Precious jewels dominated the Spring/Summer 2026 runways.

Ready-to-wear and high jewelry, watches, and fine jewelry rarely share a stage. Fashion moves at season-anticipating speeds, while precious jewels take more time and are more enduring. This year, the two disparate timeframes finally met on the runway: Stella McCartney punctuated her show with rare gemstones set in vivid ceramic pulled from New York jeweler Taffin&rsquo;s archive. James Taffin de Givenchy&rsquo;s painstaking, one-of-a-kind approach, typically reserved for private clients, dovetailed with McCartney&rsquo;s fewer-better-things ethos.
At Louis Vuitton, Nicolas Ghesqui&egrave;re brought the LV I back from the vault, the maison&rsquo;s first wristwatch from 1988, created by Italian architect and industrial designer Gae Aulenti. Its pebble-shaped gold case and crown at 12 o&rsquo;clock, inspired by historic pocket watches, established it as a design icon. Styled on a chain belt, the timepiece was modeled in the private Louvre apartments of 17th-century regent Anne of Austria, creating a subtle but striking dialogue across centuries.

Demna and artist Catherine Opie used high jewelry to define characters in Gucci&rsquo;s La Famiglia portrait series. Cocktail rings, chandelier earrings, and collar necklaces set with brilliant diamonds, rubies, tourmalines, and emeralds were paired with key personas&mdash;from La Star in a sequined fishtail gown to La Drama Queen in a feathered opera coat&mdash;creating lived-in expressions of opulent personal style. At Prada, Miuccia Prada and Raf Simons&rsquo;s new Couleur Vivante fine jewelry collection made a surprise appearance at the shows. Boldly geometric earrings in saturated gemstone pairings caught the light at every turn, punctuating the looks with unexpected color and form.&nbsp;

Gucci Spring/Summer 2026. Courtesy of Gucci.

High Jewelry’s Return to Fashion’s Main Stage

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L'OFFICIEL USA March 2026  - Penélope Cruz Cover

High Jewelry’s Return to Fashion’s Main Stage

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