Why It Really Is ‘The Year of the Snake’ in Jewelry (Again)
The eternal creature is everywhere
When the Year of the Snake rung in on the Lunar New Year back in January, the Western jewelry world celebrated in a big way. I was kind of astonished to see it, because I vividly remember the last Lunar New Year of the Snake.
It was February 9, 2013, the day my book Bvlgari: Serpenti Collection launched in New York City. The event, which took place during Fashion Week, was celebrated with a party and a small exhibition I curated at the Italian firm’s flagship on 57th Street and Fifth Avenue.
Believe me when I say, the Lunar New Year was not widely recognized in the Western world back then. The main reason we knew about it was because the publicist Jim Kloiber, who consulted on the press for the party, pointed out the date at a meeting. One of his jewelry clients, based in Bali, had made him aware of the holiday because they always celebrated it.
The Bulgari team ran with the Year of the Snake theme for the party. One of the best parts was a Chinese snake puppet that danced among the guests.
A giant Bulgari Serpenti ornament was wrapped around the exterior of the store. The same style would go on to be used internationally as décor for Bulgari boutiques around the world.
So, when the Year of the Snake rolled around again and so many people immediately attached their snake jewelry to the festivities, I was bemused and delighted. I also wondered if snake styles would surge or be a blip on the calendar.
Now that we're in the summer of 2025, it's clear that snakes once again have had staying power as a top trend.
They have appeared on and off screen on celebrities, been all over the vintage jewelry landscape and become part of many contemporary fine and costume jewelry collections.
SNAKES ON-SCREEN AND OFF
In February, White Lotus featured a major gold and emerald snake necklace that David Webb (on-set in the Instagram Gallery of images above) created at the request of the costume designer, Alex Bovaird.
The piece, which makes a few appearances in the production, was based on an original Webb snake bracelet.
In May during the finale of Netflix's comedic thriller Sirens, Julianne Moore, playing the villainous Michaela Kell, put on an extraordinary Solange Azagury-Partridge snake necklace.
The piece topped off the fabulous jewelry she flaunted throughout the show. Solange shows a detail of the necklace in the Instagram gallery of images above, which includes all of her jewelry Julianne wore in Sirens.
This week at Wimbledon, Monica Barbaro, a Bulgari ambassador, wore one of the label’s Serpenti Viper Bracelets.
You can see it in the third slide of the gallery of images in the Vogue Instagram post above.
ANTIQUE SNAKE REVIVAL
During this Year of the Snake in Jewelry, many vintage emporiums chimed in with amazing styles on Instagram. Several, like Macklowe Gallery in New York, curated selections in their inventories. Most of the featured styles were from the Victorian era, possibly one of the biggest moments ever for snake jewelry. There were many reasons for this:
The trend gained momentum in 1839, when Prince Albert presented a gold snake engagement ring to Britain’s young Queen Victoria. It signaled to the world that the creature symbolized everlasting love.
Classical snake styles discovered during archaeological digs in Pompeii, Troy and other historical sites inspired jewelers to make snakes.
Snake jewelry continued to grow in popularity after the 1869 opening of the Suez Canal in Egypt, which sparked renewed interest in Cleopatra. Countless paintings depicted the pharaoh wearing snake bracelets and a cobra headpiece
Many royals famously flaunted and popularized snake bracelets.
France’s Empress Eugénie, for example, had a diamond and turquoise snake bracelet from Mellerio. Great Britain’s Princess Alexandra almost always wore a gold serpent bracelet with a gem-set head.
The number of antique snake rings around today proves the popularity of the style during the 19th century. In fact, they are one of the easiest things to collect because so many are available, making it simple to compare prices and styles.
If you are in the market for an antique snake, 1stdibs is a good place to start browsing. Try searching “Victorian snake” and adding bracelet or ring. The number of gems, the karat of the gold and the condition and beauty of the design all affect the price.
SIXTIES SNAKE STYLES
Design-wise one thing that makes snakes so incredibly appealing in jewelry is their linear bodies that can wrap around wrists, necks and fingers providing a visual sense of movement. It makes the form stand out from traditional jewelry silhouettes.
I think the dramatic quality of meandering snakes is one reason why the legendary Vogue editor-in-chief, Diana Vreeland, was so fond of them. She personally wore one of Bulgari’s enamel and gold snake belts wrapped twice around her neck.
Vreeland added significantly to the popularity of serpent styles by instructing her editorial staff to prominently feature them in one of her famous memos written on September 16, 1968:
Don’t forget the serpent…
The serpent should be on every finger and all wrists and everywhere…
The serpent is the motif of the hours in jewelry…
We cannot see enough of them…
The Bulgari snakes made during the 1960s were spectacular and the best examples soar into the six-figure range at auction.
If you want to venture into other styles from the era, they can be a funky alternative to the Victorian looks.
SNAKES NOW
So many designers have snakes in their collections now, that I hesitate to start a list. It seems like the shorter list would be of those who don't.
Instead, I will draw your attention to a pair of snake hoop earrings by Gabriella Kiss that I have long loved. I think they're an unexpected addition to the snake oeuvre.
Jennifer Fisher, who is always so savvy to trends of the moment, just re-released her archival snake jewelry to celebrate her 20th anniversary.
The affordable costume pieces make it easy to jump into the stylish snake pit.
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