Gems are a great way to add texture, sparkle, and interest to your manicure.

• Gem nail designs use sparkly charms, crystals, gemstones, pearls, or rhinestones to embellish a manicure.
• Celebrities like Cynthia Erivo, Megan Fox, Jodie Turner-Smith, and Cardi B have all embraced the nail design trend.
• You can create a gem nail look that’s minimalist, with just one gem on an accent nail, or a manicure that’s dripping in gems for a more maximalist approach.

Humans love to adorn their hands with jewels, so extending the sparkle to their nails is a natural next step. Gem nail designs can range from subtle and demure to bold and chunky. It all depends on the size, number, and color of your gems. “Gems are a way to step up the glam to another level,” says celebrity nail artist Sarah Chue. Nail artist Mazz Hanna adds that they “enhance a basic look and add a unique dimension to your nail art.”

And the trend is celebrity-approved, with Cynthia Erivo donning some serious bling on her digits during the Wicked press tour in 2025. Other celebs who have embraced gem manis include Megan Fox, who recently donned a reflective silver set with colorful gemstones; Jodie Turner-Smith, whose matched her nails to her red carpet jewelry; and, of course, Cardi B, who sports gems on almost every design she’s ever had. So there really isn’t much of a reason not to try out this trend.

If you’re doing your gem mani yourself, there are a few different ways to adhere them. “It’s easiest to encapsulate the gems with a thick topcoat,” says Hanna. However, for longer-lasting results, she says to consider sealing the gems in with a builder gel. This not only provides a smoother finish to your manicure but also ensures your nail gems can last for two weeks or more.

Ahead, find more than 30 gem nail looks to recreate—at home or in the salon.

Meet the expert

• Sarah Chue is a celebrity nail artist with Exclusive Artists. Her clientele includes stars like America Ferrera and Teyana Taylor.
• Mazz Hanna is a nail artist, founder of Nailing Hollywood Agency, and the CEO of Mazz Hanna.
• Gina Edwards is a nail stylist and a brand ambassador for Kiss Nails.

A Bed of Gold

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Lean into the full luxury of gemstones by placing them atop a gold polish. To add even more regality to the mani, leave some nails “blank” and opt for texture instead.

Water Baby

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With gems or charms on almost every finger, these Pisces-inspired nails are a masterclass in personal style and opulence. Even though each nail has a different design, the look is still incredibly cohesive.

Cabochon

Kiss

Nail artist Gina Edwards created this gorgeous look for Sergio Hudson’s fall 2024 show using Kiss press-ons as the base. It features inlaid stones surrounded by gold, reminiscent of a cabochon ring. “This is a glamorous, embellished nail look,” says Edwards. “We have ’70s throwback glam—think about Diane Carroll [and] Diana Ross. Those were the two women that Sergio was inspired by for this collection,” Edwards adds.

Press-on nails are perfect for people who want intricate designs without having to spend hours at a salon or hand-painting them. Plus, they’re easy to apply and remove.

Pearly Touches

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Pearls and gems come together to create this luxe black French tip nail design. The combination creates a bold and robust look that’s sure to turn heads.

Earn Your Stripes

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For a fierce gem nail design, consider an animal print mix-and-match mani. Here, several nails feature tiger stripes. The other nails are either all gold or a mix of gold and gems. Every single nail feels like its own work of art.

Shimmer and Shine

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A stunning translucent design, this manicure features sparkles on the base and light, colorful gems on each nail. “This was done for Priah Ferguson [who was] attending a summer Miu Miu event,” says Chue. “We used the gems to [play off of] her studded dress, which tied in beautifully.”

Strawberry Quartz

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Looking to make a subtler statement with your gem nails? Consider adding iridescent decals and gems to a light pink base. It’s not as loud or three-dimensional as other gem manicures, but it still offers tons of interest. Plus, pink goes with everything.

Pinks and Purples

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This nail tip design features a cluster of different-sized pink, purple, and silver gems on a milky white base. It yields a fun, hyper-delicate look.

Pierced Detail

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These nails go hard, featuring literal belly button rings as the gems. The rings are attached through holes in the nail, cementing the pierced effect. And the combination of a chrome base with green slime accents gives off a radioactive vibe.

Cherry Bomb

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This look features gems as cherries on a pink French tip for a cutesy cherry manicure. The stems are hand-painted, which can be a great conversation starter.

Colored Dots

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This colorful design blends gems with two-toned dots that are reminiscent of aura nails. The two elements come together to create a super funky look (in a good way).

Accent French

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There are ways for a manicure to be both maximalist and simplistic. This square-tip French manicure, for example, is accented by two nails that feature clusters of gold gems for the tips. As for the rest of the nails? A simple white-on-pink design lets the jewels shine.

Down the Middle

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This design by Edwards keeps things simple with a line of gems running lengthwise down the center of the nail. The gems are all different colors, but since they’re placed in a straight line, the look maintains a bit of uniformity.

Aura Accents

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A peach-to-nude aura nail serves as the base of this design. Atop the gradient sit silver gems, cream stars, and hearts. If you look closely, some of the designs look like they were airbrushed.

Cotton Candy Bling

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This sweet aura design features a pink base with a blue center and tiny silver gems. It’s giving big cotton candy energy. To get this shape at the salon, ask for an almond shape that borders on stiletto.

Bejeweled Frenchie

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Step up your classic French manicure and adorn it with gems. Each nail features three to four well-spaced gems in different colors. To keep the look soft, the tip uses a warm, creamy white instead of a stark white.

Big Gem

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This gem manicure is a textural dream. Instead of using a ton of small and medium embellishments to accent a design, this look proves that you can go bold with one or two massive gems.

Molten Lava

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These nails combine a base of bubble gum pink glaze with matte, crimson flames and a few sparks of matching red gems. Talk about being on fire.

Put a Ring on It

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One nail in this sparkle-laden look features a line of silver nail foil with a silver gem in the middle, creating what looks like a mini ring on the nail. To keep the vibe going, the rest of the nails (sans one ring finger) are also super sparkly.

Cherry Fields

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For gem cherries that are a touch less sweet, pair them with a minty green French tip instead of the aforementioned bubble gum pink. And to ensure that the hand-painted stems still pop, opt for a darker shade than neon or lime.

Silver Affirmations

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This silver manicure was inspired by Olivia Rodrigo’s song “good 4 u.” It features a silver shimmer French tip accented by silver gems and a nail that reads “You Look Good.” And, let’s be real: Who doesn’t want a compliment at their fingertips?

Base Camp

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This milky manicure features a cluster of gems at the base of each index finger. The sparkly embellishments are laid in a super artful way for an elegant, intricate look.

To ensure that your gem nails last as long as possible, consider limiting your exposure to water—which can reduce the effectiveness of adhesive—by wearing gloves when doing household chores.

Unicorn Tip

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This nail look features lilac French tips and one gem-encrusted tip for a whimsical unicorn vibe. The embellished tip blends pearls and gems of different sizes for an intentionally eclectic finish.

Dangling Diamonds

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This look features strings of crystals that travel down the nail and extend an inch or two beyond the tip, dangling like jewelry. Practical? No. Luxurious as ever? Yes.

Jewel Tones

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This design uses a true white polish for that classic, stark French tip and creates contrast with deep, jewel-toned gems for an extra impactful look. Think of it as a royal French manicure, if you will.

Diamond-Studded Bows

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This sweet nail design features bows punctuated by a silver gem in the middle. The pointier shape adds edge (literally and figuratively), while the mauve base brings softness.

Chunky Mix

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This nail looks like what would happen if you put on a thick coat of clear polish and dipped your fingers in a jar of craft gems from the ’90s. The gems are all different shapes and sizes and are placed in a mosaic style around the coffin-shaped nails.

Bubble Tea

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This bubbly manicure features a chartreuse-to-blue ombré tip accented with bright pink 3D blobs and blue gems. It’s insanely fun. And its uber-pointy shape offers a great contrast to the round accents on each nail.

Gem French

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Go all in with your French manicure and create the tips using nothing but gems. This design features a ton of crystals of varying sizes and no space between them for a full-coverage look.

Clean and Simple

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This demure look is proof that gem nail designs don’t have to be bold. It features a milky white base finished off with a baby pink gem at the top of the nail’s half moon—that is, the base of the nail.

Lipgloss Gems

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This design pairs milky pink lipgloss nails with pale pink and green gems for a soft and pretty look.