‘I can buy myself diamonds’: Women set the new rules of hard luxury

Hard luxury has been the quiet structural winner of the past few years. While other categories oscillated with trends and sentiment, watches and fine jewelry continued to outperform, proving that certain materials and objects are better aligned with how value, memory, and power endure If you’ve ever been passed down a family heirloom, you understand the emotional weight it holds. The moment your grandmother places a ring in your hand, she may tell you about the anniversary it marked, the life it witnessed, the man who chose it. At the same time, she passes on a belief that shaped her generation: men should be the ones buying your jewelry. Notions like these made jewelry a symbol of earning power. When given as a gift, it signaled to a woman that she was worth it. Campaigns like De Beers’ “A Diamond is Forever” thrived on this dependence, influencing social behavior for decades. Yet, that campaign dates back to 1939. In 2026, the script of jewelry as validation through someone else’s spending no longer resonates. A woman can buy her own diamonds. Women in control By 2030, American women stand to control the majority of the $30 trillion in financial assets that baby boomers will pass down, according to McKinsey. This shift is not just about wealth — it reflects a broader transformation in authority. As Martin Raymond, co-founder of The Future Laboratory, observed, women are reframing approaches to investment and deciding what value is earned, how it is measured, and what it means to own something. We’re already seeing the implications for luxury. The World Economic Forum states that women influence 85% of consumer spending, and a Business of Fashion-McKinsey 2026 study shows that 42% of women report self-purchasing more jewelry than they did two or three years ago. These numbers signal a deeper reordering of how status, ownership, and legacy are being constructed. This shift is not simply about spending power. It’s about authorship. For hard luxury, this reframes the relationship entirely. The woman is now both the decision maker and the end buyer. What she decides to purchase is a signifier of her success, self-expression, and financial freedom. Hard luxury has the potential to encapsulate these moments into memories. Its provenance is both a marker of authenticity and a measure of meaning. We are now standing at the threshold of the next great era for jewelry, one rooted in autonomy. From gifts to assets None of this suggests that gifting has lost its place. Proposals, anniversaries, and romantic gestures still matter. Men remain a vital part of the luxury ecosystem. But the story has room to expand. Luxury is no longer a single storyline. It is a collection of perspectives, and the chapter written by women now carries equal weight. For years, the industry’s language positioned women simply as the wearer, the muse, the recipient. That framing no longer reflects reality. The center of gravity has shifted toward ownership and an asset she can pass down on her own terms. Sabina Belli, CEO of Pomellato, speaks openly about this shift, noting that the majority of the Italian fine jewelry brand’s growth is driven by women and that 86% of customers buy pieces for themselves as a form of self-reward. As she puts it in a recent podcast with @GstaadGuy, “If you buy for yourself with your own money, you know the value you are giving to something.” This is forcing a tactical messaging shift in how brands speak. Heritage houses like Van Cleef & Arpels are pivoting to storytelling about craftsmanship, design, and history — a subtle way to build confidence in the investment. Independent brands are going further, stripping romance back and empowering women to be their own benefactor. Today’s woman treats her jewelry box as a wearable portfolio, demanding an entirely new vocabulary for the industry. The message must shift from aesthetics to assets. Recognizing the next era of women’s financial power means giving her the confidence to understand why each piece matters. Emotions as a guide Experience continues to be one of luxury’s strongest growth drivers, and accumulating memories is determining where the money flows. These experiences become our personal archive that makes up who we are today. The resurgence of The Orient Express captures this instinct. The long-distance luxury train service has reimagined what travel can look like by reclaiming the romance of time. Anyone can move from A to Z with speed, but to embrace the indulgence of time is an act of intention. It’s a decision to spend time and money with care. Women are approaching jewelry in the same way. The purchase is rarely impulsive. With more women choosing to mark personal moments on their own terms, hard luxury offers a way to anchor memory to material and give permanence to moments where self-recognition is deserved. It’s a tangible proclamation of joy. Design also plays an important role here. The work of Los Angeles-based fine jewelry designer Irene Neuwirth speaks to this emotional pull. Saturated color, organic silhouettes, and offbeat elegance attract women who value playfulness and refuse to take luxury too seriously. Her jewelry becomes a mirror of character rather than a marker of occasion. This emotional reorientation is what transforms jewelry into an heirloom. The stories that surround it matter just as much as the materials themselves. Emotion, so often dismissed as softness, becomes the superpower. It’s what guides a woman to build continuity throughout her life, with luxury used as a tool to mark meaning along the way. Finding success in new avenues Today, women are shaping history in real time. There are more women CEOs than ever in the watch and jewelry category. Women are competing at the highest levels of elite sport, running global businesses, managing capital, and leading countries. And hard luxury is an avenue to claim and acknowledge this success. The brands positioned to succeed in this next era are those that represent women demonstrating discipline, performance, and ownership — not decoration. Audemars Piguet understood this when it partnered with Aryna Sabalenka. The message is about the recognition of precision, pressure, and mastery, symbolizing that every second counts. It’s a proud stance from a brand championing the pursuit of excellence. This evolution extends beyond representation into access to knowledge. As women move into arenas historically dominated by men, they are gaining access to the codes of knowledge that define status within them. This is reflected in the growing presence of women in the secondary watch market. The vintage watch market rewards patience, research, and historical understanding. It’s an “if you know, you know” space. More women are doing their due diligence and entering this space, bringing with them both their eye for elegant design and investment-forward thinking. In a market where knowledge has always been power, women are no longer asking for permission to learn the language. They are already fluent. The industry is only beginning to see what that means. So what? Women are no longer waiting to be told they’re “worth it.” They’re deciding what is worth their time, their money, and their legacy. This shift demands a recalibration of how brands define value, power, and relevance in the lives of modern women. Below are three questions for hard luxury leaders to determine if their brand is truly aligned with women’s needs beyond aesthetics: Is your brand reflecting how women earn, build, and claim status today?Every touchpoint, from ambassador partnerships to website copy, must acknowledge a woman’s capital and autonomy. Your brand should act as a peer to her ambition, not as a source of validation or reward from others. Are you providing her with a service or sovereignty? Give her the information she needs to feel confident in her investments. Transform boutiques from points of sale into education hubs, where sales teams act as wealth consultants, equipping her with literacy around materials, scarcity, craftsmanship, and long-term value. What are you doing to ensure the pieces you sell become part of her personal history, not just her wardrobe? Beyond acquisition, what structures exist to help her live with, evolve, and eventually pass on her pieces? Personalization, redesign, education, aftercare, provenance — these build a relationship that endures across her life. This shift is structural. It will impact every touchpoint from design to after-sales. The opportunity ahead is not to sell harder, but to think deeper. To build brands that respect a woman’s intelligence, reflect her achievements, and earn a place in the story she is writing for herself. Carlotta Rodben is a luxury innovation specialist and author of “Beyond Luxury: The Promise of Emotion.” She previously led innovation at Chanel and now advises luxury brands on strategy and transformation.

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‘I can buy myself diamonds’: Women set the new rules of hard luxury