Dramatic or Demure: The Best Jewellery Looks of the Golden Globes 2025

As the first major award show of the season, everyone looks to the Golden Globes as a barometer of style and success. Often, what our favourite Hollywood elites wear to this Los Angeles feast will dictate what happens on red carpets until March, when the Academy Awards put a creative full stop on proceedings. On Sunday, January 5, the red carpet was awash with statement necklaces, lashings of diamond rings, eye-catching drop earrings and some beautiful archival pieces, albeit with demure overtones. Think ultra-feminine jewellery dressing and you’ll be on the right lines! Here’s a rundown of the top looks… 

Noticeable Neckwear

Some necks were conspicuously lacking a necklace of any description. I often wonder if stylists believe that a bare neck is a route towards exuding a clean, sophisticated image, something that they think would be hampered by the addition of diamonds and coloured stones. Whatever the case may be, where necklaces were added to ensembles, the lights seemed to shine that much brighter! 

Sarah Paulson contrasted the soft, feathery nature of her black gown with the Art Deco-inspired Forces of Nature ‘Individuality’ diamond choker by De Beers, set with 41.56 carats of diamonds and onyx. To add a bit of extra sparkle, she added a second necklace – a classic 21.51-carat round brilliant-cut diamond line necklace – because why wear one when you can wear two? Speaking of chokers, Golden Globe award-winning actress Anna Sawai looked sensational in a structured white Dior gown with a Cartier choker from 1996, set with diamonds in white gold (the reverse side is smooth yellow gold). Actress Elle Fanning also stood out in Cartier, opting for a yellow gold Panthère torque that accentuated the leopard print fabric in her Balmain ballgown. 

The real winners were the statement necklace wearers: Zoe Saldaña, Zendaya, Sofía Vergara, Salma Hayek, Kate Hudson, and Anya Taylor-Joy, with a special mention going to Rachel Brosnahan who paired forest green dress with a David Yurman peridot drop necklace. The clashing shades of green shouldn’t work in theory, and yet they both seemed to enhance the other. All eyes were on Zoe Saldaña, who snapped up the Golden Globe for Best Performance by a Female Actor in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy, wearing chocolate brown sequinned Saint Laurent. Unsurprisingly, she chose warm yellow and white diamonds by Cartier for the occasion, taking the form of a lariat that swooped just below her collarbones and down the chest. 

Zendaya continued her red carpet winning streak with a rust-hued orange gown by Louis Vuitton, matched with a Bvlgari High Jewellery necklace, set with 48 carats of diamonds and an oval-shaped Paraiba tourmaline, alongside a pair of matching earrings and rings. Other stars explored colour too, such as Salma Hayek wearing lashings of Lorraine Schwartz emeralds and Kate Hudson opting for a 44-carat pear-shaped sapphire and diamond Bvlgari necklace to bring out the midnight blue hue of her Carolina Herrera dress. 

Natural diamonds were everywhere on the red carpet, but some did them better than others. The best example of this is Sofía Vergara, who donned a Lorraine Schwartz necklace with 140 carats of gems, including a 35-carat marquise-cut diamond at its centre. A pair of 28-carat pear-shaped diamond drop earrings were the sparkling finishing touch. Kudos must also go to Selena Gomez, who looked stunning in a baby blue Prada gown accessorised with the Blue Book 2024: Tiffany Céleste Shooting Star necklace. This jewel features tendrils of diamonds that wrap around the neck, leading the eye to an 18-carat emerald-cut diamond pendant.

Finally, let’s spare a moment to celebrate the continuing relationship between Anya Taylor-Joy and the House of Tiffany & Co. The star found the perfect balance between the rosy-pink shade of her Dior gown and the peachy tones in a special series of opal cabochons (totalling 64 carats), housed in the Blue Book 2024: Tiffany Céleste Star Burst Crystal Opal necklace. A simple pair of diamond studs finished the sleek aesthetic nicely.

Precious Combinations

Yes, there were some beautiful earrings on display. Similarly, there were some lovely diamond rings on the red carpet, too. However, there was something special happening for the eagle-eyed jewellery viewers! Those not wearing necklaces seemed to gravitate towards earring-and-ring combinations, creating a sense of unity and order as the eye sweeps from the top to the bottom of a look. Great examples of this are Cara Delevingne who wore the Forces of Nature by De Beers ‘Individuality’ diamond drop earrings and matching ‘Individuality’ rings with approximately 30 carats of diamonds combined. British actress Kate Winslet also stood out in Martin Katz Jewels, including a pair of back and white diamond Deco earrings and an Asscher-cut black diamond ring, which supported the black embroidery in her cream suit. 

More honourable mentions include Zoë Kravitz in Jessica McCormack diamond Chandelier earrings, a pear-shaped diamond Button Back ring, and an oval-shaped diamond eternity ring; Nicole Kidman in Boucheron High Jewellery; Mindy Kaling in Bucherer Fine Jewellery; Mikey Madison in Tiffany & Co. diamonds; Cynthia Erivo channelling maximalism in Roberto Coin, and Cate Blanchett in custom Louis Vuitton. 

Focusing on earrings, there were some standouts who stepped away from the subtlety of demure diamonds. Golden Globe winner Fernanda Torres wore a great pair of Fernando Jorge High Stream Large Loop earrings, while nominated actress Cristin Milioti wore a pair of diamond and emerald drop earrings from the Boucheron Historic de Style Art Deco collection. Margaret Qualley also wowed in Chanel High Jewellery, especially the Plume Singulière head jewel from the house’s latest Plume de Chanel high jewellery collection. Finally, Kristen Bell offered one of our favourite jewellery looks of the night, pairing a sleek champagne-coloured gown with Reza diamond ear climbers, a sandblasted rose gold cuff bracelet (the texture matched her dress perfectly!), also with diamonds, and a selection of diamond rings. 

A Lesson in Subtlety

If I had to make a prediction for the rest of the season, I would summarise my thoughts in three words: subtle, shimmering, and storytelling. The Angelina Jolie route encapsulates the former – with subtle (yet not boring!) stacks of Messika diamonds in her ears and a chain linking a cartilage piercing to her lobe, too.  Rather than the more obvious sparkle of diamonds, there seems to be a shift toward shimmering, like the Georgian ideal of catching candlelight with rose-cut diamonds. I predict a shift towards an ethereal glow rather than a mega-watt shine. And, finally, there’s storytelling, whether that’s in the form of archival pieces with great stories to tell, vintage jewels, one-of-a-kind creations or thematic influences (Zendaya was reportedly inspired by ‘bombshell’ singer Joyce Bryant for her look). Let’s see if these theories play out over the coming months!

Before we move onto the men, a quick note. Although we don’t typically write about ‘costume jewellery’, it is important to acknowledge that the Golden Globes 2025 was a great night for both Swarovski and Pandora. Cecil B. DeMille Award winner Viola Davis wore a brilliantly bold pair of Swarovski multi-coloured drop earrings that picked out the rainbow threads in her caped dress. Another big star, Ariana Grande, wore an Audrey Hepburn-inspired vintage yellow Givenchy gown from 1966, coupled with a Swarovski choker and earrings. Pandora continued its relationship with Pamela Anderson

Best Dressed Men

Rejoice! Adrian Brody is back in an inky black masterpiece by Elsa Jin. It’s called the ‘Mozi’ brooch and is inspired by the calligraphy ink used by a great philosopher from ancient China. In the centre, a black 17mm Tahitian pearl sits surrounded by 5,169 black diamonds (221.07 carats), 165 grey diamonds (7.07 carats), and 44 emeralds (1.8 carats), all set in a flowing titanium framework. Elsewhere, Jeff Goldblum accessorised the lapels of his powder blue suit with a quartet of De Beers brooches, including the 15.40-carat Magnetism brooch, the 20.94-carat Spirituality brooch, and a further two pieces weighing 2.62 and 3.80 carats respectively. 

British singer Robbie Williams adorned his sparkling lilac suit with a Deco Diamond Geometric pin by Martin Katz Jewels; Colman Domingo wore a suite of Boucheron diamond jewels, including a brooch, climber earrings up one ear and a statement pinky ring; Kieran Culkin opted for a Tiffany & Co. Bird on a Rock brooch with a fancy intense yellow diamond weighing more than 23 carats; Andrew Garfield upped the style stakes in Gucci with a David Yurman necklace, and Timothee Chalamet showcased his own inimitable sense of style with a diamond bracelet and matching ring. 

What a way to start Hollywood’s glitziest season! Although not perfect from a jewellery perspective, there was plenty to commend this year’s Golden Globes. If we could ask a teeny tiny favour of Hollywood’s mega stylists, though… please, bring us some more colour! Diamonds are beautiful, for sure, but they aren’t the only route to elevated elegance.