Lika Behar’s reversible hoops win top honors for versatility and contrast

The strongest personalization story in fine jewelry right now may not be a name or a birthstone. It may be a pair of earrings that can shift with the wearer, and Lika Behar’s Diana Reversible hoop earrings did exactly that, taking the Grand Prize by pairing oxidized silver with 24K gold and 0.50 carats total weight of diamonds in a 30 mm silhouette priced at $3,410.

That price lands in serious designer territory, but the construction gives it a clear rationale. The hoops are not precious only because they are gold and diamond-set; they are precious because they solve for repeat wear. INSTORE’s judges described the design as a classic with a modern twist, a strong day-to-night piece, and a smart study in contrast and versatility. Tracey Ellison pointed to the most persuasive luxury detail of all: the ability to change the metal color according to mood.

The same pair also won First Place and Retailer’s Choice in the Best Hoops category, a sweep that suggests the appeal was broader than one panel’s taste. In a jewelry market where personal meaning often gets reduced to initials or a sentimental motif, Behar’s answer was structural. Reversibility becomes the form of customization, and contrast becomes the ornament. The earrings feel designed for the woman who wants one piece to read differently at breakfast than it does at dinner.

The win came in the 11th edition of the INSTORE Design Awards, which drew 229 entries, matching the previous year. INSTORE said colored gemstones were especially hot in the market, enough to warrant a new Small Batch Colored Gemstone category for makers with five or fewer employees. Six retailers and three media personalities judged the competition in a blind vote, while hundreds of retailers nationwide selected the Retailer’s Choice winners online.

Behar’s own listing identifies the pair as DIANA REVERSIBLE HOOPS 30MM, 24KG+DIA OXI+DIA, and that shorthand captures the point: precious materials, engineered for motion. The brand says its work draws on ancient Greek and Byzantine jewelry-making techniques, with pieces made by hand in Istanbul using 22K and 24K gold and blackened silver. In that context, the earrings feel less like a trend piece than a useful heirloom, made for a buyer who wants jewelry that earns its place in the rotation.