Bold, Glittering Jewelry Dominates Actor Awards 2026 Red Carpet

“Actors dove deep into archival clothing and jewelry vaults to, as the theme requested, reimagine Hollywood glamour from the 1920s and 1930s, and their selections made the March 1 awards show an event to remember.” That line set the tone for the Actor Awards red carpet, where the first-ever dress code, “Reimagining Hollywood Glamour From the ’20s and ’30s,” yielded head-to-toe sparkle and a surge of heirloom storytelling.

The most literal reading of that theme arrived with Kate Hudson, who stepped out in custom Valentino wearing a one-of-a-kind Desert Diamonds high jewelry suite by Emily P. Wheeler, a look WhoWoreWhatJewels called “crafted exclusively for this appearance.” The top photo credit for Hudson’s portrait was Kevin Mazur/Getty Images, courtesy of Emily P. Wheeler, underscoring the bespoke, editorial nature of the commission.

Kristen Bell, who hosted the evening, leaned into a nocturnal motif in Messika: “Bell, who hosted the show with her usual quirky humor and charm, walked the red carpet in Messika’s high jewelry Night Owl necklace and earrings and the Messika by Kate Moss exotic charm ring.” The Night Owl suite provided the kind of focused diamond drama that punctuated many otherwise classic silhouettes on the carpet.

Technical showstoppers included Sarah Paulson in Boucheron Vendôme Liseré pieces in white gold with black enamel; her pendant earrings each carried a 3 ct. emerald-cut diamond and her ring featured a 4.13 ct. emerald-cut diamond with pavé round diamonds. Those specific carat weights, reported for Paulson’s suite, made her a textbook case of archival refinement meeting modern scale.

Symbolic high jewelry made a statement as well. Sofia Carson wore Chopard Animal World ouroboros earrings in 18k rose gold, coiled in 133 carats of brown diamonds with a wink of onyx, a pairing that echoed the ouroboros’s meaning: eternity, renewal, and unity of opposites. The serpent motif translated directly into the red carpet’s theme of cyclical glamour.

There were extremes of scale across the floor. Ali Larter stacked a Repossi Berbere necklace encrusted with 2,000 diamonds totaling 40 carats, paired with a Blast bracelet for maximum contrast against a minimal dress. Keri Russell combined dangling 18k white gold earrings set with 220 round brilliant-cut diamonds and a Buccellati cocktail ring showcasing a 23-carat cabochon tanzanite, a suite WhoWoreWhatJewels valued in total at $223,000. Complementary layering arrived in more wearable registers: Fiona Dourif in Lagos SML sapphires, emeralds, and green tourmaline, and Alexandra Metz repurposing a mystery rope chain with gilt tassels into a headpiece.

Men’s jewelry remained comparatively restrained, a point noted on the carpet: “Men’s jewelry at the Actor Awards was more understated, with a few bare lapels that made us weep and wonder where Colman Domingo was.” One exception, Connor Storrie, arrived in a full suite of Tiffany & Co. jewelry, highlighted by a Jean Schlumberger by Tiffany Stitches ring in gold and platinum with diamonds.

The Actor Awards sat within an awards-season run notable for high-jewelry moments, with Town & Country citing prior standouts such as Blackpink’s Lisa in Bulgari and Elle Fanning in Cartier, and referencing Teyana Taylor’s archival citrine, diamond, and gold Tiffany & Co. bracelet at the BAFTAs. If the March 1 carpet was any indication, designers and stylists will continue to mine vaults and bespoke workshops for archival pieces and one-off commissions as the season moves on, privileging provenance and narrative as much as carat totals.