2025 has made one thing clear: jewelry has officially gone pro. Forget saving your diamonds for cocktail parties — athletes are taking fine jewelry straight to the court, the ring, the track, and beyond.
Boxers in white pearls. Baseball players letting their chains swing mid-sprint. Tennis stars stacking jewelry like it’s part of the uniform. Runners crossing finish lines drenched in sweat but glittering all the same. Even basketball tunnel walks have become full-blown jewelry catwalks. Jewelry is no longer the encore; it’s the main event.
And the proof is in the details. Naomi Osaka arrived at the US Open with Swarovski crystals braided into her hair and a crystal-covered figurine courtside. Coco Gauff made headlines when one of her oversized hoops flew off mid-rally, a reminder that style and performance can coexist. On the baseball diamond, Joc Pederson redefined pearls as a power accessory, while Aaron Judge elevated the game with a diamond gavel necklace etched with his family legacy. Even track star Noah Lyles crossed the finish line wearing a pavé-diamond mariner-link chain — a seamless mix of speed and shine.
Athletes aren’t the only ones showing off their shine. The audience has turned up in statement hoops, wrist stacks, and vintage heirlooms — the stands are glimmering almost as much as the scoreboard. At the US Open, fans flaunted diamond statement necklaces, ten fingers of rings, and earrings big enough to rival the players. The spectator seats have become just as much a runway as the tunnel.
The old rulebook — where jewelry was “too precious” for daily life — has been benched. No one’s stashing away their pieces in velvet boxes anymore. Jewelry is lived in, trained in, loved in, and yes, even slept in. If it breaks? The Hamilton Hill repair team is on deck — proof you’ve worn it out, not just taken it out.
This year is about individuality in motion — athletes turning personal style into a performance all its own. Jewelry isn’t just an accessory to sport anymore; it’s becoming part of the sport’s very identity.
So here’s to chains that clink with every swing, pearls that punch above their weight, and diamonds that don’t sit out a single set. Jewelry isn’t waiting in the wings — it’s playing center court at Hamilton Hill Jewelry in 2025.
Cheers to the win.
See below for our favorite bold pieces to add to your everyday rotation — jewelry that elevates, inspires, and refuses to sit on the sidelines.
-Helena Gates
