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The Gold Chain Is the Versatile Jewelry Piece You Need in 2021

This timeless necklace is back in style once again. With chunky and slender options to layer or wear individually, everyone can tailor it to their personal taste.
March 9, 2021
7 mins read

Jewelry trends are constantly changing, and it can be difficult to keep up. Here’s one worth knowing about in 2021: The gold chain is back and ready to shine.

The desire to dress up and style your outfits with elegant, chic pieces of jewelry is immense after a year of quarantine. Although it is tempting to remain in your comfy sweats, it can be exciting to venture outside your house for errands, work or fun. Adding a versatile accessory like a gold chain to casual wear, professional dress or outfits for girls-night-out has a distinctive appeal that it didn’t necessarily have just a few months ago. Thus, it is essential to stay up to date on the most popular fashions and jewelry trends hitting the stores and runways.

Get the inside scoop on which kinds of gold chains are popular, where to buy them and how to mix, match and style them in your everyday life.

What Styles Are Popular?

When it comes to the newest trend of gold chain necklaces, the bigger the better. Jasmine Fox-Suliaman wrote an article for Who What Wear, describing the new bold jewelry pieces that will become more popular over the next few months. The first jewelry trends she includes are chunky gold chain necklaces, bracelets and earrings. She argues that based on what designers are producing, the fashion world should expect to see increasingly bulky pieces of heavy metal hardware and chains this spring.

Likewise, Savoir Flair has an article titled “The Chunky Chain Necklace Trend Is Back With a Vengeance.” This is a quick overview of different designers who displayed bulky gold chain pieces on the runway in 2020, including Brandon Maxwell and Marni.

In 2018, Richard Scott wrote “Yellow Gold Chains Are Back in Style,” where he explains how the market’s demands for yellow gold had “snuck in” with the rush for rose gold. Since then, the demand has only escalated. Now it appears that the fashion world is venturing into more audacious territory, expanding from slim, multilayered yellow gold chains to also include thick, conversational pieces.

Other Ways To Style Necklaces

Does the thought of wearing flashy jewelry like chunky gold chain necklaces scare you? Do you prefer lighter-weight, simplistic jewelry? If so, try layering slender golden necklaces instead.

Blogger and fashionista Gabrielle Arruda recommends keeping the thicknesses and lengths of the necklaces varied. She emphasizes the importance of staying true to your favorite styles while also branching out from the standard, pre-layered combinations. Those pieces, she argues, tend to lack the creative flair and eye-catching appeal that everyone wants to cultivate.

If layering isn’t your thing, you can still spice up your outfit with minimal effort. All you need is a gold medallion. Marie Claire’s Katie Arttado wrote an entire article that focuses on the concept of wearing a simple, classy gold medallion with a black turtleneck for an easy Zoom meeting outfit.

Daisy Shaw-Ellis recently wrote a piece for Vogue where she details the significance of medallions and their rise in popularity. Shaw-Ellis argues that medallions can be more than another piece of jewelry to throw on. Instead, they can convey personal stories of trial and triumph, a hope for the future or a special memory through customization. She connects the jewelry to its Greco-Roman history and points to how the modern medallion necklace will be appreciated throughout future generations.

Shaw-Ellis also points out that celebrities such as Gwen Stefani have been seen wearing medallions with bikinis, dresses and tank tops. Medallions can enhance practically any outfit. Similarly, Savoir Flair reassures readers that they can wear gold jewelry on their bare skin, pressed flat underneath a collar or in layers over a top. No matter what you choose to wear your gold statement pieces with, you can rest assured that you aren’t overdressing.

Where To Buy a Gold Chain

It’s one thing to find out which jewelry trends are hot in today’s society, but it’s another to know where to find these pieces. There is a wide range of purchasing options for gold chains and medallions. If you are looking for an inexpensive option, Amazon has a large selection of various gold jewelry styles that are under $20. Etsy also has numerous listings that span from $20 to $50, although there are also necklaces that cost over $150. There are several other websites that sell these popular pieces; simply type what you’re looking for into Google to start exploring.

Prefer to try necklaces on in the store? Many retailers like Target and Kohl’s sell gold necklaces, and boutiques are also beginning to carry these pieces as well. If you have a bigger spending budget and prefer a more expensive necklace, go to a jewelry store near you or purchase one online. David Yuurman, BVLGARI, Hello Noemie, Jennifer Fisher, Foundrae and countless other higher-end jewelry companies sell quality pieces that might be worth investing in.

There is no question as to whether gold chains and medallions are coming into style in 2021. Are you ready to become trendy? Figure out your budget, find your favorite styles and focus on showing off your inner fashionista. Deck your neck out with some of the most popular styles of gold chains hot off the runway. From layers of delicate, thin chains to eye-catching chunky pieces to meaningful, classy medallions, you can’t go wrong with a gold necklace this year.

Julianna Steen, Auburn University

Writer Profile

Julianna Steen

Auburn University
English Literature, minoring in History

A few of my favorite things include reading romance novels, watching action movies, baking (and consuming) anything chocolate, creating for my business, He is Simply Goodness, and going on adventures with friends and family!

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