Amáli Jewelry’s gold tassel necklace wins INSTORE design award

Amáli Jewelry’s tassel necklace won first place in INSTORE’s Necklace Under 5K category by doing something many gold pieces promise and few deliver: it moved. Priced at $3,980, the 18K yellow gold design pairs a 2.21 TCW black opal with a sweep of gold fringe, and that combination gave the necklace the kind of visual rhythm that reads as both jewelry and eveningwear. It is a clear signal for where gold is headed: toward pieces that feel architectural, tactile and ready for the room, not merely decorative.

The black opal sits in a handcrafted gold bezel, a setting choice that matters because it frames the stone without overwhelming it. Viviana Langhoff highlighted the contrast between the softness of the fringe and the bezel-set opal, while Ellie Thompson praised the way the fringe keeps the stone in motion. Smitha Sadanandan pointed to the necklace’s Art Deco energy, and that assessment feels apt: the dramatic links falling into a tassel shape lend the piece a vertical, almost theatrical line, while the black opal adds the darker, more mysterious counterpoint that makes the gold read richer. The result is not a simple pendant but a compact statement necklace with enough motion to catch light from every angle.

The win also fits neatly into a stronger current inside gold jewelry generally. INSTORE said the 2026 Design Awards marked the competition’s 11th annual edition, drew 229 entries across 31 categories and found colored gemstones especially strong this year. In that context, Amáli’s necklace stands out because it keeps the price below a defined ceiling while still leaning on craftsmanship and presence rather than scale alone. The brand describes its work as handcrafted fine jewelry in New York, made for women who see jewelry as art as much as adornment, and that philosophy is visible here in the balance between the stone, the bezel and the fringe.

For occasion dressing, the necklace lands exactly where modern gold has the most momentum: on a black dress with a clean neckline, over a silk shirt with a low open collar, or with a pared-back column that lets the tassel do the work. Similar necklaces worth watching for should have the same tension between polish and movement, a secure bezel or other protective setting for the center stone, and a fringe or articulated element that gives the piece life. The strongest gold statement pieces now are not shouting through size alone; they are making their case through motion, line and finish.