News Briefing
NEWS BRIEFING: 7 March 2026
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A curated edit of the week's global jewellery news - national and international - compiled for industry insight and trend monitoring.
💰 ‘Gold surges past $5,300 as Middle East conflict intensifies’
CBS News, 1 March 2026: Spot gold reached a new all-time high of over $5,299 an ounce, driven by surging safe-haven demand amid escalating US-Israel-Iran military hostilities, with analysts forecasting a move toward $5,500 in the coming weeks.
💰 ‘Silver nears $100 an ounce in historic run before sharp correction’
CBS News, 3 March 2026: Silver reached a near-perfect-storm high of around $120 an ounce earlier in February before pulling back sharply; experts note silver’s extreme volatility relative to gold, now trading at around $89–94 per ounce.
💰 ‘Pandora pivots to platinum plating as silver price surge hits margins’
CNBC, 5 February 2026: The world’s largest jeweller by volume reported flat like-for-like growth in Q4 2025 and guided for near-zero organic growth in 2026, announcing the launch of platinum-plated PANDORA EVERSHINE jewellery to reduce its heavy dependence on silver, which has more than doubled in price over the past year.
💰 ‘Anglo American takes third De Beers write-down as diamond market remains ‘challenging’’
Financial Times, 26 February 2026: Anglo American announced yet another impairment charge on De Beers Group — its third in three years — as the diamond producer continues to grapple with falling rough diamond prices, the rise of lab-grown alternatives, and losses exceeding $500 million in 2025.
💰‘Gold hits all-time high of $5,417 as Strait of Hormuz blockade triggers historic safe-haven rally’
Economy Middle East, 3 March 2026: Spot gold surged to an unprecedented $5,417 per ounce as Iran’s blockade of the Strait of Hormuz — threatening roughly 20% of global energy flows — drove record safe-haven buying; silver edged higher to around $89 an ounce while industrial precious metals faced downward pressure.
💰‘Gold experts forecast $5,500+ per ounce as central bank demand holds firm’
CBS News, 2 March 2026: Portfolio managers predict gold will push through $5,500 in the coming months, attributing structural support to central banks diversifying away from US dollar-denominated assets, persistent inflation, and ongoing geopolitical uncertainty.
💰‘Gold has now doubled in price in 12 months, up more than 25% since early 2025’
Fortune, 4 March 2026: Gold’s extraordinary run — passing $5,400 per ounce — represents more than a doubling of its value from a year ago; analysts attribute the gain to a cocktail of geopolitical instability, central bank accumulation and shifting investor attitudes toward hard assets.
🛍️ ‘Breitling faces private equity write-down amid rapid retail expansion’
Financial Times, 25 February 2026: Investor reports suggest private equity backers have written down the value of Swiss watchmaker Breitling, which has been battling declining sales despite an aggressive global store expansion strategy.
🛍️ ‘Saks Fifth Avenue announces closure of eight stores’
Fortune, 12 February 2026: Parent company Saks Global confirmed the closure of eight Saks Fifth Avenue locations alongside nearly all Saks Off 5th stores, a Neiman Marcus outlet, and 14 personal styling suites, signalling continued pressure on mid-to-high-end US retail.
🛍️ ‘British Museum raises £5 million to acquire Tudor jewel linked to Henry VIII’
The Guardian, 12 February 2026: The British Museum secured funding to retain a rare 24-karat heart-shaped enamelled pendant believed to have been made for a 1518 betrothal ceremony for Princess Mary, averting its sale abroad.
🛍️ ‘British Museum raises £5 million to acquire Tudor jewel linked to Henry VIII’
The Guardian, 12 February 2026: The British Museum secured funding to retain a rare 24-karat heart-shaped enamelled pendant believed to have been made for a 1518 betrothal ceremony for Princess Mary, averting its sale abroad.
🛍️ ‘WWD: luxury jewellery market expected to grow at 8.7% annually to 2030 despite gold price pressures’
Women’s Wear Daily, 7 January 2026: A major analysis finds fine jewellery continuing to outperform most luxury categories, with branded jewellery the fastest-growing segment; brands face an escalating materials cost challenge as gold prices reach historic heights, pushing designers toward creative responses including platinum, silver and alternative metals.
🛍️ ‘Brilliant Earth records $124.4 million in Q4 2025, a 4% year-on-year increase’
Fortune, February 2026: The direct-to-consumer fine jewellery brand reported record fourth-quarter revenues, reflecting sustained demand for its lab-grown diamond offer and a strong recovery in bridal categories, outperforming broader US mid-market retail.
🛍️ ‘Luxury fashion houses accelerating fine jewellery expansion as category outshines apparel’
HKTDC Newsbites, February 2026: Global revenue in the jewellery market is projected to reach US$391 billion in 2026, with brands including Gucci, Louis Vuitton and Hermès rapidly expanding fine jewellery lines to capture higher margins and stronger brand loyalty in the fastest-growing luxury category.
💎 ‘BAFTAs 2026: Cartier, Tiffany and De Beers lead red carpet jewellery at Royal Albert Hall’
W Magazine, 20 February 2026: At the 2026 BAFTAs hosted by Alan Cumming, leading contenders arrived in pieces by Cartier, Tiffany & Co., De Beers, Boucheron and Garatti, with subdued metalwork and single-statement necklaces setting the tone ahead of the Oscars.
💎 ‘Classic jewellery dominates the 2026 awards season red carpet’
Who What Wear, 29 January 2026: A survey of this season’s major ceremonies — from the Golden Globes to the BAFTAs — finds that restraint and material quality have replaced novelty: single-statement necklaces, cocktail watches, and white metals are the defining choices, signalling a broader cultural reassertion of understated values.
💎 ‘Actor Awards 2026: Tiffany & Co., Messika and Harry Winston lead Old Hollywood-themed red carpet’
W Magazine, 1 March 2026: The rebranded SAG Awards — now the Actor Awards — returned on 1 March with an Old Hollywood glamour theme; Teyana Taylor wore Jean Schlumberger by Tiffany gold and platinum diamond pieces, Wunmi Mosaku chose Messika Roc high jewellery, and Demi Moore arrived in Harry Winston diamond drops, while Michael B. Jordan wore a diamond-studded Piaget Limelight watch.
💎 ‘Kate Middleton’s bold new necklace choice sparks fashion commentary’
Woman & Home, March 2026: Fashion writers noted the Princess of Wales opting for a statement necklace markedly bolder than her usual style choices, prompting discussion about a shift in royal jewellery dressing and the influence of royal wardrobe decisions on mainstream jewellery trends.
👗‘Maximalism takes centre stage: the jewellery trends defining SS26’
Woman & Home, 30 January 2026: The spring/summer 2026 catwalks at Balenciaga, Ralph Lauren, Etro and Versace confirm a decisive shift from quiet luxury toward sculptural, high-impact jewellery; cool-toned architectural silver, bold gemstone colour and oversized forms are the key stories, with affordable jewellery increasingly delivering comparable design at a fraction of the price.
👗‘The defining jewellery trends of 2026: ring stacks, tassels, bezel settings and cocktail watches’
Who What Wear, 4 January 2026: Editors identify six macro trends for the year — sculptural cuffs, coloured gemstones, bold ring stacks, movement-focused tassel jewellery, bezel-set lab-grown diamonds and personality-driven cocktail watches — as the jewellery market moves decisively away from minimalism toward wearable self-expression.
👗‘The jewellery market in 2026 is driven by meaning, not excess: a shift in consumer values’
Marie Claire, 22 January 2026: Fashion editors report that the dominant jewellery narrative of 2026 is intentionality over novelty — sculptural cuffs, everyday diamond pieces, bezel-set lab-grown stones and leather cord pendants point to a consumer moving away from trend-chasing toward investment dressing and wearable self-expression.
👗‘Lab-grown diamonds expected to account for half of all diamond jewellery unit sales by 2030’
Business of Fashion / McKinsey, December 2025: The BoF-McKinsey State of Fashion 2026 analysis reports growing ethical consumer preferences, more affordable price points and expansion beyond bridal are driving lab-grown diamonds toward dominance, urging brands to clearly differentiate their natural and lab-grown propositions for different consumer segments.
👗‘2026 jewellery trends: maximalist, beaded, sculptural and sustainable — a full runway analysis’
Marie Claire, January 2026: A runway analysis from Chanel, Saint Laurent, Simone Rocha, Lacoste and Ralph Lauren shows beaded necklaces receiving a high-fashion upgrade, signet and pinky rings gaining new cultural capital, and ‘everyday diamonds’ — from delicate studs to stackable tennis bracelets — emerging as the mood of the season.
💍'Jewellery is set to be the fastest-growing fashion category through 2028’
Business of Fashion, December 2025: The BoF-McKinsey State of Fashion 2026 report finds that jewellery is forecast to grow at nearly four times the rate of clothing, with lab-grown diamonds expected to account for half of all diamond jewellery unit sales by 2030 and branded jewellery leading sector expansion.
🏛️ ‘Collect 2026 opens at Somerset House with 40 galleries and 300 living artists’
Dezeen, 26 February 2026: The Crafts Council’s 22nd edition of Collect — the only UK art fair dedicated to museum-quality contemporary craft — opened at Somerset House from 27 February to 1 March, with Goldsmiths’ Fair presenting British jewellers Jo Hayes Ward, Jacqueline Cullen and Emmeline Hastings alongside metalworkers and ceramic artists from across the globe.
🏛️ ‘Noonans Mayfair to auction late Lady Wardington’s personal jewellery collection’
Prism News, 28 February 2026: London auction house Noonans Mayfair will offer the estate jewellery of the late Lady Wardington (1927–2014) on 10 March, featuring mid-20th-century pieces including Colombian emerald and diamond earrings, a diamond and platinum bracelet and a brooch pendant.
🏛️ ‘Museum of the Jewellery Quarter reopens with expanded guided tour programme’
Birmingham Museums, February 2026: The Smith & Pepper time-capsule factory museum in Birmingham has reopened with an enhanced schedule of guided tours running Thursday to Saturday through 27 March, celebrating the city’s goldsmithing and metalworking heritage.
🏛️ ‘V&A announces major Schiaparelli exhibition opening 28 March — first in UK dedicated to the Maison’
Artlyst / Londonist, March 2026: The Victoria and Albert Museum will open Schiaparelli: Fashion Becomes Art on 28 March, presenting over 200 objects — garments, accessories, jewellery, perfumes and archive material — spanning the house’s history from the 1920s to the present; the show runs until 8 November 2026 and is expected to rival the museum’s sold-out McQueen, Dior and Chanel exhibitions.
🏛️ ‘Noonans Mayfair offers Lady Wardington’s mid-century jewellery collection, 10 March’
Prism News, 4 March 2026: The sale at Noonans Mayfair on 10 March includes Colombian emerald and diamond earrings, diamond and platinum bracelets and a significant brooch pendant from the personal collection of the late Lady Wardington, described by the auction house as ‘one of society’s most glamorous women of the mid-20th century’.
