R
eaders of this monthly Trend Report column might recall I wrote about the glories of jewelry with fringe in December. This story on tassels is like a companion piece to that ode to movement in jewelry.
Featured image courtesy of Selim Mouzanaar
It got me thinking about how tassels have shimmied throughout history and across cultures.
Selim Mouzannar
Image courtesy of Silvia Furmanovich
I was reminded of the eternality of tassels when Margot Robbie donned Elizabeth Taylor’s Taj Mahal Diamond necklace at the premiere of Wuthering Heights in Los Angeles several weeks ago. While most people were focused on the engraved heart-shape gem at the front of the jewel and the story behind it—how Richard Burton gave it to the Oscar winner for her fortieth birthday and the legend of how it passed through the hands of a couple of Indian royal collections—I was also obsessing over the jewel Cartier created for the gem. The woven gold jewel, featuring a ruby and gold tassel on the back, drew inspiration from the traditional Indian cord tassel necklace the diamond was strung on when Cartier acquired it in 1971.
Image courtesy of CICADA
It got me thinking about how tassels have shimmied throughout history and across cultures. They can be found in gold jewels of the ancient Greeks, in the aforementioned Indian designs, Marie Antoinette had diamond tassels in at least one jewel and they were a big part of jewelry in the Jazz Age.
Several COUTURE designers including CICADA, DESZO by SARA BELTRÁN, LALoUNIS, SELIM MOUZANNAR and SILVIA FURMANOVICH all take cues from the glorious history of tassels in jewelry and add their spin to the joyful motif.
Image courtesy of Selim Mouzannar
Selim Mouzannar
The tassels in Selim Mouzanar’s designs are the proverbial icing on the cake. They finish off pieces with an element of joy and surprise in just the same way the tassel on the Taj Mahal Diamond necklace sets a charming tone.
The designer’s Fish For Love necklaces feature little gold and enamel schools of fish with multi-strand gold tassels hanging from their back ends that make them appear to be swimming along.
Image courtesy of Selim Mouzannar
Selim’s series of Kastak necklaces pay tribute to pocket watch chains dating from the late Ottoman Empire. They are a dazzling jumble of various types of chains and charms and one or two tassels which he delightfully calls “pom poms.” Taylor Swift has brought the collection into the limelight. She has worn her Kastak necklace out and about on several occasions.
Image courtesy of Silvia Furmanovich
Silvia Furmanovich
Silvia Furmanovich’s famous marquetry springs further to life when she makes them elements in her tassel beaded necklaces. It shifts the vibe of the wood designs to something 1920s, like the arty necklaces of Jean Fouquet that were worn with geometric patchwork dresses of Sonia Delaunay.
Image courtesy of Silvia Furmanovich
The length of the necklaces, as well as the many ways Silvia clusters beads into tassels around her marquetry motifs, adds to the eye-catching, make that can’t look away, creativity of the work.
Image courtesy of Deszo by Sara Beltrán
Deszo by Sara Beltrán
If you follow along on Deszo designer Sara Beltrán’s Instagram you’ve seen how she brings her jewelry designs to life working alongside Indian craftsman. Her luxurious and character filled jewels usually include beachy themes like shark fin motifs and real seashells from the seashore studded with gems.
Image courtesy of Deszo by Sara Beltrán
The designer’s tassel necklaces echo the traditional silhouette of Indian cord necklaces that also can be found in Mexican work. The jewels feature a single silver or gold shark tooth pendant suspended from colorful or black knotted cords with a slide that can be used to make a perfect fit and buoyant bushy tassels at the ends.
Image courtesy of CICADA
Cicada
Jazz Age style tassels are dancing across the collections at Cicada. The details in the designs are just the kind of things that would’ve been made 100-years ago.
Image courtesy of CICADA
The pearls and precious gems in the tassels are strung in graduated rows. Contrasting gems finish off the bottom of some tassels. Specially cut gems form circular accents on the tassel caps and pendants. The patterns on some tassels are picked up and carried on in the necklaces.
Image courtesy of LALAoUNIS
LALAoUNIS
The legendary Greek jeweler LALAoUNIS is eternally inspired by ancient gold motifs and techniques dating back to the dawn of time. This is clear in the gold necklace with a double tassel.
Image courtesy of LALAoUNIS
The Aurelia earrings showcase a contemporary style gem-set tassel adorned with intricate interlace work reminiscent of ancient Greek craftsmanship from the 3rd to 7th centuries AD.
Image courtesy of CICADA
Marion Fasel writes about history and contemporary trends in The Adventurine newsletter on Substack. The author of 11 books focusing on 20th-century jewelry design, Marion’s most recent publication, The History of Diamond Engagement Rings, was named “One of the best coffee table books for 2026” by The Wall Street Journal.
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