< Culture & Style / Jewelry Trends
Art For Your Ears: A Guide to the Best Diamond Chandelier Earrings
Even through the tides of minimalism, statement-making, shoulder-scraping chandelier earrings have never faded from the sartorial zeitgeist.
Published: October 31, 2025
Written by: Hannah Militano
Few things can compete with the glorious regality of an intricate chandelier suspended from a high, painted ceiling – except maybe a pair of exquisitely detailed diamond chandelier earrings hovering above your shoulders. Sia may have professed to swing from the chandelier, but having chandeliers swing from you is arguably more fun, given the right pair of diamond earrings.
Framing your face with diamonds, chandelier earrings envelop you in reflective light, flatter the jawline, and add some extra sparkle to your eyes. Defined by multiple tiers of cascading natural diamonds, gemstones, pearls, or beads, the perennial jewelry staple will never go out of style, thanks to its rich history and enduring allure.
Meet the Expert
- Rebecca Selva is the Chief Creative Officer of Fred Leighton, a legendary jeweler renowned for its exceptional collection of vintage and antique pieces.
- She has spent the last 30 years curating period jewelry across all eras, including Georgian, Victorian, Edwardian, Art Deco, and mid-century.
The Resplendent History of Chandelier Earrings
A timeless treasure still scattered across red carpets today, the standout style is believed to date back all the way to 300 B.C.E., originating in the Middle East, India, and Greece. Chandelier earrings gained popularity in the West when the era of British colonialism first took hold.
Cropping up during the Renaissance and persisting in style throughout the late Victorian period, chandelier earrings were referred to as “girandole earrings” in the 17th and 18th centuries, named after ornamental candlesticks that included several decorative branches. By the 1920s, the long, drooping diamond earrings took on the name of the ornate dangling light fixture and have been known as chandelier earrings ever since.
The style soared to new heights of popularity as a royal-approved jewel in 1947, when King George VI and Queen Elizabeth gave a gob-smacking set of chandelier earrings to their daughter, Princess Elizabeth.
Kate Middleton Now Wears Queen Elizabeth II’s Greville Chandelier Earrings
When she was still just a Princess, the Greville chandelier earrings were given to Queen Elizabeth II by her parents as a wedding gift in November 1947. Crafted in 1929, the earrings are made up of brilliant-cut, half-moon, baguette-cut, trapeze, baton, emerald, and pear-shaped diamond drops, encased in platinum.
They originally belonged to Dame Margaret Greville, a renowned society hostess and philanthropist, who bequeathed a significant portion of her jewelry collection to her close friend Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother, upon her death in 1942.
Queen Elizabeth II wore the earrings countless times throughout the years, and now, Catherine, Princess of Wales, has been sporting the historic diamonds. Kate Middleton wore them at Hussein, Crown Prince of Jordan, and Rajwa Al Saif’s wedding in June 2023, a Diplomatic Reception at Buckingham Palace later that year, and at the State Banquet welcoming the French President Emmanuel Macron and Mrs. Brigitte Macron this summer.
Most recently, Middleton attended the Royal Variety Performance at the Royal Albert Hall on November 19. She teamed the 100-year-old Cartier earrings with her off-the-shoulder forest green velvet gown.
Sarah Jessica Parker Has Worn Carrie Bradshaw’s Diamond Chandelier Earrings Over and Over Again
The ultimate fashion-obsessed sex columnist Carrie Bradshaw has had countless fan-favorite style moments in Sex and the City, but her dazzling pair of Fred Leighton natural diamond earrings take the cake.
Creative Director of the legendary Fred Leighton estate and contemporary jeweler in New York, Rebecca Selva told Only Natural Diamonds, “These diamond earrings by Fred Leighton are amazing!” She says, “The fringe of diamond briolettes gave them their unique character – lightness, movement, and incredible sparkle as the diamond briolettes catch the light from every angle.”
The earrings became a lucky charm for the actress off-screen. After wearing the earrings to the season three premiere of the HBO series in New York City, SJP made a habit of wearing them to several award ceremonies, where she often took home the prize.
Chandelier earrings spiked in popularity once again in the early aughts. Y2K styles saw an amalgam of casual and ultra-glam jewels on the ears of everyone from Coachella attendees to heiresses and socialites like Paris Hilton, Kim Kardashian, and more.
Kim Kardashian Revived Elizabeth Taylor’s Girandole Chandelier Earrings
This summer, Kim Kardashian walked the Balenciaga fashion show at Paris Fashion Week, wearing a pair of priceless diamond girandole earrings from Elizabeth Taylor’s personal jewelry collection. Beloved by Taylor, the dramatic chandelier earrings were a red carpet staple during her Hollywood heyday. They were gifted to her in 1957 by her third husband, film producer Mike Todd, the same year he presented her with one of her most famous engagement rings.
Celebrity jewelry designer Lorraine Schwartz purchased the Mike Todd earrings at Christie’s Auction House in December 2011 for $374,500. According to a press release, Schwartz chose to add them to her own personal collection “in honor of her inspiring and meaningful friendship with Elizabeth.”
The girandole-style, or chandelier earrings showcase three round-cut diamond drops suspended from an intricate openwork plaque adorned with round-cut diamonds arranged in delicate floral and bow motifs. The entire design hangs from a round-cut diamond flower stud, all exquisitely set in platinum.
The earrings were a favorite of Taylor’s, and she continued wearing them long after Mike Todd’s death in 1958, just a year after he gifted them to her. She wore them in the ads for her White Diamonds perfume, at the Golden Globes in 1957, and at the Academy Awards in 1992.
Zoë Kravitz Dazzled in Jessica McCormack Chandelier Earrings at the 2025 Golden Globes
Zoë Kravitz attended the 2025 Golden Globes, wearings a sleek and classic custom black velvet Saint Laurent gown with Jessica McCormack jewelry. She sported custom diamond chandelier earrings, totalling 26.04 carats with 14 graduating pear-shaped diamonds set in Georgian style cut-down setting in blackened gold, suspended in the air.
Shop Diamond Chandelier Earrings
Harry Winston Diamond Chandelier Earrings, Price Upon Request, harrywinston.com
Jenna Blake Blackened Diamond Chandelier Earrings, Price Upon Request, jennablake.com
Hamilton Platinum and Diamond 11.78 Total Weight Natural Diamond Chandelier Earrings, $105,000, hamiltonjewelers.com
Boucheron Plume de Paon Pendant Earrings, $122,000, boucheron.com
Mindi Mond New York Hauté Joaillerie Diamond Chandelier Earrings, Price Upon Request, mindimondnewyork.com
Jenna Blake Deco Chandelier Earrings, Price Upon Request, jennablake.com
Jessica McCormack Diamond Chandelier Earrings, jessicamccormack.com
Martin Katz Rain Chandelier Diamond Earrings, Price Upon Request, martinkatz.com
Stephanie Gottlieb Five Strand Pear Shape Diamond Earrings, $30,850, stephaniegottlieb.com
Fernando Jorge Disco Earrings, Price Upon Request, fernandojorge.co.uk
Jessica McCormack Rainbow Diamond Earrings, Price Upon Request, jessicamccormack.com
Fernando Jorge High Stream Doubled Earrings, Price Upon Request, fernandojorge.co.uk
Lugano Titanium Waterfalls, Price Upon Request, luganodiamonds.com
Nikos Koulis Yellow Gold Chain Long Fringe Earrings with White Diamonds, Price Upon Request, nikoskoulis.com
Lugano Trillion Drops, Price Upon Request, luganodiamonds.com
Harry Winston Winston Cluster Diamond Cascading Earrings, Price Upon Request, harrywinston.com
