If you’re an amateur anthropologist, a student of fashion history, or simply someone seeking mindless entertainment this summer, consider diving into the delightfully silly genre of Beach Party movies. From 1963 to 1966, theaters were graced with gems like “Beach Party,” the series’ inaugural offering, along with titles like “Muscle Beach Party” and the aptly named “Bikini Beach.” You’ll immediately notice the actors and actresses in these cinematic masterpieces, whether fake surfing against a green screen or canoodling on artificial sand, embracing their pleasantly plush physiques. They’re not chubby, but they certainly don’t embody the idealized movie star physique we’ve come to expect. It’s refreshing to see semi-natural figures, reminding us how our perceptions of attractiveness have evolved over the decades.
While the plots of these films might be genial silliness—errant mermaids, goofy motorcycle gangs, and the like—they offer an early glimpse into what would become the quintessential American teenage wasteland: a carefree summer with no school, no job, and most importantly, no parents. (“The Pleasure of His Company,” featuring a mother and father and a young Sandra Dee, is an outlier in the series—its plot is earnest, its screenplay superior.) Notably, there’s a notable absence of jewelry adorning these voluptuous revelers, and no gems are central to major plot twists—no stories hinging on the eternal tragedy of a precious keepsake disappearing into the sea. (This happened to me as a young girl at Tobay Beach on Long Island. My peridot birthstone ring from A&S, a now defunct department store, vanished into the waves. I’ve never truly gotten over it.)
More than half a century after the rise of the Beach Party movie, a veritable industry has sprung up dedicated to glamorous beachside ensembles: metallic bikinis! Diamante mules! Humongous straw hats! Wildly overpriced designer totes! And, of course, a plethora of summer jewelry, defined here as pieces incorporating shells, fish, or other beach-inspired motifs. While you could theoretically wear these year-round, would you truly want to sport a conch shell dangling from your ear when Santa Claus is on his way? Here, we present a curated roster of jewels to adorn your look from now until Labor Day, or to set aside until you, like the yearning coeds in “Beach Party,” make it to the coast for spring break. Necklaces. Earrings. Bracelets. Body chains. Brooches. Rings.
