Blame it on the worldwide fervor for Game of Thrones or a divided political landscape here in the U.S., but jewelry featuring ancient armor—swords, shields, and daggers—has lately been capturing the amour of edgy jewelry lovers.

The allure of armor motifs in jewelry is easy to comprehend. Is there a millennial woman alive who wouldn’t feel a bit tougher (and more stylish) with a pair of diamond-studded daggers dangling from her ears?

In past style eras, such nods to medieval times in jewelry design have felt hokey, or far too teen-goth for grownups. But there’s never been a better time to don a dagger or two—jewelry designers dabbling in armor-inspired pieces are using a very light hand. And many are offering up creative reinterpretations of ancient battle gear.

Here are a few of my favorite armor-inspired pieces currently on the market:

14k gold and black diamond earring, $588; Labulgara 

Diamond Kite Shield ring, $6,900; Polly Wales 

 

Waves dagger amulet necklace, $675; David Yurman 

Etched Sword brass earrings, $85; Luv AJ 

18k gold and diamond earring, $460; Sansoeurs  

(Top: Bronze Five Fleur De Lys ring, $322; Pyrrha)

Emili Vesilind

JCK Senior Editor