The Summer 2022 Indie Jewelry Boom

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As winter continues its erratic weather, I want to pay homage to some of the microtrends I witnessed this past summer. I never had the time to sit down and write out my thoughts until now, but I’ve kept all the pieces I plan to discuss bookmarked in order to keep topics in the right time frame. As always, I’ll link all of the works and creators involved.

It was back in June 2022 that I noticed explosions of handmade jewelry popping up on Instagram. While never a particular interest of mine, the new creations I was seeing continued to become more unique and eclectic in style, with accounts quickly creating more “aesthetic” styles of jewelry and accessories.

While bracelets, necklaces and earrings were most commonly made, it wasn’t uncommon to see handmade keychains, phone charms, and hair clips also for sale.

I love a harmonious color palette as much as the next person, but my favorite part of this jewelry boom was seeing how inventive creators got. Never before had I seen shrinky-dinks turned into charms-- yet another new venue for self-expression! Styles were evolving left and right, with a new tag gaining some traction: #clutternecklace.

It's easy to see where this name came from. Clutter necklaces (and jewelry in general) can have twice as many beads and charms in them as a normal one, making each work an eclectic, bold, and attention-grabbing object. A favorite of mine is the necklace st2pid.cupid made in September 2022, named "halley’s comet":

Whether it incorporated extra chain or shrinky-dinks, almost every jewelry piece I came across last summer was fresh and adventurous. I don't own a cellphone that can have a phone charm, but I was so giddy seeing people's creations that I almost bought a few anyway! Even with simple designs, it's easy to create a personal and aesthetically pleasing accessory for yourself or others, and I hope to see more fashion trends this year that embrace this same ingenuity.

Here are a few more pieces I saw as inspiration for this blog post.

I didn't think linking Instagram posts would be such a pain in the ass, but here we are. :]