At the 2001 SAG Awards, first-time nominee Kate Hudson wore more gemstones on her Donna Karen dress than her décolletage. Her only visible jewels were stud earrings, glimmering from beneath her wavy curls. Now, 25 years and two nominations later, Hudson made up for lost time—and diamonds—at the SAG-turned-2026 Actor Awards red carpet in over 20 carats of custom Emily P. Wheeler sparklers.
Nearly two hours after L.A.'s Shrine Auditorium opened the red carpet, the "Female Actor in a Leading Role" nominee honored the “Reimagining Hollywood Glamour From the ‘20s and ‘30s" dress code in a Valentino gown and opulent Emily P. Wheeler gems. The L.A.-based jeweler sculpted "a half million-dollar" high jewelry set, featuring a necklace, a cocktail ring, and earrings, just to complement the Song Sung Blue star's dress.
"Unlike couture, which is almost always custom, high jewelry is typically loaned from existing collections that have been worn before," stylist Sophie Lopez tells Marie Claire. "To collaborate directly with Emily to design an entirely original suite specifically for Kate allowed us to approach the look with complete intention."
"For such a significant red carpet moment, we knew the jewelry needed to reflect that level of importance," Wheeler tells Marie Claire. First up? A collar-style torque necklace, centered by a 10.15-carat antique Desert diamond atop Hudson's collarbone. 38.73 carats of pavé diamonds covered every square inch of the collar, before asymmetrical bubble-fringe stones cascaded down each open end. The torque's white diamonds encompassed the aforementioned, champagne-colored scene-stealer, which offset the otherwise balanced structure.
Wheeler's "bubble-fringe" effect stretched onto similar statement earrings, crafted to spotlight 2.7-carat, light brown Desert diamonds on each stud. Then, 2.24 carats of smaller, white diamonds bordered both center stones like tiers of raindrops. Wheeler also designed droplet-less studs for Hudson's special night. This pair started with same circular, champagne diamonds, except the surrounding smaller stones were more compressed.
Hudson's east-west engagement ring from fiancé Danny Fujikawa was joined by not one, but three Emily P. Wheeler creations. For the first two, the designer sourced 3.09-carat and 2.71-carat Desert diamonds from Botswana. Sally Morrison, natural diamonds market lead at diamond company De Beers Group, credits the rise in warm-toned gemstones to celebrity red carpet fashion. See Jessie Buckley and Bad Bunny's Desert diamonds at the 2026 Golden Globes and Super Bowl LX, respectively, for proof. To complement Hudson's earrings and necklace, white circular diamonds decorated her bubbly bands.
Because it was such a "dream to create custom jewelry for Kate," Wheeler couldn't possibly stop there. Her final and most "bohemian" ring by far drew inspiration from Wheeler's signature twist silhouette. An 8.8-carat center stone—Hudson's last Desert diamond—was a splash more rose gold than its predecessors, possibly a nod to her engagement ring's pink-ish band. The winding setting featured 3.37 carats of white diamonds—the stones even acted in lieu of classic palladium prongs.
This award season alone, Hudson's frosted herself in diamonds from Shay Jewelry, Garatti, Bulgari, Cartier, and Chaumet. None appeared to be personalized just for her, though. By going custom, Lopez aligned "every detail of the jewelry with the overall vision for the night," she adds. If the 2026 Actor Awards vision was Old Hollywood glamour, with a hint of Almost Famous nostalgia, Hudson, Lopez, and Wheeler hit the nail on the head.
