Fashion's biggest night delivered some of its boldest jewellery moments yet, here's everything you need to know.
The 2026 Met Gala didn't just raise a record £33.6 million for the Costume Institute, it wowed us with the jewellery on display. With the "Fashion Is Art" dress code asking guests to treat their outfits and accessories as fine art objects, the steps of the Metropolitan Museum of Art became a gallery of the most extraordinary gems, stones, and sculptural pieces. From ancient heirloom pieces to newly minted high jewellery commissions, here are the trends that defined the night.
When it came to rings, it seems the guests agreed the bigger, the better.
Cher, a living legend, attended her first Met Gala in over a decade. She adorned her all-black Burberry ensemble with stacks of bright, bold, diamond rings, mixing solitaires on white gold bands with bombé and eternity rings. The bold, sculptural addition perfectly finished off her self-referential look, which harked back to her first Met Gala in 1974, when she wore a Bob Mackie naked dress that dripped in sequins. Whilst her naked dress this year was all black, her mass of diamond rings referenced that iconic first appearance, tying the whole ensemble.
Blake Lively arrived in archival Versace with jewellery by Lorraine Schwartz, and her oversized rings complemented her look with the kind of striking elegance she's become known for on this particular red carpet. The pieces included coloured gemstones that perfectly picked up the tones of her dress. A large, deep purple amethyst cluster sat on one hand and a 20 carat pink sapphire elongated cushion-cut solitaire on the other. These were worn alongside a collection of diamond cuts including a 30 carat intense yellow diamond and a 40 carat kunzite.
Ciara, dressed as the female pharaoh Nefertiti, Ciara looked as though she had been dipped in gold: from her sculptured, gold-leafed hair to the bracelets around her wrists. Her chunky ring stack only added to the costume, with a mixed-metal arrangement including solid gold bands and pavé diamond cocktail rings. Her husband Russell Wilson complimented her look with his own statement white gold and diamond rings.
Hailey Bieber, wore custom Saint Laurent and had everyone talking. Her 24 carat gold corset was moulded to her figure and seemed more like a jewellery piece than top. Paired with a lapis lazuli blue skirt and matching scarf, it referenced the house's 1969 collaboration with Claude Lalanne, and was a nod to Yves Klein's legendary monochromes in that same deeply saturated blue. Her rings followed suit: a bold yellow gold band complemented the corset, while a unique channel-set emerald and sapphire bombé ring picked up the vibrant tones of her skirt and scarf.
No category better captured the spirit of "Fashion Is Art" than statement necklaces. This year, guests didn't just wear necklaces, they wore masterpieces.
Amanda Seyfried paired a blush-pink custom Prada ballgown with a Tiffany & Co. High Jewellery necklace. Set in 18 carat yellow gold and platinum, the piece featured blue zircons, cabochon emeralds, and diamonds. The bold, colourful mix of stones complemented the delicate pink of her gown, showcasing a fresh and springful interpretation of the theme.
Anne Hathaway, fresh from The Devil Wears Prada 2 press tour, wore Bulgari alongside her custom hand-painted Michael Kors Collection gown. The Bulgari Magnifica High Jewellery diamond spike necklace was bold and architectural. The Cleopatra-style perfectly complemented the antique motifs that decorated her black and white gown, and channelled the house's Greek heritage. The sculptural structure of the piece also worked beautifully against the gown's heavy canvas fabric.
In her first Met Gala appearance at just 14 years old, Blue Ivy Carter wore a diamond Lumé Rivière necklace by British house Henry & Henry, a piece that reinterprets the Georgian cut-back setting for a modern take on historic jewellery. The centrepiece was a 5.39 carat yellow diamond, framed by a graduating strand of white diamonds.
If diamonds are forever, coloured stones were the jewels of 2026, and deep, saturated sapphires along with vivid green emeralds dominated the Gala.
Lisa of BLACKPINK, who was also serving on the host committee for the 2026 Met Gala, wore a Robert Wun gown with 3D-printed arms (giving her more arms to cover in fine jewellery!). She accessorised with a Bulgari High Jewellery Sapphire necklace from the Eclettica collection: a 50 carat oval cabochon sapphire encircled by a halo of brilliant-cut diamonds, along with matching earrings. The design featured sapphires and white diamonds pavé-set in geometric patterns. Diamond bracelets and rings from Bulgari filled the remaining sculptural arms of her dress, including the house's iconic snake motif in both ring and bracelet form.
Christine Taylor, also accessorised her cobalt blue strapless gown by Bibhu Mohapatra, with bright blue sapphires. The pieces from Nini Jewellery, featured a large cabochon sapphire set into a diamond cluster ring and earrings that arranged sapphire and diamond clusters into a geometric statement piece. They took classic shape and made it into a funky modern look.
Isha Ambani's ensemble took the carpet's breath away with its showstopping yet sentimental combination of jewels. Her cascading necklaces were anchored by a 50 carat Colombian emerald by Lorraine Schwartz. The stone had previously been worn by Angelina Jolie as a ring at the 2009 Oscars. Her custom Gaurav Gupta sari was encrusted with over 200 old mine-cut diamonds, and placed at the back of her look was a historic Sarpech. The jewelled turban ornament once belonged to the Nizam of Hyderabad and added a piece of history to an already extraordinary display.
Nia Long made her Met Gala debut in a chic LaQuan Smith custom gown that let her Leviev jewellery truly pop: a classic yet elegant set of necklace, ring, and earrings all set with Colombian emeralds adorned with halos of white diamonds.
Sabine Getty, the jewellery designer was one of the evening's most watched style figures. Her corset emulated a nude baroque painting, and on her finger she wore a large emerald cluster ring that exactly mirrored the one painted onto her costume. Mirroring the art she wore.
Pearls have been a red carpet staple for decades, but the 2026 Met Gala showcased them at their best.
Emily Blunt wore a $500,000 Mikimoto pearl body necklace, featuring 156 Akoya pearls and 4.86 carats of white diamonds, draped across her silhouette and contrasting her textured black corset. Worn with multi-strand Akoya pearl bracelets, the piece transformed jewellery from an accessory into the garment itself.
Kylie Jenner wore a classic take on pearls with her Schiaparelli look. Her necklace and earrings featured knots of intertwined pearls that completed the simple elegance of her Schiaparelli corset, and carried the classic glamour of her undone gown all the way through to her jewellery.
Kendall Jenner was dressed in a cream Gap Studio by Zac Posen gown, inspired by the Hellenistic Greek sculpture Winged Victory of Samothrace. This was worn alongside Buccellati earrings that leaned into the costume’s art historical theme. Her drop pearl earrings and large pearl ring perfectly completed the statuesque, Hellenistic mood of the look.
Princess Gauravi Kumari of Jaipur made her Met Gala debut in her grandmother Maharani Gayatri Devi's vintage sari, reworked into a gown by Prabal Gurung. Her pearl necklace from The Gem Palace in Jaipur, featuring traditional Indian rose-cut diamonds, pearls, and rubies from the house's Victorian collection. It was a masterclass in wearing family history as high jewellery, with both the chiffon and the pearls serving as a deeply personal tribute to her grandmother. She attended alongside Maharaja Sawai Padmanabh Singh, whose traditional kundan meena necklaces were made of uncut diamonds set into 24-karat gold foil.
The brooch has reasserted itself as the definitive way for men to dress up black tie.
Troye Sivan made headlines by arriving in jeans to fashion's most formal night. Adorning his look was an ensemble of Pandora lab-grown diamond brooches. The piece was a nod to the streets of New York in the 1980s and 90s and the photographers who captured that era.
Connor Storrie made his Met Gala debut in a Saint Laurent outfit that incorporated multiple Tiffany & Co. brooches. At his neckline, a double-brooch arrangement featured cushion cabochon rubellites and natural diamonds. On his lapel, was a Jean Schlumberger Fleurage brooch in platinum and 18 carat yellow gold, with a rubellite of over three carats. This brought sculptural brilliance and heritage design to the look.
Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson appeared in a custom Thom Browne suit complete with a pleated skirt that he connected to Polynesian lavalava culture. A brooch on his lapel added to the architectural silhouette with sweeping arms studded with diamonds, and bright emeralds, punctuating the black and white outfit with vivid colour. He also adorned his wrist with a £2.4 million Jacob & Co. Billionaire III.
Of course, the best accessories are always the ones that mean the most, and what ring is more meaningful than an engagement ring?
Law Roche, the celebrated stylist behind looks for stars including Zendaya, was spotted sporting an enormous Leviev 53 carat diamond ring. It featured a central emerald-cut diamond flanked by two smaller emerald-cut diamonds on the shoulders. In a night full of extraordinary gems, a truly great engagement ring still manages to stop everyone in their tracks, especially when that ring is over 50 carats big!
From Colombian emeralds with Oscar history to a $500,000 pearl body necklace, the 2026 Met Gala proved once and for all that jewellery isn't just an accessory, it's the art itself.
To add to your own art collection, shop at Wave Antiques.