The Most Wanted · Summer Trends
The Shell Necklace
One shell, against skin. The moment it becomes a souvenir, take it off.
One shell, against skin. The moment it becomes a souvenir, take it off.
The shell necklace earned its season because it is almost nothing — a disc of mother-of-pearl or a gilded scallop on a fine chain — and it changes a neckline without becoming a theme.
The versions that work look inherited, or at least unimpressed. The versions that fail look like they were bought on the last afternoon of a trip.
Here is the mistake. Stacking five shells, or wearing the necklace with a raffia hat, a straw bag and a printed dress until the whole body is a shoreline.
Wear it on a black knit in town. That is how you know it is jewellery, not holiday.
Mine is the Jennifer Behr Finley Pearl Seashell Necklace. Small, on a short chain. Anything larger starts to narrate.— K.W., Editor-in-Chief
Shell on a black crew. No other jewellery competing.
One shell, a white shirt, hair up. Stop.
Shell plus every other sea object you own.
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.
TOHUM shell and ceramic. One shell against skin. Town, so you know it is jewellery.
The Concha puka. Smaller idea. Everyday if the first feels like holiday.
Samsara in black ceramic. The shell that works with black.
Evil eye on a shell. One symbol. Not a second charm.
Seashell Smiles in gold. Charming. Severe neckline.
The Mar. Gold, sea, and finished.
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.
The Finley. Pearl and shell. Two sea ideas, one necklace — stop.
Eden. Pearl and shell again — pick this or the Finley.
Woven collar, desert pearl. A collar, not a souvenir string.
The Ailsa, larimar. Blue stone, pale shell energy, no extra beads.
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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.
Sea chalice on leather cord. Almost nothing. The piece you leave on.
Deco, brown. Shell language without a postcard.
The Dreya, tiger's eye. Brown jewellery. Intentional with brown clothes.
Shellica, turquoise. Colour. White shirt, no other stones.
Evil eye on a conch. One symbol, again. Not a stack of eyes.
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.
Corfu, multi. Print at the throat — dress plain.
Pink shell. Sweet, so the rest of you should not be.
Cabo in green. Holiday name, town rules.
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.
Paillette shell. Disc, light, and enough.
Rope and dark pink shell. Texture at the neck. No second rope.
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