Gold prices at a record high, political tensions at boiling point, societal shifts that will ripple for decades to come. There are echoes of the Age of Aquarius everywhere from finance to fashion. Boho style is back at Chloé, and Alessandro Michele’s spring-summer 2026 vision for Valentino was one of Seventies romance, complete with silk flares and sequins.
In the jewellery world, there’s an increasing appetite for pieces from the Sixties and Seventies, according to vintage jewellery specialist Briony Raymond. ‘In a time when people are seeking pieces with longevity, character and a clear point of view, the Seventies offer a well of inspiration that feels relevant again,’ she says.
The decade’s cultural shifts gave rise to a growing cohort of women who bought jewellery for themselves as an extension of their personal style. ‘What made it meaningful was the cultural backdrop – especially the way women were stepping into greater independence,’ says Raymond. ‘That shift influenced how they dressed and the jewellery they chose: pieces that felt purposeful, expressive, and aligned with their expanding roles in the world.’
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The flamboyant fashions of the decade meant jewellery became bigger, bolder, more colourful and less conservative. This extravagant spirit was combined with exceptional craftsmanship, before the advent of mass production. ‘The hand-finished textures, substantial gold work and sculptural forms reflected the maker’s touch,’ says Raymond.
Today, historic houses are revisiting designs from the era. Boucheron’s oversized Serpent Bohème medallion was inspired by a suite from 1974, and Van Cleef & Arpels recently launched a range of Zodiac bracelets, a riff on the house’s hugely collectible Seventies charms. At Graff, a sense of psychedelia pulsated from the 1963 suite, where 129 carats of diamonds spiralled in hypnotic rhythms.
David Morris resurrected a tagline from the Seventies when naming its recent high jewellery collection, Rare Perfection. ‘I grew up in the Seventies – it was a post-hippie era, with a bit of that Studio 54 energy,’ says CEO and creative director Jeremy Morris, who recalls holidaying in Marbella with his parents. ‘The guys wore silk shirts with hairy chests and long chains, and the women were in kaftans – it was very glamorous. Very Roger Moore, Brigitte Bardot, James Bond. It was an exciting time – all money, Rolls-Royces, soft-top cars, a bit of la dolce vita.’
That glamorous aesthetic was channelled into the pieces his father designed. ‘Most English jewellers at the time were making very traditional platinum cluster rings. We, on the other hand, were working in yellow gold, creating chains with onyx, lapis and tiger’s eye. That flair lives on in designs such as a conch pearl, diamond and Paraiba tourmaline necklace – a modern take on the design codes of a golden era.
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For Pomellato, the Italian jewellery house founded in 1967, the Seventies marked the birth of its ‘prêt a porter’ philosophy, when jewellery became more playful and less formal. Gold chains, previously a supporting element, became the focal point of chunky, oversized creations.
‘Designs were about fluidity, strength and the bold use of gold, embodying the free spirit of women of that time,’ says creative director Vincenzo Castaldo, who used archival designs as the starting point for the Collezione 1967 high jewellery range. ‘I was inspired by the revolutionary spirit of the 1970s, the sense of breaking rules that was so vivid across fashion, design and society. It was a decade of radical change and creative freedom.’
The sculptural forms, bold colours and creative textures that characterised Seventies jewellery design proved inspirational to contemporary jewellers, too. Valérie Messika celebrated 20 years of her eponymous jewellery house with the engraved gold Move Ciselé bangle, which recalls the silky texture employed by goldsmiths such as Andrew Grima and John Donald.
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San Francisco-based designer Lauren Harwell Godfrey last year celebrated her 50th birthday by launching a collection dedicated to the year of her birth. The 1975 collection honours the spirit and energy of the decade in all its contradictions. ‘It was glamorous and campy, rebellious and sophisticated, full of self-expression and social change. That mix of grit and glitter feels very alive to me creatively,’ she says.
The collection includes spinning diamond disco balls, gem-encrusted keys – a knowing nod to hedonistic house parties – and an extraordinary necklace of cabochon gemstones woven together into ‘granny squares’ in homage to homespun crochet blankets. Full of wit, colour and nostalgia, it’s a daring return to self-expression, she says. ‘We are recovering from a long stretch of quiet luxury, and the Seventies are a great antidote. I think people are craving colour, personality, humour and a little theatricality again.’
This article first appeared in Spear’s Magazine Issue 98. Click here to subscribe
