How colourful Y2K beaded jewellery is making a luxe comeback

We all recall the friendship bracelets that dominated playgrounds in the early 2000s. Cubic alphabet beads, spelling everything from names to declarations of BFF status and spaced between colourful plastic beads, were the epitome of cool for teens. They were also must-haves for rave party kids in the 1990s who dubbed them “Kandi”. These bracelets and necklaces were creative expressions of style and belonging. Whether thoughtfully colour-matched or randomly looped through a shoelace; they were more playthings than jewellery. It was a cheap and cheerful way for young people to jazz up an outfit, and the trend was to wear armfuls of them. Their connection to rave culture links them to music and dance and perhaps this is what has led to their revival of late, thanks in no small part to Swifties – fans of Taylor Swift who created their own versions of beaded jewellery to swap during her Eras tour. And this has come at just the right time, when the midriff-bearing, low-rise-wearing Y2K aesthetic is returning. While the colourful trend is an exciting one for young Swifties and Gen Z, those who went through the Kandi jewellery heyday and may still be partial to the vibrant look, have long outgrown the cheap, plastic beads. A more stylish use of colour can be seen in traditional jewellery like African beads or Chinese jade bead strands, and several designers have captured this vibrant trend and elevated the beaded look. Taking advantage of the natural beauty and vibrancy of gemstones, it’s unlikely you’ll be trading these creations with another random concertgoer. Florentine designer Carolina Bucci has been creating beaded designs – fashioned out of gemstones like amethyst, rose quartz and even coral – long before Swifties caught the bug. But she acknowledges that the Bucci Forte Beads collection does stem from a place of nostalgia. Not only are the beads shaped exactly like the rounded plastic ones we once all owned but they are also presented as a DIY kit with a shoelace cord, anchored with Florentine Finish 18k gold tips, made using a hammering technique featured in the designer’s collaboration with watchmaker Audemars Piguet. Bucci fondly remembers making plastic beaded bracelets during summer holidays as a child, a tradition she revived when she became a mother. “My sons’ wrists would be covered by the end of the summer, and just before they went back to school, we would cut them all off. As for me, I would mix the bracelets with my real jewellery and love the spirit of play and whimsy that they signified.” However, she realised she wanted something more permanent and sophisticated, perhaps designs that would be more on a par with her existing jewellery. “At some point, I wondered if there was a way to evolve these bracelets into something more like fine jewellery,” said Bucci. She decided to incorporate Florentine craftsmanship into the process, drawing on the traditional craft of pierre dure which is a stone inlay technique used in furniture making. The fancy gold-tipped version of the shoelace on which to string the beads, is her nod to the childhood innocence that inspired it all. “It was important to me that the bracelets behaved like the craft versions that our clients would make with their children and be tied on the wrist with a knot.” It was important that the bracelets behaved like the craft versions our clients would make with their children Carolina Bucci The beads can be strung and restrung easily, allowing the wearer to play with different colour combinations and add charms to their bracelets and necklaces. While some people want Forte Beads as a reminder of childhood, others wear these colourful creations for the feeling of strength they perceive from the stones. “We have clients who buy them for the colours, and others who like to work with the spiritual meanings or powers of the stones,” said Bucci. The inspiration for Californian designer Lauren Harwell Godfrey’s beaded collections came about when a friend opted to wear one of her pendants with a string of African trade beads. Captivated, the designer wanted to recreate the look for her eponymous brand, Harwell Godfrey, which is all about eclectic and bold designs using precious stones. “I look for a fun mix of colour and opacities. I love mixing in different-sized pearls for the full rainbow strands,” she said. Her Beads and Pearl collection mixes gemstones like rose quartz, lapis, agate and red jasper with traditionally more precious materials like pearls and gold. The beads, polished in different organic shapes, are hand-knotted together and fastened with a gold clasp. “I really like surprising combinations, and that is why I think combining gem beads with pearls and gold beads is so interesting,” said Harwell Godfrey. “There is something unexpected about it that gives it a lot of energy.” Another part of the appeal of gemstones is that no two are exactly alike. However, while some designers embrace these irregularities, others tirelessly match stones to create uniform designs. Irene Neuwirth describes her Beaded Candy collection as a grown-up version of a childhood favourite. “I wanted to capture the free spirit and fun of a child’s candy necklace in the finest, full-colour gemstones,” she said. The Los Angeles-based designer is also adamant that every gem used in her handmade pieces has to be perfect. “When I’m designing, if the shape or colour isn’t quite right, we will re-work it until it’s perfect.” Using cabochon and faceted beads, Neuwirth’s pieces are strung on silk, with some featuring gold clasps paved with diamonds. While their design approaches to reinterpreting the beaded jewellery look differ, all three designers agree the preferred way to wear them is in multiples, mixing and matching them with other jewellery – just like you and your best friend did back in the day.