The Costume Jewellery Boom: How Britain Fell in Love with Affordable Luxury
- Merna Atef
- 5 hours ago
- 3 min read
Why costume jewellery feels like the right luxury for 2025
The backdrop is complicated: slower economic growth, bills that bite, and a general sense that big purchases need a second thought. At the same time, British style culture has never been louder – TikTok, Instagram and street style feeds push a constant stream of outfits, aesthetics and micro-trends.
In the middle of that tension, costume jewellery does something clever:
It lets you change the mood of an outfit in seconds.
It gives you a touch of “I’ve made an effort” even on a day when you really haven’t.
It offers a small, sparkling reward that doesn’t feel reckless.
Recent forecasts estimate the UK costume jewellery market at about US$1.13 billion in 2024, heading towards nearly US$2 billion by 2033, growing faster than the wider jewellery category.
The new “entry-level luxury”
For a long time, the first step into luxury was a fragrance, a lipstick, maybe a small leather good. In 2025, it’s just as likely to be a pair of earrings.
Brands like Astrid & Miyu, Missoma, Monica Vinader and a wave of indie labels have made it normal to:
Stack your ears with tiny studs and huggies.
Layer three or four necklaces without feeling “too much”.
Treat yourself to a £75 bracelet that feels like a reward, not a regret.
It’s still a considered purchase – but it’s achievable.You don’t need a promotion. You just need a good week.
Inspired by Bond Street, lived on the high street
High jewellery still sets the tone.A single motif from a heritage maison – a clover, a star, a lock – can define the mood for a decade.
But where those pieces live in safes, costume jewellery lives on the body:
Worn on the Tube.
Tossed into a small dish by the sink.
Packed in a carry-on for a quick city break.
A £25 clover bracelet inspired by Van Cleef & Arpels will never feel the same as the real thing – and it shouldn’t. But it lets you borrow a little of that romance for everyday life.
That’s the subtle luxury shift:from owning something untouchable to enjoying something wearable.
Jewellery as a ritual, not just a purchase
The most interesting UK brands aren’t just selling pieces; they’re selling moments.
Think:
Piercing studios where you design a full “ear story”.
Welded bracelets done with your best friend or partner – a permanent, delicate line of gold to mark a birthday or a new chapter.
Little in-store rituals: polishing, styling advice, a quick glass of something cold on a Thursday late-night opening.
It’s luxury in a softer key. Less red rope, more “come in, we’ve been expecting you”.
How Britain is actually wearing it
Zoom in on the styling and you can see a very clear UK mood emerge.
The ear as a canvasMultiple lobe piercings, a tiny conch hoop, perhaps a single unexpected stud – the ear has become a composition rather than a single statement. It’s delicate, but undeniably considered.
Layering instead of one “big” pieceInstead of one huge necklace, you see three fine chains at different lengths: maybe a coin, a bar, a talisman. From the boardroom to the bar, it suggests someone who enjoys detail but doesn’t need a logo to do the talking.
Mixed metals & softened pearlsOld rules like “never mix gold and silver” have disappeared. Mixed-metal chains feel modern and relaxed, and pearls have gone rogue – baroque shapes, uneven sizes, unexpected pairings with leather or chunky hardware.
Even men’s jewellery is evolving beyond the occasional signet ring into subtle chains and minimal bracelets that fit seamlessly under a shirt cuff.
It all adds up to an aesthetic that could be summed up as:
