds, showing the beauty is within the mirror. Like the Magic Mirror Gate, from the Michael Ende’s unforgettable The Neverending Story, the mirror doesn’t show you what you look like, but who you truly are.' It's a romantic notion reflecting her belief that humour is a necessary part of life. ‘I take designing jewellery very seriously, considering every detail as mutually important. A pinch of humour is a necessary counterbalance, which I love adding to each new design of mine,' she adds.
Dior
Victoire de Castellane has always enjoyed teasing traditional concepts of high jewellery, in the past favouring asymmetrical earrings and vivid stones. These themes recur in the Dior et Moi collection, and her joy at the amalgamation of stones, cuts and colours she creates is clear to see. Gold is painstakingly coated with layers of Indian-style lacquer sprayed on to the gold in 15 vibrant shades. There is no obvious pattern to Castellane's pairs of earrings, where sapphires and emeralds nestle alongside her beloved opals, yet the overall design symmetry of the pieces creates a pleasing uniformity.
Dezso
Mexican-born Sara Beltran is inspired by the wilder aspects of nature, creating pieces for her jewellery brand Dezso which unite traditional precious metals with more unexpected materials including shark teeth, polki diamonds and fossils. These fish earrings, newly available at Matches Fashion, are a case in point, pairing mismatched coral fish studded with princess-cut diamonds. Sculpted so realistically they appear to wriggle down the ear, the purposeful mismatching only serves to emphasise the playful realism of these fun little fish.
Ara Vartanian
Ara Vartanian's gently subversive jewellery designs, characterised by a surprising use of materials and an innovative rethinking of how jewellery is worn, lend themselves well to mismatched earrings. Here, understatement is key in his twisting of traditional jewellery concepts: emeralds and diamonds appear perfectly symmetrical, the clash of geometry only revealed upon second glance.
Jacquemus
French fashion label Jacquemus intuitively taps into the zeitgeist, flitting from overblown romance to slinky silhouettes depending on the rapidly changing mood. These Les Mimosas asymmetric beaded earrings, available at Browns, encapsulate jewellery’s new mood for whimsy, eschewing matchy-matchy perfection and having fun with gleefully feminine shapes and materials. Playing with proportions, one cascade of beads grazes the shoulder while the other falls below the chin, allowing the wearer to turn the other cheek with style.
Boghossian
Geneva-based jeweller Boghossian cast optical illusions in rare diamonds and pearls, pairing precious stones that don't quite match. Two cream natural saltwater pearls are the same tone but have their own distinctive rounded silhouettes, one a button-shaped clam and the other a simple drop. They are complemented by shades of brown, and a baroque drop-shaped natural saltwater pearl creates a symmetry of sorts when contrasted against a fancy orangey brown diamond. §
INFORMATION
dior.com
dezsosara.com
aravartanian.com
jacquemus.com
boghossianjewels.com
-
Highlights from the transporting Cruise 2026 showsThe Cruise 2026 season began yesterday with a Chanel show at Lake Como, heralding the start of a series of jet-setting, destination runway shows from fashion’s biggest houses
-
Behind the design of national pavilions in Venice: three studios to knowDesigning the British, Swiss and Mexican national pavilions at the Venice Architecture Biennale 2025 are three outstanding studios to know before you go
-
Premium patisserie Naya is Mayfair’s latest sweet spotHeritage meets opulence at Naya bakery in Mayfair, London. With interiors by India Hicks and Anna Goulandris, the patisserie looks good enough to eat
-
Art takes London: Tiffany & Co, Damien Hirst and artists take over Selfridges' windowsFour British contemporary artists celebrate Tiffany & Co's pioneering history with a series of storied window displays
-
Late summer jewels: what to wear at Golden HourLate summer signals a jewellery style-shift. These independent designers have got it covered
-
All smiles: How a grillz jewellery making class in London became an international hitWhat started as a passion project quickly exploded in popularity. We get the story behind the grillz-making workshop at Cockpit London
-
Emerging jewellery designers to get to knowThese independent, new and emerging jewellery designers and brands from New York to Paris are firmly on our radar
-
Jewellery designers share their most precious personal piecesA host of jewellers give us a peek at the jewellery which brings them joy and solace
-
Playing it cool: pearls are having a momentWe've been deep-diving into boutiques around the world to find the very best calcium carbonate in minute crystalline form. It seems jewellers have been busy rethinking pearls, with contemporary (and often affordable) results
-
Eternity rings for the modern coupleEternity rings, whether sleekly minimalist or sprinkled in diamonds, can be a chic and contemporary love token
-
Hair jewellery to covet and collectToday’s hair jewellery is both practical and pretty. We're pinning our hopes on these simple and elegant accessories
