Memorial Day deals put jewelry, shoes and wedding guest looks on sale

The best Memorial Day jewelry buys were the ones that could leave the sale page and keep earning their place in a summer wardrobe. A white cultured freshwater pearl 18-inch statement necklace at Macy’s, marked down 80% to $49.99, stood out because it read polished with a sundress, a blouse or a wedding-guest dress, not just with a holiday-weekend discount tag.

The strongest offers leaned toward repeat wear rather than novelty. Kendra Scott’s Long Weekend event offered up to 25% off bestselling jewelry, a better fit for everyday layering than one-off occasion pieces. Kay Jewelers cut fine jewelry by up to 50%, while Rellery promoted 30% off all earrings with code EARRINGS30 and tiered savings through MD10, MD15 and MD25. Brilliant Earth was offering a $250 gift card with purchases over $1,000, and Blue Nile listed up to 30% off in its Memorial Day sale. For shoppers thinking in cost-per-wear terms, the smartest discount was the one attached to simple pearls, slim earrings and understated chains that could rotate through office days, dinners and summer events without looking overworked.

That same logic carried into the rest of the holiday markdowns. Marc Fisher sandals were half off, White House Black Market had a floral halter dress that landed squarely in wedding-guest territory, Abercrombie’s Curve Love linen pants pushed into easy warm-weather dressing, and Coach loafers were priced under $100. Together, the markdowns pointed to a season in which jewelry and shoes did the same job: sharpening outfits that had to move from daytime errands to evening plans with minimal effort.

The timing matched the broader shopping mood. RetailMeNot’s 2026 survey of more than 1,000 U.S. adults found that 54% planned to shop Memorial Day sales, up from 36% last year, even as average intended spending fell to $86 from $289. Thirty-five percent said they were very likely to wait for Memorial Day sales before making a major purchase, and another 31% were somewhat likely. Summer apparel, home goods and decor, pool and beach gear and outdoor recreation supplies ranked among the top categories people planned to buy.

That selective mindset helps explain why Memorial Day has become such a strong moment for jewelry that wears like part of the uniform. The National Retail Federation has tracked holiday and seasonal spending with Prosper Insights & Analytics since 2003, and it projected 2026 retail sales would rise 4.4% year over year to $5.6 trillion. But for style buyers, the real appeal was narrower: pieces with enough restraint to return all summer, and enough polish to justify the spend long after the weekend ended.