We noticed a rise in vintage and vintage-inspired jewelry in 2026, and medallion jewelry is at the forefront of that movement. We're talking about coin rings, zodiac pendants, and even disc belt buckles (Dior, anyone?). We can chalk this up to a few different factors: in a lot of cases, medallion jewelry has some sort of personal symbolism and, with heirloom jewelry more popular than ever, we can conclude that we all just want some of the things we wear to mean something. We're also all warming up to statement pieces this season, and medallion jewelry pieces work well both alone and stacked. Lastly: we're all obsessed with tapping into eras past and giving old pieces a new life.
We started to take notice of the medallion resurgence when Zoë Kravitz walked the 2026 Met Gala carpet in a pair of London-based fine jeweler Jessica McCormack's Medallion Cry Baby Earrings. The earrings featured 18K gold eye-shaped medallions as the base with diamonds dripping from them.
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Mattpapz / BACKGRID Then, the internet went into a frenzy and online debates ensued about fashion versus preservation when Zendaya and stylist Law Roach made a bold sourcing and styling move. In the midst of her method dressing press tour for The Odyssey, Zendaya was photographed in London in an oversized pair of medallion earrings made from 3,000 year old Iranian artifacts.
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BACKGRIDRihanna, who we know and love for her chunky gold jewelry collection, natural talent for stacking pieces, and the medallion necklaces that serve as stars of her rotation. The chains of her necklaces are long and, in both instances, feature a circular disk that make a statement, especially when layered.
Celine SS26 // Launchmetrics
Celine SS26 // LaunchmetricsNaturally, we took a look back at the Spring/Summer 2026 runways and considered how the medallion trend was embraced by our favorite designers. The trend applies not only to jewelry, but to accessories, too—belts, in particular. On Michael Rider's Celine Spring/Summer 2026 runway, belts constructed out of a series of gold medallion disks were styled over trousers as a statement more so than a functional piece.
Dior Pre-Fall 2026 // LaunchmetricsAnd, in perhaps the boldest medallion showing of all, Dior's Pre-Fall 2026 collection presented us with the Médaillon Belt: a black leather belt with a gold or silver branded oval medallion buckle complete with a bow detail on top—the original Dior motif that Jonathan Anderson has been riffing on since his debut at the house. In that moment, a strong case was made for the medallion as a statement maker, and an ode to the past that can still feel modern.
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