If a colorful statement necklace gives you flashbacks to nights wearing business casual in the club, it might be time for retinol. The good news is, you can dig those oversized necklaces back out of your jewelry box—the millennial’s once-beloved statement necklace is back, and even Queen Camilla is quickly hopping on the trend. At a State Banquet during her visit to the United States, Queen Camilla wore a honking amethyst necklace pulled from the royal vaults.
The design was an unusual choice, rarely seen in the last several decades since Queen Elizabeth II wasn’t a fan of the necklace. The oversized necklace was too big to be casual, but the amethyst stones are too casual to be overly formal. “Queen Camilla’s choice of the Kent Amethyst necklace is a highly deliberate one,” jewellery expert Nilesh Rakholia, Founder of Abelini, explains exclusively to Marie Claire.
“The design is centred around large cabochon-cut amethysts, each surrounded by diamonds,” Nilesh says. “Cabochon stones have a very different presence to faceted diamonds or coloured gems. They don’t sparkle in the same way, instead they hold colour and depth, which gives the piece a more grounded, almost sculptural quality.”
“This is a piece that dates back to the early 19th century, originally belonging to the Duchess of Kent,” Nilesh explains. “These are substantial gemstones, and the size gives the necklace real presence,” which Nilesh feels creates “a balance between opulence and restraint, which is what allows it to work so effectively in a formal setting.”
“Amethyst is not the most obvious choice for a state occasion,” he says. “Choosing amethyst feels more personal and slightly unexpected, while still entirely appropriate.”
The slightly-casual-yet-over-the-top royal necklace fits right into the current maximalism jewelry trend. Dissecting the latest jewelry trend for Summer 2026, Emma Childs wrote for Marie Claire, “everywhere I look, I see maximalist beaded necklaces in place of hair-thin chains” and declared “big ol’ beaded necklaces are back, baby—and I’m not mad about it.”
“To staunch minimalists, or those scarred by the statement necklaces of the 2010s, the chunky beaded necklace comeback might feel out of left field, perhaps even unwelcome,” Childs explained, “But considering that maximalist beads were popular outfit finishers on the Spring 2026 runways, the writing has been on the wall for a handful of months now.”
Indeed, the chunky, heavy necklaces of the 2010 era are back. The good news is, the same necklace works for work, school, date night, or your junior prom.
