Scandinavian Design Jewelry: What It Is and How to Wear It
Scandinavian design jewelry is easy to recognize: clean lines, soft shapes borrowed from nature and just enough detail, never too much. These are pieces you wear every day, that combine effortlessly and that you’ll still love wearing years from now. Lundholm has had a Scandinavian design identity since 2018, which is why our looks have Swedish names, from Lagom (just enough) to Vinterljus (winter light). Below you’ll find what the style really is, how to wear it and which looks go with it.
The short answer
Scandinavian jewelry is minimalist jewelry with a calm, natural feel. You can recognize Scandinavian design by:
- Clean lines: fine necklaces, small hoops, simple bangles.
- Organic shapes: waves, drops, leaves and flowers, soft rather than rigid.
- Lagom: just enough. One beautiful detail per piece, nothing excessive.
- Functional and timeless: light, comfortable and made for every day, whatever the trends.
- Natural colors: warm gold tones, cool silver, pearl-look and natural stone.
How to wear it: start with a few essentials, layer necklaces in different lengths, mix gold and silver freely and add a little extra sparkle in winter.
All the jewelry in this article is made of premium stainless steel with a gold- or silver-colored PVD coating: hypoallergenic and waterproof (except for pearl-look pieces). You’ll find these pieces, and many more, in our Scandinavian jewelry collection.
What is Scandinavian design? 6 hallmarks of Scandinavian jewelry
Scandinavian design became famous worldwide in the 1950s with a simple idea: beautiful things should also be useful, every day and for everyone. In countries with long, dark winters, life revolves around light, natural materials and an uncluttered home. In jewelry, that translates into six hallmarks:
- MinimalistClean lines and simple shapes. Anything that isn’t needed is left out.
- OrganicShapes from nature: waves, drops, leaves and flowers. Soft rather than stiff.
- LagomJust enough: one lovely detail per piece, never too much and never too little.
- FunctionalLight and comfortable, so you can wear it from your morning coffee to dinner.
- TimelessNo fleeting hype, but pieces you wear for years and that go with everything.
- Light and naturalWarm gold, cool silver, pearl-look and natural stone in calm colors.
Pictured
Madison – a clean shape with soft corners
A 2 cm rectangular hoop with rounded corners: the Scandinavian principle in miniature. A simple, graphic shape that looks calm, feels light and works with a chunky knit just as well as with a crisp blouse.
View the Madison →Looking for your first piece of Scandinavian jewelry? Choose something you’ll wear every day: a fine necklace with an open pendant, small oval hoops or an open bangle.
Lagom: the secret of just enough
If one word sums up Scandinavian jewelry, it’s lagom. The Swedish word means something like: not too much, not too little, just right. It’s less a rule than a sense of balance that you see in how Swedes live, eat and dress.
In jewelry, lagom means every piece does one thing well. A fine chain with tiny beads instead of a heavy link. Earrings with a beautiful shape and no frills. Together they create a look that feels finished, without anything shouting.
Shop the look
Lagom – just enough
A box chain with tiny beads, sculptural 3 cm drops, a minimalist link bracelet and a wavy ring: calm, light and complete. Pictured in silver tone, also available in gold tone.
Shop the look →Prefer gold? Then wear the same look in warm gold tone, lovely with camel, cream and burgundy.
Shapes from nature: waves, leaves and natural stone
Scandinavian design borrows its shapes from the landscape: waves on the sea, smooth pebbles on the beach, leaves in the forest and wildflowers by the roadside. That’s why Scandinavian jewelry is rarely perfectly symmetrical. A ring ripples around your finger, a bangle is not quite round, an earring takes the shape of a drop.
It’s exactly that touch of irregularity that makes these pieces soft and personal. And it suits autumn perfectly: think warm gold with sage, olive, plum and cream.
Also lovely in this line: the Våg look (Swedish for wave), with organic studs and an open bangle, and Gryning (dawn) with soft pink rose quartz.
Äng: a flower meadow to wear
Flowers are part of the Scandinavian summer feeling: midsummer, wildflower crowns, daisies in the grass. The Äng look (Swedish for flower meadow) carries that feeling through the whole year. It’s the cheerful side of Scandinavian design: playful, but still lagom, because each piece has just one little flower.
Shop the look
Äng – flower meadow
Daisies in your ears, on your wrist and on your finger, plus a little flower with a pearl-look accent at your neck. Cheerful and sunny, even on a gray autumn day.
- Imogen necklace with flower and pearl-look
- Marguerite daisy earrings
- Smilla link bracelet with daisies
- Marguerite daisy ring
How to wear Scandinavian jewelry
Scandinavian jewelry is made to be combined. A few rules of thumb: choose one statement piece per look, keep the rest fine and simple and let your outfit set the pace. This table will get you started:
| Moment | How to wear it | Look |
|---|---|---|
| Every day and at work | A fine 40-45 cm necklace, small hoops or studs, one ring | Lagom |
| Weekend, with a chunky sweater | Organic shapes: an open bangle, a long necklace over your sweater | Våg |
| Layering | Two or three necklaces of 40, 45 and 50 cm, or one three-layer necklace | Tre |
| Gold and silver together | One piece in both colors as the connecting link | Blanda |
| Something cheerful | Flowers or soft pink natural stone | Äng, Gryning |
| The holidays | Cubic zirconia and pearl-look: just enough sparkle | Glimt, Pärla |
Every day: start with three essentials
A Scandinavian jewelry collection starts small. A fine necklace, a pair of small hoops and one ring or bracelet give you a foundation that goes with almost everything. Which necklace length to choose depends on your neckline: read which necklace goes with which neckline. Choose pieces you can leave on: stainless steel with PVD is waterproof, so showering and sports are no problem. The classics we keep coming back to ourselves are in Lundholm Icons.
Layering: the Tre look
Layering suits Scandinavian design perfectly, as long as you keep it calm. Combine two or three fine necklaces with a few centimeters of difference in length, or choose a necklace that already has the layers built in. That’s exactly the idea behind Tre, Swedish for three. Find more tips in how to layer necklaces.
Shop the look
Tre – three layers
A three-layer necklace, earrings with three arcs, a bracelet with three fine strands and a ring that looks like three rings in one: a complete layered look, without having to stack anything yourself.
- Manou three-layer necklace
- Nika triple hoop earrings
- Alina three-layer bracelet with beads
- Billie ring with twisted middle band
Mixing gold and silver
Scandinavian design has no strict rule that gold and silver don’t go together. Mixing works best with a connecting piece: one that already combines both colors. Build the rest of your look around it. The Blanda look (Swedish for mix) shows how. Find more ideas in combining gold and silver.
Not sure which color or style suits you? Our guides Gold or silver: which suits me better? and Which jewelry suits me? will help, or take the style quiz.
Vinterljus: Scandinavian jewelry for autumn and winter
In Scandinavia, winter is long and dark, and that’s exactly why everything revolves around light: candles on the windowsill, lights along the street, the glitter of snow. Vinterljus is Swedish for winter light, and it’s also the name of our winter collection: pieces with cubic zirconia, pearl-look and warm gold tones that catch that soft light, for festive dinners, New Year’s Eve and all the gray days in between.
What keeps it Scandinavian is the dose. Choose one thing that sparkles, like a tennis bracelet or a necklace with a zirconia drop, and keep the rest simple. The Glimt look, Swedish for a glimmer of light, shows just how much sparkle is enough.
Shop the look
Glimt – a glimmer of light
A necklace with a cubic zirconia pendant, zirconia studs, a tennis bracelet and a ring with a row of stones. Just enough sparkle for the holidays, in silver or gold tone.
- Anah necklace with zirconia pendant
- Nikki zirconia studs
- Inge tennis bracelet
- Luce triple ring with zirconia
A little Swedish glossary
Our looks have Swedish names, and every word says something about the style. Handy to know, and fun to say out loud:
| Swedish | Meaning | At Lundholm |
|---|---|---|
| lagom | just enough, not too much and not too little | Lagom look |
| äng | flower meadow | Äng look |
| tre | three | Tre look |
| våg | wave | Våg look |
| vriden | twisted | Vriden look |
| pärla | pearl | Pärla look |
| gryning | dawn | Gryning look |
| glimt | a glimmer of light | Glimt look |
| blanda | to mix | Blanda look |
| djärv | bold | Djärv look |
| tur | luck | Tur look |
| kärlek | love | Kärlek look |
| vinterljus | winter light | Vinterljus collection |
| fika | a coffee break with something sweet | See the opening photo |
You’ll find all the looks together on our looks page. Each look is a complete set you can shop in one go, or piece by piece.
Buying Scandinavian jewelry: what to look for
If you’re looking for Scandinavian jewelry, you’ll find plenty of minimalist pieces. Whether a piece really feels Scandinavian comes down to the details. Look for:
- Calm design: one clear idea per piece, clean lines, no unnecessary decoration.
- Materials for every day: jewelry that can handle water and sweat and is suitable for most people with sensitive skin. Read more about hypoallergenic jewelry and waterproof jewelry.
- Comfort: lightweight, an extension chain on your necklace, adjustable rings.
- Easy to combine: pieces that come in gold and silver tone and go with your other jewelry.
- Timeless over trendy: would you still wear it in a few years? Then you’ve chosen well.
Lundholm has had a Scandinavian design identity since 2018. You see it in the calm shapes, in the Swedish names of our looks and in the choice of premium stainless steel with a PVD coating. Just starting out? Then Lundholm Icons is a lovely place to begin: the pieces we keep coming back to ourselves.
Shipping and gift wrapping
Order before 15:00 on a working day and we’ll ship your jewelry the same day. Shipping costs and delivery times for your country are on our shipping page. Every piece leaves in a luxury gift box, and when you order from our own web shop you always get a free gift bag too. For higher order values, our gift ladder adds free gifts as well, different every month. Looking for a gift in Scandinavian style? Try the Gift Finder.
Frequently asked questions about Scandinavian jewelry
What is Scandinavian jewelry?
Scandinavian jewelry (or jewellery) is minimalist jewelry with a calm, natural feel. You recognize it by clean lines, organic shapes such as waves, drops and leaves, and just enough detail. It’s light, comfortable and meant to be worn every day and combined easily.
What does lagom mean?
Lagom is Swedish for just enough: not too much and not too little. In jewelry it means every piece has one beautiful detail and your look is balanced, without excess.
How do you wear Scandinavian jewelry?
Start with a few essentials, such as a fine necklace, small hoops and a ring. Choose one statement piece per look and keep the rest simple. Layer necklaces with a few centimeters of difference in length, mix gold and silver with a connecting piece and add some sparkle in winter with cubic zirconia or pearl-look.
Is Scandinavian jewelry gold or silver?
Both. Scandinavian design uses warm gold and cool silver, often in the same design. Many Lundholm pieces come in gold and silver tone, and the two combine beautifully.
Is Scandinavian jewelry still in style in 2026?
Yes. Minimalist and organic shapes fit the 2026 trends, such as wavy lines, natural stone and layered necklaces, but they don’t depend on a single season. That’s why you’ll still wear them in a few years.
What should you look for when buying Scandinavian jewelry?
Look for a calm design with one clear idea, materials you can wear every day, comfort details such as an extension chain or an adjustable ring, and whether the piece comes in both gold and silver tone. Choose timeless over trendy.
Can you wear Scandinavian jewelry every day, even in the shower?
Lundholm jewelry is made of premium stainless steel with a PVD coating. It’s waterproof and hypoallergenic, so you can shower, swim and work out wearing it. Only pearl-look pieces are not waterproof; take those off before they get wet.
What do the Swedish names of the Lundholm looks mean?
Each name says something about the look. Lagom means just enough, Äng flower meadow, Tre three, Våg wave, Vriden twisted, Pärla pearl, Gryning dawn, Glimt a glimmer of light and Vinterljus winter light.
Which Scandinavian jewelry suits winter?
In winter, Scandinavian design is all about light. Choose one piece that sparkles, such as a tennis bracelet, a necklace with a zirconia pendant or pearl-look, and pair it with simple essentials. Our Vinterljus collection (Swedish for winter light) was put together especially for this.
Discover Scandinavian jewelry
Calm, light and made for every day: waterproof, hypoallergenic and always in a luxury gift box.
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