Why mixing metals is making a comeback on watches and jewellery: Cartier refreshes its Trinity design, Bulgari collaborates with K-pop star Lisa of Blackpink … and for Rolex, it never went away

While not everyone is a fan of pairing different types of metals on their watches and jewellery, it allows the wearer to be more versatile in expression and attire

For Marie-Laure CerEde, creative director of watches and jewellery at Cartier, it was no mean feat to tinker with a design as recognisable as the Cartier Trinity. Last year marked the 100th anniversary of the deceptively simple design: three intertwined bands of white, rose and yellow gold, worn by everyone from Jean Cocteau to Grace Kelly.

As CerEde told journalists at celebrations in Paris, it is "hard to reinvent an icon, something that's already perfect".

"When we thought about redesigning Trinity, we realised that it wouldn't be easy. It's an icon because it's perfect and Trinity is very unique in its signature, so we started asking ourselves what the fundamentals of Trinity are: three intertwined bands. But what are the other fundamentals of this ring, besides the meaning? Everyone plays with it, like a fidget toy, so we wanted to keep that and also to say something else [ ... but] not something completely different from what already exists."

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While the maison introduced new shapes for the Trinity, including a square cushion-shaped ring, the harmony of the mixed metals remains.

Cartier isn't the only jeweller to play with mixed metals. Some, such as Los Angeles-based Spinelli Kilcollin, have made it their signature with linked rings in seemingly endless combinations of silver, shades of gold and precious stones, worn by everyone from Meryl Streep to Emily Ratajkowski.

, it must be noted - is resonating in the watch world too. According to reports from the Federation of the Swiss Watch Industry, there has been a decline in Swiss exports of stainless steel watches (down 15 per cent in the first half of 2024) and an increase in bi-metal watches - those in yellow or rose gold with a steel bracelet, usually with gold links - as well as precious metal watches.

The trend speaks to a shift towards value over volume, and perhaps too an evolution of tastes. After all, two-tone watches were big in the 1980s, and that much-maligned era has made a triumphant return in both watchmaking and fashion.

This year, HermEs launched its sporty-chic 36mm Cut watch, aimed at women, and very HermEs. It included a gold and stainless steel reference. Another sign the glamour of the 1980s was back? Bulgari revived its 1980s-tastic Bvlgari Bvlgari watch. The Roman jeweller's collaboration with K-pop star Lisa from Blackpink included a rose gold and stainless steel version.

When it comes to jewellery, Australian jeweller Cushla Whiting says clients are more interested in mixing metals, be it in singular pieces of jewellery or by stacking jewels together.

"We have a lot of requests for mixed metals, particularly with our diamond-set jewellery. The most common request is the mix of yellow and rose gold, with white (platinum) settings for the diamonds. People love this combination as platinum settings help to keep colourless diamonds looking nice and icy white, whereas yellow gold can shift the colour grade down one or two grades. Platinum is also a more durable metal, so wears down less quickly than gold," she says.

Whiting believes mixing metals gives wearers more options and ways to express themselves, and their tastes.

"I think mixing metals allows people to be a lot more versatile with their jewellery. It means you don't have to be limited to wearing one colour or the other," she says.