7 Jewelry Thoughts I Had While Watching the Grammys

I want to know how, where and why so many musicians change clothes multiple times throughout the evening at the Grammys. They arrive in one look and then they are in the audience in another one. Some change a third time when they present on stage. Obviously they change if they are performing. I guess I know why they do it, for press and photos. But we rarely really see what they have on in the audience.

Chappell Roan, who shook the red carpet in Mugler and Buccellati and the nipple rings, appeared to be wearing vintage Indian silver bracelets in the audience. I saw it for a hot second. On stage presenting, she was in an armband.

It’s a lot of effort for very little payoff and a lot of frustration for those of us trying to track things. It makes those who don’t change like, say, Bad Bunny, who had on a single diamond hoop and a sensational black velvet Schiaparelli suit with a cinched waist, the first men’s ensemble from the House, look like they were showing remarkable sartorial restraint.

Following are more of my jewelry thoughts on the evening…

1. Doechii wore two ‘90s trends: shoulder dusters and bangles

On the red carpet, Doechii explained to E! that her custom Roberto Cavalli outfit drew inspiration from the Italian designer’s work from around 1996 to 2001. What you could not see on TV was the incredibly long train shown in the video Instagram post from her stylist Sam Woolf below. Perhaps this would’ve been better seen on stage?

Doechii paired the late-20th-century inspired Cavalli with jewelry that paid tribute to the same period:

Chopard rubellite tourmalines, black diamond beads and pink pastel sapphire shoulder dusters with a flower motif on top and bangles from goodness knows where.

2. Lady Gaga’s only jewel was her engagement ring

When a celebrity gets engaged, they usually have a way of posing, putting their hand out and fully showing off the ring. After receiving her giant, elongated oval-cut diamond engagement ring from Michael Polansky in July 2024, Lady Gaga flaunted it at the Venice Film Festival a couple of months later. The pictures were so good, they are the finale of my book, The History of Diamond Engagement Rings.

Most stars never quite show off their rings again in the same way, but at the Grammys Gaga only wore her ring on the red carpet which was a way of centering it with her black feather dress by Matières Fécales.

She didn’t wear it when she performed or get it back from whoever had it when she returned to her seat in the audience(?!). Anyway, she thanked Michael from the stage when she won a Grammy. It was all very sweet.

3. It looks like Pharrell is wearing two Georgian diamond jewels

The cut-down, blackened setting that is a hallmark of Georgian jewelry is clearly evident in the diamond rivière and longer necklace that Pharrell wore with his dusty rose Louis Vuitton suit.

The question is whether the pieces are vintage or inspired by the old look. His jewelry, which also included a grill and modern studs, makes me think his contract with Tiffany must be over.

4. The Biebers did couples dressing

Hot on the heels of dressing Margot Robbie to the nines for a week of “Wuthering Heights” press, stylist Andrew Mukamal came up with looks for Justin and Hailey Bieber at the Grammys. The couple, who is so often criticized by the internet for seeming to be out of sync style-wise, were perfectly coordinated in black ensembles. He had on custom Balenciaga and she was in Alaia.

They accessorized their black outfits with white diamond jewels from Lorraine Schwartz. He sported a diamond necklace. And she had on a very cool white metal choker with a huge pear shape diamond and gigantic pear shape diamond earrings. They both accented their ensembles with “Ice Out” pin

5. Teyana Taylor wears jewelry like none other

Teyana Taylor styles herself, and my gawd, she is good at it. At the Grammys, she picked a daring gown from the Tom Ford collection designed by Haider Ackerman. I feel like most stylists would’ve stopped there. They would have let the fashion, which is really quite a piece of art, just be. Maybe they would’ve added a little earring.

But this is not Teyana’s way. She tossed on a necklace from Tiffany’s years-old HardWear collection and made it look new again. The jewel also made the bold fashion look entirely her own.

6. Sabrina Carpenter wore her diamond “SC” ring when she performed

I couldn’t find a good image of it, but you could clearly see Sabrina Carpenter’s pavé set diamond “SC” ring when she performed. I like that she has this signature jewel and wears it all the time.

She sported the piece, made by Maison Raksha on the cover of her album, “Man’s Best Friend.” She also had it on her backstage scenes with Taylor Swift in the documentary about the Eras Tour. The repeated wearing infuses it with meaning.

7. Chappell Roan paired Buccellati with nipple rings

It doesn’t get much more classic and traditional in Italian jewelry than Buccellati. The company is renowned for its hand-engraved gold designs, which have remained largely unchanged for decades. I don’t recall ever seeing Buccellati jewelry on the red carpet, though it may have appeared once or twice over the years.

Well, Chappell Roan dusted off a few Buccellati jewels including an Étoilée Color Necklace highlighted with spessartine, rubies and sapphires and a couple of pairs of earrings. She wore them with a Mugler by Miguel Castro Freitas recreation of a gown from 1998. On TV she looked like the image above.For the red carpet photos, she unveiled and showed the nipple rings. It took just one hot second for the internet to investigate the breast jewels and come to the conclusion that they were prosthetics holding up the chiffon gown. Vanity Fair has the details on it all in the Instagram above, as well as the original rendition which was worn by a model who had authentic nipple rings. Underscoring, once more, the realness of the 1990s.