Quiet luxury has been left behind by jewellery buyers with UK-based Dawsons Auctioneers saying that its recent sales data, shows auction demand is “shifting towards more ostentatious statement pieces, with some of the highest-selling items providing insight on shifting tastes in luxury jewellery”.

Based on this, it believes colourful pieces are set to dominate 2026 style trends, with a focus on coloured gemstones and slightly unusual gems. It also said that chunkier, textured and hammered, mid-century pieces are coming back in fashion and gold outshines all other precious metals, by far. And natural pearls emphasise a premium on scarcity.

Looking at those trends in more detail, recent auction sales and prices suggest that colours are once again popular, “with coloured gemstones experiencing an explosive resurgence in auction popularity”. Special importance is given to stones with rare and coveted origins, like the Kashmir sapphire on a Cartier brooch that Dawsons recently sold for £340,000 — a 325% increase from its original estimate of £80,000 — and a Victoria sapphire and diamond cluster bangle going for £70,000 after an original estimate of £15,000.

Other notable jewellery sales featuring coloured gemstones include an Edwardian dress ring with a Burmese ‘pigeon blood’ ruby that had a hammer price of £3,300, as well as a Colombian emerald and diamond cluster ring selling for £26,000.

Beyond these traditional gemstones, auctioneers also predict a surge in interest for lesser known gemstones like tourmaline, and gems producing interesting optical effects like opal and colour-change sapphires.

As for those chunkier styles, Dawsons said it’s “another snub to contemporary minimalism”. The auctioneers have observed a renewed interest in previously unpopular pieces from makers like Andrew Grima and Kutchinsky, typically featuring chunky yellow gold and textured organic finishes, also often featuring coloured gemstones.

Recent standout sales include an emerald-cut diamond solitaire ring by Kutchinsky with a central diamond of an estimated 5.45ct that sold for £22,000, and a diamond necklace going for £15,000. An Andrew Grima cocktail ring also recently went for the hammer price of £4,000.

As mentioned, gold is key and the rising price of gold makes this understandable from an investment point of view rather than just an aesthetic one.

Dawsons sales data shows gold outshining any other precious metal in both quantity sold and hammer price. Yellow Gold is also a characteristic of the chunkier mid-century pieces that have attracted recent demand.

And the natural pearl popularity appears to be continuing the trend for rarity and exclusivity. Natural pearls have seen a surge in interest, as shown by the recent sale of an early 20th Century natural pearl necklace with a diamond-set clasp for £14,000 (from an initial guide price of £1,200) and another Edwardian example selling for £2,400.

Dawson MD Jonathan Pratt said that “while it can be difficult to point toward definitive trends, it looks like the days of ‘stealth wealth’ might be fading. In many areas of art and design we are seeing a return to maximalism, and jewellery trends are no exception so far.

“We are seeing at once a resurgence of colour in the sales of rubies, emeralds, and sapphires, as well as a premium placed on rare provenance for the stones themselves.

“This demand for exclusivity is also seen in the high prices commanded by natural pearl items, which are much more sought after than human-induced ‘cultured pearls’. Likewise, the rarity of old cut diamonds, as recently seen in Taylor Swift’s engagement ring, means that these items perform especially well at auctions.

“The trend towards more ‘showy’ pieces also coincides with new-found appreciation for mid-century jewellery that was unpopular for a very long time. Chunkier gold pieces from the 1970s all the way back to the 40s are currently experiencing demand that we haven’t seen in a long time.”