Bringing the Bling to the Eyewear Category

Jewelry and eyewear have long been compatible products that come together through licensing and collaboration deals. Both fall into the realm of fashion accessories, and partnerships with like-minded companies help them fill out their offerings within that broader category. In addition, blinged out sunglasses and optical frames tend to be popular—with ups and downs over time—and it makes sense to create those styles with partner companies that can bring complementary strengths to the table. 

In most cases, the jewelry brand lends its name and expertise to the creation of new styles of eyewear, but the collaborations increasingly encompass jewelry as part of the assortment as well. And, although many deals take the form of limited-edition capsules, long-term licenses are also in the mix. 

The frequency of such agreements seems to be on the rise. Here is a selection of recent examples: 

• Marchon Eyewear signed a licensing deal in January of this year with jewelry-rooted lifestyle brand Kendra Scott. The collection, which launches in the U.S. in September, includes both sunglasses and optical frames. Designs will incorporate innovative uses of materials, shapes, and colors to complement Kendra Scott’s core jewelry and accessories. 

• VADA, a brand encompassing eyewear as well as its original focus of jewelry, paired with jewelry designer Presley Oldham in October 2024 for a beaded pearl eyewear chain to complement its latest collection of colorful, cellulose acetate-finished, metal-embellished eyewear. 

• Dezi Eyewear paired with jewelry label Luv Aj in October 2024 for three sunglasses styles, accompanied by a set of “hoop huggies” that can accessorize the glasses—each style has pierced temples to accommodate them—or be worn as earrings. The collection also features 13 separate, mix-and-match earring sets.

• Australian brand Le Specs partnered with Ian Charms, a celebrity-loved jewelry brand with a Y2K sensibility, based in L.A., in May 2024 for a collection of five sunglasses. The pieces, with names like Nepo Baby and I Am a Rich Man, are in bright colors and echo the design elements of Ian Charms’ jewelry, such as stars, charms, and pearls. Le Specs has done other collaborations with jewelry marketers, including with British brand Missoma in October 2022. That partnership included 22 retro-style pieces featuring jeweled accents such as pearls and gold chains.

• Gentle Monster, an eyewear maker based in South Korea, paired with French accessories label D’heygere in March 2023 for a collaborative collection of frames. They were accompanied by temple rings and earrings, and some of the frames themselves featured jeweled embellishments. The product designs were inspired by jewelry boxes, and each pair was packaged sitting on a jewelry-box like cushion that doubled as a case. The collection was available at the two partners’ online and physical stores. 

• Eyewear brand James Oro collaborated with jewelry label Ben Baller, a celebrity favorite, for a $195 custom frame available in both black and clear. The piece debuted exclusively on the NTWRK livestream shopping app in October 2022. 

In addition to these and other examples from the past few years, some long-standing pairings between jewelry brands and eyewear marketers have been on the market for decades. Swiss luxury jeweler and watchmaker Chopard first signed De Rigo as its eyewear licensee in 2004. The sunglasses and optical frames feature a variety of materials, from titanium to wood, and are embellished with crystals, zircons, and more; its latest release was a Red Carpet collection that debuted at Cannes in May 2025. 

Similarly, Tiffany & Co. signed Luxottica as its eyewear licensee in 2006, with the first products launching in 2008. It renewed the deal for a 10-year term in 2017. The collection has grown to a vast array of styles, many of which feature jewelry-inspired elements such as metallic highlights and/or colors inspired by the gemstones in Tiffany’s jewelry pieces (e.g., emerald green and pink opal). 

Some eyewear brands add jewelry to their assortments via the in-house route rather than through partnerships. Just last month, for example, eyewear label Elisa Johnson expanded into jewelry, starting with an eight-piece earring collection.

Have you seen our detailed coverage of trends and observations from this year’s Licensing Expo in Las Vegas? If not, you can view the summary here.