How body jewellery made such a fashionable comeback: popular in the noughties, belly chains made a return thanks to Rihanna and Kim Kardashian, while Beyoncé and Rita Ora sport precious tooth studs

Aug 26 , 2023

Actors, singers and models are flaunting body jewellery as the trend sees bling reaching everywhere from toes to teeth. Photo: Dolly Cohen

Body bling is back – while RiRi rocks XIV Karats toe rings with her Amina Muaddi heels, Dua Lipa, Megan Thee Stallion, Hailey Bieber and Julia Fox all rock belly button piercings

Dolly Cohen has studs and grills for your teeth, Messika has lip rings, Dorsey does septum rings, Jimmy Choo and Mizuki are adding anklets and Blumarine has body chains

Perhaps I am wrong to think the belly button piercing I begged my parents for in the early noughties is one of my life regrets. Body jewellery, after all, has become a big trend. While there might not have been much hope of a giant cubic zirconia peeping out from my baby tees, body jewellery has now become undeniably chic.

Even, it must be said, toe rings – look at Rihanna (who else?!) who in a recent TikTok video showed off an enormous pear-cut diamond ring by XIV Karats together with a pair of sparkly Amina Muaddi heels.

Model Phoebe Tonkin wearing a pearl anklet. Photo: Handout

Then there’s the return of the anklet, spied on many an “It” girl – including model Phoebe Tonkin who donned a sweet pearl number worn over sheer black stockings and Mary-Jane heels for a night out in New York City. Cool brands like Foundrae, Jacquie Aiche, Shay and Roxanne Assoulin are all doing fine gold and fun beaded versions.

Indeed, it seems no body part should be left unadorned, from glinting whole body chains to the diamond tooth studs from Parisian dental technician-turned-artist-and-jeweller Dolly Cohen, whose precious studs and grills have been worn by everyone from Beyoncé to Rita Ora.

There were the lip rings shown at French fine jewellery brand Messika’s recent high jewellery presentation in Paris, and sparkling pavé septum rings from cool Los Angeles-based Dorsey, which uses lab-grown sapphires and fine jewellery techniques.

Rihanna celebrates the launch of Fenty Beauty at Ulta Beauty in March, in Los Angeles, wearing a Messika body chain. Photo: Getty Images

And lest you think the belly button piercing was the one Y2K fashion trend to not make a comeback, singers Dua Lipa and Megan Thee Stallion, as well as model Hailey Bieber and actress Julia Fox, have all made a twinkling diamond case for its return. Meanwhile, New York brand Maria Tash has a slew of tasteful navel options.

For the founder of Messika, Valérie Messika, the first to launch an ear cuff in high jewellery, challenging the boundaries of fine and high jewellery is her drive. Diamond jewellery, she notes, should be worn “on any part of the body”, and ideally “worn comfortably close to one’s skin like a tattoo”.