A recent article in New York magazine titled “Going Dull,” which details the relief people can find when they stop always trying to be interesting, captivated me. It spoke to me personally, and it feels very much on par with where we are culturally right now.

Maybe we’re all tired, or we need a break from constantly keeping up with it all, but being boring sounds perfect at the moment. This doesn’t mean “giving up,” mind you—we’re not talking daily Netflix bingefests on the couch in sweatpants (though if that serves you, you do you). In this context, it simply means doing the things that you like because you like them, stripping away the outside influences that are always telling us we have to be “on” and relevant and exciting.

As the New York story puts it, “Dullness is…a bland blanket, a respite from an increasingly oversaturated, overprogrammed, over-whatevered world.” And as the rise of AI threatens to render some influencers jobless, we might want to get accustomed to the idea that we can and do have our own true likes and interests (many folks don’t come to understand this until they’ve reached middle age). “On the other end might be the Professionally Interesting—influencers, newsletter writers, anyone who has a financial stake in making their day-to-day seem especially vibrant,” the article reads. “As the dullsters gain in numbers, the Professionally Interesting seem to be careering toward the kind of overload that drives people to dullsterdom in the first place.”

The irony is not lost on me that I might fall into the “Professionally Interesting” category at times—certainly not an influencer, but at least bumping elbows with newsletter writer, given my regular coverage of trends. Yet here’s what makes jewelry (especially fine jewelry) so suitable for this “going dull” movement: Calling something a trend in jewelry doesn’t necessarily mean the same as it does in fashion, and it’s not close to how trends get going on TikTok or other social media.

Jewelry trends are a slow-burn kind of deal—more consumers are looking for vintage jewelry, for example, or chunky yellow gold has a hold on us. Even if such styles were trending, no one would think twice if they saw someone decked out in layers of ultramodern white metal jewels. Jewelry is so much more a personal choice than a fashion statement (though it can be both).

The clothing purchases of people who insist they don’t follow fashion are often influenced, in one way or another, by the fashion world (shall we give the cerulean monologue from The Devil Wears Prada?). Jewelry certainly is guilty of that at times, but many independent designers contributing to the market create based on what they’re feeling, not on which styles are trending.

After all, is there a more emotional purchase than jewelry? Yes, consumers sometimes select jewelry pieces because they’re “hot”—charms, chains, huggies. However, they always want jewels that speak to them, that mark an occasion, that offer some form of symbolic protection. And when certain “trends” have quieted down, we still wear these jewels that have become so special.

The idea of going dull is like a palate cleanser. A way of blocking out the white noise and rediscovering who we are, and what brings us joy, with minimal input from outside sources or worrying about what others might think of our less-than-enviable social media posts. Thankfully for our industry, jewelry suits this attitude, since at any time jewelry choices tend to be less swayed by exterior influences, more in touch with our deepest feelings.

(Photo: Getty Images)

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