Duchess of Cambridge Kate Middleton set off a rush to find acorn jewelry when she wore a custom-made Robinson Pelham pair on her wedding day in 2011.
The pair, inspired by her family’s coat of arms, featured pavé diamonds adorning a motif of oak leaves and acorns dangling through the center of open teardrop shapes.
The earrings, commissioned by the bride’s parents, were exquisite. So it wasn’t at all surprising to see a swarm of copycats in their wake—as well as a renewed interest in jewelry featuring acorns in any capacity.
Acorn symbolism in jewelry has been around for a while. You may see it in Victorian jewelry, where horticulture was a hot theme, and a quick google search turns up a surprising amount of costume jewelry from the 1950s.
The revival has not been short-loved: In 2017 my colleague Amy Elliott shared some spectacular pieces of acorn jewelry, just in time for Thanksgiving.
Two years later, I shall do the same. Only this time, we’ll highlight jewels by a single jeweler, Reinstein Ross.
The New York City brand was recently chronicled here on JCK, also by Amy, who covered its brand reinvention—from its new digs, logo, and website to its chic new marketing campaign.
Reinstein and Ross’s acorn jewels are modern in make, but many have an old-world vibe to them, with their honeyed 20k gold and granulated metalwork. Rich fancy sapphires lend an opulent holiday pop that feels particularly festive.
In addition to the acorns, a couple of leafy pieces provide the perfect companions to an ear party I’d really like to score an invitation to.
We tend to seek icons like the acorn this time of year as anything even remotely related to the harvest is clamored for. But acorn jewelry is truly seasonless, said to bring good luck to the wearer and representing growth, prosperity, and youth.
And on the note of acorns, I’ve been hearing that the acorn is primed to be the next big superfood, so look for a healthy serving of them on the plate of your next trendy restaurant meal. I’ll refrain from judgment until I try them, but for now, these jewels definitely look good enough to eat.
Top: Oak leaf and acorn earrings in 20k peach gold with multicolor sapphires, $12,800
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