The Anti-Diamond Standard
Your Grandmother’s Pearls Just Entered Their Villain Era
At the 2026 Emmys, Zendaya, Sarah Pidgeon, and more style rebels gave the traditional heirloom an edgy upgrade.
Red carpet jewelry is usually a high-stakes battle of the karats. Whoever wore the biggest, heaviest diamonds (and, let’s be real, the biggest price tags) often topped best-dressed lists. But at the 2026 Emmys, Hollywood’s fashion elite completely flipped the script.
On Monday, Sept. 14, the good-girl gem went totally rogue. Forget the polite, perfectly round pearl strands currently collecting dust in your granny’s jewelry box. These pearls were reimagined as sharp and subversive focal points.
A few guests, including Sarah Pidgeon and Linda Cardellini, wore pearls as part of their gowns, weaving structural, pearlescent details directly into the fabric of their custom looks. Others rocked them as far-from-typical jewelry, opting for asymmetrical, mismatched accents that proved this classic stone has a rebellious new side.
A Slinky Accent
The Love Story star nodded to her minimalist TV alter ego, Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy, in a ‘90s-style cowl-neck lavender slip gown from Chanel. But one detail gave Pidgeon’s dress a contemporary touch: ropes of white and lilac pearls draped along the neckline. It paired perfectly with her sparkly lariat necklace.
Mix & Match Baubles
Several of Hollywood’s brightest stars chose pearl jewelry, with a twist. Zendaya paired her embellished custom Prada gown with asymmetrical Mikimoto earrings and mismatched rings featuring South Sea pearls surrounded by diamonds.
“I loved the idea of taking something as timeless as Mikimoto pearls and making them feel fresh, modern and young,” her longtime stylist, Law Roach, said in a statement, adding, “There’s an elegance to pearls that will always be classic, but the way Zendaya wears them tonight feels completely of the moment.”
Ayo Edebiri made a similar style play, stacking an ear cuff with a cluster of pearl and diamond rings to match her beribboned Chanel gown.
Elsewhere, The White Lotus alum Beatrice Grannò went the oversized route, accessorizing her look with a chunky pearl necklace complete with a ribbon pendant.
Not Your Typical Pearls — Or Shapes
The spherical orbs weren’t the only versions making the rounds at the Emmys. Linda Cardellini stunned in a Yara Shoemaker gown made from hundreds of square-shaped mother-of-pearl tiles and diamonds.
