Circling Back to ’90s Jewelry With Diamond Bangles and Hoops
From diamond hoops to stackable bangles, the defining silhouettes of ’90s jewelry are making a return with modern styling.
’90s jewelry is famous for having a strong minimalist streak. Back then, round diamond studs were considered enough sparkle on their own, even for the Oscars. In 1996, for example, when Patricia Arquette attended with her then-husband, Nicolas Cage, she borrowed diamond studs from Harry Winston. That’s it. They were her only jewels. The twinklers made news because they became hers by the end of the night. Cage bought them for her to commemorate his Best Actor win. Two years later, Helen Hunt wore studs and the slenderest diamond bracelet when she won the prize for Best Actress. It was considered the epitome of chic. This minimalist approach is a hallmark of ’90s jewelry.
Meet the Expert
- Marion Fasel is an esteemed jewelry expert, author, curator, and trend forecaster.
- She is the founder and Editorial Director of The Adventurine online jewelry magazine.
- She is the author of several books, including The History of Diamond Engagement Rings: A True Romance
While minimalist diamond earrings are emblematic of one type of ’90s jewelry, the decade also had a playful side. With all the midriff tops and low-rise pants, little belly rings became popular. Madonna had a diamond horseshoe charm attached to her navel ring. Supermodel Naomi Campbell asked Tiffany & Co. to extend the chain of her Elsa Peretti Diamonds-by-the-Yard necklace so she could wear it looped around her waist and through her navel ring. This playful aspect is another side of ’90s jewelry.
When Body Jewelry Became High Fashion
These types of diamond piercings and body jewelry inspired renowned fashion critic Suzy Menkes to write the provocative piece “Fetish or Fashion?”, published in The New York Times on November 21, 1993. Christy Turlington then answered the question in a way that only a supermodel could. For the April 1994 issue of Vogue, she sported a substantially sized cushion-cut canary diamond navel ring by M + J Savitt in an unforgettable image taken by Irving Penn that focused solely on her midriff which was decorated with a temporary tattoo.
The Evolution of ’90s Jewelry
Somewhere between the simple sparkle of studs and the flirtatious belly rings there were perhaps the most popular jewelry silhouettes of the period: hoops and bangles set with a few twinkling diamonds. The styles genre hopped from bohemian jewels to minimalist and edgy designs.
One leader in the category was Me & Ro. The label’s co-founders, Robin Renzi and Michelle Quan, met while working as waitresses at Indochine, a beloved downtown New York City restaurant frequented by scenesters in the ’90s, including John F. Kennedy Jr. and Carolyn Bessette. Creative visionaries, the design duo teamed up and launched their boho jewelry line in the early years of the decade. Then, Julia Roberts, the biggest actress of the time, popularized the indie design house’s hoop bangles and, essentially, the entire collection with a wide audience. She wore the pieces on-screen in Notting Hill (1999) and off-screen just about everywhere.
How Designers Are Reinventing ’90s Jewelry Today
Me & Ro still makes amazing diamond bangles and hoops in the same laid-back glam mode. Some of the bangles have marquise diamonds set east-west, while others have a dusting of round diamonds. Giant hoops feature briolette-shaped brown or black diamonds.
Penny Preville is another designer whose collection dates back to the ‘90s when A-listers Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman wore her work. Preville’s modernist bangles with diamond accents and full pavé pieces still perfectly capture the understated elegance of that era.
Many designers continue the legacy of the hoops and bangles from 30 years ago. Anita Ko exemplifies minimalist restraint with her slender gold wire hoops that end in a single diamond. Kat Kim ever so gently adds diamonds to the artistic circles in her bangles and hoops. Engelbert puts a small stylish knot at the front of its slender bangles and varies the diamond treatment from a full pavé in white or black diamonds to strategically placed diamonds on their design motif.
The Bohemian Spirit of ’90s Jewelry
The bohemian spirit lives on in hoop and bangle designs, too. Free-spirited designer Jacquie Aiche specializes in hoops with dangling diamonds. Spinelli Kilcollin makes mini huggie diamond hoops, a silhouette that was as popular with the Y2K generation as larger styles. The label also has a trio of bangles attached to one another with little rings, making it easy to wear a stylish stack.
To capture the ‘90s spirit when you wear the pieces, the rules are simple. You can toss hoops on with your hair up to be polished or down for an effortless look and wear them day or night. Bangles, on the other hand, have a bit of superstitious lore attached to them.
If you believe in such things, the big bangle theory is easy to follow. The thinking is that wearing an even number of bracelets brings bad luck, while wearing an odd number works like a lucky charm. In other words, one bangle is great. Don’t forget simple studs were enough in the ‘90s. But three or five or any other odd number conjures up the fun of the period without the fetish that once concerned fashion critics.
