Hailey Bieber and Emrata Are Wearing This “Gaudy” Jewelry Trend

In a surprising twist of sartorial fate, the pinky ring—the kind you’d expect to spot on a silver-haired nonno holding court at a café in Palermo—is suddenly the chicest jewelry flex of the season. Once reserved for old-school gentlemen with espresso-stained fingers and a penchant for pinstripe suits, this “Italian grandpa-coded” accessory has been reclaimed by the fashion elite, and yes, it looks impossibly cool.

Leading the charge? None other than Emily Ratajkowski, who famously repurposed her split engagement ring into two sleek diamond bands—one of which now lives on her pinky, post-divorce, in 2024. It’s not just a statement of reinvention, but a signal that the pinky ring has officially moved from mob movie trope to modern must-have. Hailey Bieber and influencer Nara Smith are in on it too, bringing a soft-glam, Gen Z twist to the old-school style.

“Now more than ever we are seeing women investing in jewelry for themselves—a bold pinky ring epitomizes that,” Gabby Mossighi, founder and designer behind the self-titled jewelry brand, Mossighi, explains. “Traditionally, solitaire rings can be associated with engagement and commitment jewelry, which can make them tricky to be worn purely for fashion. The pinky ring, however, deviates just enough allowing for wearability without compromising on style and design.”

The resurgence began quietly earlier this spring but has gone full tilt this summer. With Euro summer style dominating Instagram—linen co-ords, barely-there sandals, and a spritz in hand—the pinky ring fits right in. It adds a whisper of opulence without trying too hard, evoking visions of 1960s Italian cinema, silk shirts unbuttoned just so, and seaside dinners along the Amalfi coast. It’s vintage masculinity, repurposed with a wink.