The Most Wanted · Summer Trends
The Shell Necklace
The one accessory that carries a whole summer — a little sea, a little gold, worn against sun-warmed skin.
The one accessory that carries a whole summer — a little sea, a little gold, worn against sun-warmed skin.
The shell necklace returns every summer — but this year it has grown up. Gone is the puka-shell souvenir of holidays past. In its place: the gilded, gold-set, mother-of-pearl version, worn with real intention.
It is the accessory the fashion set reaches for the moment the temperature climbs — when the clothes get simpler and the jewellery does the talking. Against bare, sun-warmed skin, a single shell on a fine chain says faraway in a way nothing else can. Editors are calling it curated maximalism: charming and eclectic, but never kitschy, never cluttered — one considered piece rather than a pile.
The beauty of it is the range. Below, the gilded shell that started it, the pearl and shell for the beachy-elegant crossover, the stone and shell for a little colour, the statement pieces worth the drama, and the easy shell to throw on and go. A little sea, a little gold — and the whole summer with it.
Every piece in the edit — tap to shop the whole look.
The elevated heart of the trend: natural shells set in gold, polished and sculptural, worn on a fine chain against bare skin. This is the grown-up shell necklace — expensive-looking, considered, and nothing like the beach-stall version. TOHUM leads the category with its gold-plated seashell and ceramic pieces, the ones you will see on every well-travelled neck this summer, while Anni Lu and Martha Calvo keep it easy and gleaming. A little sea, set in gold.
Where the shell meets the pearl — the beachy-elegant crossover, softer and a touch more dressed. Irregular freshwater pearls strung beside polished shells give the trend a refined, almost bridal ease, perfect over a linen dress or a bare summer shoulder. Jennifer Behr and Lizzie Fortunato do this beautifully, layering pearl, shell and stone into something that reads expensive from across the room. The prettiest way to wear the sea.
For a little colour and a little more craft: shells paired with gemstones — tiger's eye, turquoise, larimar — the pieces that read like collected treasures rather than trends. This is curated maximalism at its most considered, where a single necklace tells a whole story. Loren Stewart brings the sculptural silver-and-leather edge, Timeless Pearly and Elizabeth Cole the colour, and Julietta the deco polish. One piece, endless intrigue.
And then, the ones that carry the whole outfit. When you want the shell necklace to be the moment — bold, colourful, unapologetically coastal — these are the pieces to reach for. Lizzie Fortunato's Corfu brings the artful multi-shell drama, while ben-amun and Eliou add the pop of pink and green that turns a plain white dress into a holiday. Worn with a bare shoulder and very little else, they are all you need.
Not every shell needs to be an investment. The easy, throw-on-and-go version is the one you will actually live in all summer — over a swimsuit, under a linen shirt, straight from beach to bar. Paillette and Logan Tay keep it light, pretty and effortless, proving the trend works at every price. The whole point of a shell necklace, after all, is that it should feel like holiday.
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Every piece in this edit, by the houses behind it. Explore them all.
A little sea, a little gold, and the whole summer with it — worn against sun-warmed skin, and nothing else required.— ESVRA