Celebrity Jewelry

Judge the Jewels: Rihanna Schools Us in High-Low Dressing by Piling on Pearls with a Tee and Jeans

Pearls are popular at the moment, but the most interesting trend here is the pairing of an extreme amount of fine jewelry with an otherwise very casual outfit.

Published

12 months ago

April 29, 2024

Becky Stone

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A post shared by Ariel Saidian (@josephsaidianandsonsjewelry)

The sighting: Musical artist and billionaire businesswoman Rihanna was recently spotted heading to dinner at a restaurant in Santa Monica, CA. She chose a fascinating outfit for the occasion, featuring very casual clothes topped with a bounty of jewelry.

The jewels: Rihanna is wearing at least five separate pearl necklaces, based on my very scientific analysis (squinting at the photo and trying to count).

There’s an extremely long multi-strand pearl necklace that is looped multiple times to hang at her hips and mid-section, a mid-length necklace of large, golden pearls, a clavicle-length necklace of white large pearls, and two chokers: one double-strand necklaces of smallish pearls and another one that’s hard to see but appears to alternate between pearls and gold elements that might contain some kind of gemstone.

She is also wearing a white metal watch with diamonds and a large diamond cocktail ring. The only piece I’ve been able to positively identify is the ring, which is a vintage piece from Joseph Saidian and Sons Jewelry.

The trends: Pearls are popular at the moment, but the most interesting trend here is the pairing of an extreme amount of fine jewelry with an otherwise very casual outfit. InStyle called it “high-low dressing” in their article about this look.

The combination is surprising in the best way and I absolutely hope this trend takes off. More jewelry all the time, please, people!

What do we think? Rihanna loves a big ol’ pile of pearls, but what’s notable about this look is the context – a baggy t-shirt and oversized jeans are not an outfit typically accessorized with multiple ropes of pearls and large diamonds. The juxtaposition of the ultraluxe feminine jewels with the extremely casual, traditionally masculine outfit is what makes this so compelling.

Judgement: 16/10 for a really fun and unexpected jewelry moment.

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