Whether you’re part of the Beyhive or not, Beyonce’s visual album, Black Is King, which Beyonce herself describes as “a love letter to Africa” is more than just a visual album. It’s a work of art.
The 85-minute film billed as “a celebratory memoir for the world on the Black experience” is a brilliant moving picture that creates a platform for showcasing established and emerging design talent. Every designer involved ˗ thanks to the vision of stylist extraordinaire Zernia Akers ˗ spent months crafting and creating clothes, accessories, and jewels that would define and develop the story.
Here at WWWJewels, we’re taking a deeper dive into the video to bring you the details and the designers behind the jewelry that Beyonce wears in Black is King.
The Italian-born, London-based designer founded her label in 2010 and her crystal jewels have been spotted on just about every celeb you can think of, like Rihanna, Dua Lipa & Hailey Beiber.
Beyonce wore Rich’s Crystal Cascade earrings above and Square Crystal Cascade earrings below. Crystal eyebrows are courtesy of Area.
Designers Beckett Fogg and Piotrik Panszczyk are the masterminds behind the label’s coveted crystal creations which they launched in 2015. According to The Guardian, Beckett and Piotrik collaborated with The Africa Center in New York for the label’s AW20 collection and according to Vogue, the brand has inked a partnership with the center in the hopes of spotlighting African culture and craft in the United States. The label’s iconic circle crochet earrings spotted below.
Area’s Fall/Winter 2019 draped crystal strand necklace and short ribbon choker styled as bracelets are also worn in the video by Bey.
We knew that Schwartz would pop up somewhere in the video after all Beyonce is a die-hard fan of hers. How could you not forget her custom $4 million Lorraine Schwartz diamond geometric earrings that Bey rocked to the Grammy Awards? The Adventurine got the scoop on Schwartz’s 200-carat diamond necklace shown below. The megawatt beauty is composed of an array of different diamond shapes and was paired with Anabela Chan’s stunning Aqua Waterfall sapphire earrings which created quite the regal moment.
Image of necklace courtesy of The Adventurine
Does this necklace look familiar? It should! The spectacular piece from the Italian jewelry brand features a whopping 85 carats worth of diamonds and was first worn by Lizzo at the 2019 MTV VMAs!
The LA-based designer crafted some of the most insane crystal rope necklaces and hip adornments for the singer to wear in Black is King. According to JCK Magazine “DeWitt and Akers know each other from their days in the New York City fashion world, and Akers gave the artisan her first placement, on Beyoncé, for the Hymn for the Weekend video with Coldplay in 2015. “Years later, we both reside and work in L.A.,” she says. “She entrusted me with the opportunity to make custom pieces for the music video Spirit from The Lion King. Nearly all of DeWitt’s pieces for Black Is King were commissioned.”
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Custom crystal rope neckpiece for #Beyonce in #blackisking styled by @zerinaakers
Crystal rope neckpiece and hip piece
Customized cuff bracelets and neckpiece
Founded in Washington DC and currently residing in NYC the Persian-American jewelry designer’s black resin and onyx earrings with white matte Swarovski were spotted dangling off the earlobes of Bey in the Brown Skin Girl music video.
Who else could pull of pearls and diamonds in a bathrobe but Bey? Stylist Zerina Akers chose two stunning pieces of jewelry- a jaw-dropping pink morganite and sapphire ring and an exquisite yellow diamond necklace both from Kallati.
All those amazing crystal hoop earrings Beyonce wears in Black is King is courtesy of A-Morir Studio. Known for their gem embellished sunglasses, the crystal-encrusted hoops are the creative genius of NYC founder and creative director Kerin Rose Gold.
MAXI, MEDI, and MINI crystal earrings in pink and fuchsia
Custom large crystal chain hoops and mini black crystal hoops
We love a dramatic earring moment and Beyonce did just that by wearing four lust-worthy pairs of earrings from London based designer Anabela Chan. Chan worked with fashion designer Alexander McQueen in London for 7 years before returning to jewelry to launch her eponymous label in December 2013.
Fuchsia Ombre Waterfall Lab-Grown Pink Sapphire Earrings
Lab-Grown Paraiba Chandelier Earrings
Aqua Sapphire Waterfall Earrings
Ruby Sunset Starbust Lab-Grown Ruby and Pink Sapphire Earrings
Speaking about a serious OTT earring moment from the video… Bey blew us away with Outhouse Jewellery’s Birdwing Silvernight Dusters which you can buy here. Kaabia and Sasha Grewal are the creative sister duo behind the brand.
We’ve been following designer Emmanuele Tsakiris and his glitzy Swarovski filled creations for some time now ever since Nicki Minaj wore a piece for YG’s Big Bank video. Now Beyonce is spotted wearing his theatrical pair of Swarovski chandelier earrings in Black is King. Not bad for someone who had no formal training in jewelry design.
Some of the most interesting and statement-making jewelry spotted in Beyonce’s Black is King video comes from identical twin designers, Dynasty and Soull Ogun of L’Enchanteur. According to JCK Magazine who interviewed the design duo – Soull Ogun stated that she and Dynasty felt intimately connected to the project—their father is Nigerian and their mother is from the West Indies. “We had a lot of that style growing up,” she says. “There was a level of familiarity there.”
Soull also stated that many of the styles they contributed were “pieces that were in our collection that we went hyper on.” Stylist Akers gave the designers a deadline to create pieces for the project as well as a mood board–like collection of images. But otherwise, “she completely trusted us to come up with what we wanted. There was a major level of trust there. It was a privilege to have that.”
L’Enchanteur’s Galactica Armlets + Custom Butterfly Wing Earrings in “ALREADY” Video
Jay-Z wearing Custom Archer Sagit GodBody Ring
Custom GodHead Earrings in “ALREADY”
Beyonce wearing L’Enchanteur’s Mouth Garb in “ALREADY” Visuals
Akers sprinkled in a few designer labels into the mix namely Schiaparelli. The House which was founded by Elsa Schiaparelli in 1927 is currently helmed by creative director Daniel Roseberry. We caught Bey wearing the brand’s oversized jewel frame earrings from their Fall 2019 Couture collection which coincidentally was Roseberry’s debut collection for the house.
The iconic French brand made its presence in the Black is King video with Beyonce wearing their clear resin drop logo earrings from their Spring 2018 collection. Those earrings combined with a Lace By Tanaya custom crystal fringe dress created a hypnotizing OTT crystal luscious moment that we just can’t seem to get enough of!
The second Chanel spotting was from the French brand’s Pre-Fall 2019 ancient Egypt-inspired Métiers d’Art collection which consisted of blue pearl scarab drop earrings and a multi-layer blue scarab necklace that Kaia Gerber wore on the runway shown below.
Let’s not forget about hubby Jay-Z as he had some memorable jewelry moments too! The one that stood out the most was the massive citrine and gold necklace created by LA jewelry designer Lisa Eisner.
These turquoise and pearl beauties come from Belgium brand LTE. Not only do we love the fact that these Pearlli Drops are super affordable but that this brand promotes sustainability by shedding light on repurposing vintage jewelry that would otherwise be thrown out ( i.e. deadstock).
Do you remember Pose star Indya Moore’s keepsake frame earrings that showcased and paid tribute to sixteen trans women who were murdered in the US at last year’s Daily Front Row Media Fashion Awards? Well, those earrings were the brainchild of Areeayl Goodwin -the designer behind Beads Byaree. Areeayl was back at it again by not only creating a custom Black choker for Blue Ivy to wear in Black is King but also designing these Mamas Mamas Mamas quadruple hoop earrings for Bey.
The shell pieces spotted throughout Black is King is the creative work of Lafalaise Dion, who is inspired by African spirituality and the roots of the cowry shell. Did you know that according to African legends, cowrie shells are not only recognized as a symbol of prosperity but also symbolize the power of destiny? The shape of the cowrie is thought of as the mouth of Orsisas, which is believed to have taught stories of humility and respect.
JCK Magazine provided an insightful look into NYC-based indie jewelry designer Ariana Boussard-Reifel and her response to Beyonce wearing her jewels in Black is King.
“It’s incredibly gratifying to see my work come to life as part of a project that is both so artistically rich and so culturally potent,” Boussard-Reifel says. “The visionary creativity of Zerina, creative director Kwaisi, and Beyoncé inspires me to push my work further and bring a more social and global impact into my process of making.”
She adds, “When Beyoncé wears my jewelry, it has far more impact for the brand than any other [placement]. I think it’s not just the level of celebrity that she brings, but the visual power of the moments she creates. She shows that jewelry is not just decorative, but it is an emblem of power and expression.”
Bey wearing the ANTILLES Earrings and NOH Cuff.
MONSOON earrings are shown above.
According to stylist Zerina Akers, she was extremely grateful for Twiga Mbunda as she lent Akers and Bey a vast amount of her collection to be used on Beyoncé and in the background of the video.
Akers stated from her Instagram account – “There’s so moments that need to be illuminated like this Ancient Congolese Mangbetu crown. @twigagallerysf graciously lent us a vast amount of her collection to be used on Beyoncé AND background. The amount of Power this brought to the set was uncomprehending. Also here is her green Moonglass necklace and Asante gold pendant. As quite as it’s kept, Twiga Mbunda is responsible for the style of the iconic Iris Apfel.”
Twiga praised Beyonce quoting “BEYONCE the Queen in high regalia. She knows how to go Tr ibal.Twiga’s. green moon glass necklace with the original Ashante gold pendant lend on another world iconic neck.No one else but Beyonce.finishing up with a touch of the finest Mangbetu hat from the C ongo.Masterpiece. Only if you know how to treasure them well. Go tribal is the best for 2020.”
Green moon glass necklace with the original Ashante gold pendant featured above.
Bey flashed several 22k matte gold hammered rings on her digits in her Black is King video. The $30.00 Jewel Rings are by Amerie 1936 – a handcrafted jewelry line based in Charlotte, North Carolina.
While we still can’t get over the glittering fringe dress the designer made for Beyonce a year ago the LA-based crystal enthusiast also created these crystal-encrusted hoops for the singer shown below.
JARED LEHR
Many celebs have worn Lehr from Carrie Underwood at the 2019 CMA Awards to Cardi B at 2019 Billboard Music Awards and now the jewelry designer can add Bey to his list! Several of Lehr’s gorgeous gemstone cocktail rings featured below were spotted throughout the video on the fingers of Beyonce and supermodel extraordinaire Naomi Campbell.
So what is our favorite customized jewelry piece that we’ve seen in Black is King? Our answer – the gold chain headpiece festooned with hoop earrings created for Beyonce by Project Runway alum Natalia Fedner and stylist Zernia Akers. According to Aker’s Instagram page, the piece was “A collaboration between @zerinaakers x @nataliafedner that celebrates good old ghetto gold. Transformed into art what gold earrings have symbolized in our African-American culture over time.”
A first-generation American and the daughter of Iranian immigrants, the L.A.-based jewelry designer had her sculptural jewels – the Saturnus and Lux rings worn by Beyonce.
Another powerful statement piece came from Adele Dejak. Bey not only wore the brand’s bracelets but also their Afrika Comb necklace. According to their Instagram page the combs “Signify Africa, 6000 years of culture, politics, and identity from its origins in ancient Kemetian culture when it symbolized ‘status, group affiliation and religious beliefs’. Many black men and women used it as a hair accessory embracing their natural hair but also used it to express their cultural pride. The historical stories are endless and the Afrika comb has come full circle and still plays an important role in the creation and maintenance of afro hair styling. “
Afrika Comb necklace with gold leaf appliqué & a brass chain
Adele Dejak’s Margaret Aluminium Statement bracelet combined with Dhamani Kanini bracelet.
Inspired by a paint palette with a twist Lorraine West designed these earrings as a tribute to all people that are painting a new world through their positive cause in life. How cool is that?
Abstract Palette earrings
TONGORO
Launched in the Spring of 2016 by Sarah Diouf Tongoro is a 100% Made in Africa label designed, produced in Dakar, Senegal, and dedicated to bringing economic and social growth to Western African by supporting artisanal workers and local tailors. As we spotted Tongoro’s Malé cascading brass disc earrings on Beyonce in Black is King we were reminded that this isn’t the first time Bey has worn jewels from the brand -Tongoro’s T-earrings hung from her lobes in her Spirit video for the Lion King.
A special thanks go out to @HausofYonce/Beyonce.com/JCKOnline.com/theadventurine.com for imagery and credit info.
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