I’m not saying I’ve found the Love Island 2024 necklace, but I’m making a case for Samantha’s Love Island necklace to be the one we’re all going to be wearing this summer. Forget the romance (or less so now Grace has entered the villa), with Joey Essex, because I’ve been spending my 9pm Love Island viewing appointments searching for Samantha’s 'S' necklace.
If you’ve read my previous Love Island necklace articles, you’ll know I’m the self-appointed HELLO! Love Island necklace connoisseur, and I knew as soon as Liverpudlian Samantha walked in that she’d be the one to watch.
The stylish 27-year-old might be bringing the drama with her Joey Essex and Grace drama, but she’s also bringing the drama with her big, initial pendant. Samantha has been spotted wearing a gold chain choker with a big ‘S’ charm.
Samantha’s necklace appears to be a gold paperclip chain, worn as a choker, with an oversized embellished ‘S’ hanging from it, also in gold. I’ve spotted her wearing it on the ITV show a handful of times already, and we’re only in week two.
Samantha chose the necklace as her accessory for the first night of Love Island, dialling up the glam of her bronze Analina bikini, worn as she entered the villa. I love that she wears her chain shorter, as the trend is normally to wear it longer - top tip is to buy a budget choker-chain and slip an initial pendant on yourself.
A quick search found Samantha's necklace on jewellery website Say It With, with the Love Islander posing on the website wearing the £78 necklace. I’ve found some stunning lookalikes for you to get Samantha’s Love Island look.
© Say It WithHow I chose the best lookalikes for Samantha's necklace
- Lookalike: I've kept as close to Samantha's as possible, in size and style. I've included some non-embellished initial pendants, and charms that are sold separately to a chain.
- Price: There's a lot of Samantha's style of necklace on the high street, but the best lookalikes are on the higher end of the budget. I've included a range of price points, but be sure to factor in those that come with a chain and those that you'll have to buy a chain to hang your pendant on.
- Availability: This is a classic trend but larger initial pendants are less widely available. All of the pendants I've included have good stock in all letters, at the time of publishing.
Shop Samantha's Love Island necklace
1/3
Mejuri Lab Grown Diamond Oversized Letter Charm
Mejuri Initial Necklace
Chain included? No
Metal: 14K yellow gold
Delivery cost: Free delivery on orders over £100
Returns: Within 30 days
Editor's note: "This is as close to Samantha's real necklace as I can find, and is a beautifully luxurious version of the necklace itself.
"Covered in lab grown diamonds, the large letter comes as a pendant, and can be customised with your own chain to wear as long or as short as you like."
2/3
PRYA Sydney Initial Necklace
PRYA Initial Necklace
Chain included? Yes; 40cm + 5cm extender
Metals: 18k Gold / Silver Plated
Delivery cost: Free shipping
Returns: Within 14 days
Editor's note: "PRYA's initial pendant is in cursive, and a more feminine version of Samantha's - but equally as large.
"Encrusted with Cubic Zirconia stones, choose from gold or silver to wear with your swimsuit all summer long. It's tarnish-resistant, so should be pool safe."
3/3
Etsy Diamond Initial Charm
Etsy Initial Necklace
Chain included? No
Metals: 14k yellow, rose or white gold
Delivery cost: £12.30
Returns: Not accepted
Editor's note: "Etsy's version is a simple, thin large initial that comes without a chain, giving you the chance to make it really personal.
"Covered in dainty diamonds, it's handmade and can be created in either gold, rose gold or white gold."
Why we love the trend
Initial necklaces are a classic trend, from dainty initial necklaces to big, impactful initials. Everyone from Princess Kate, Meghan Markle and Princess Diana, to Hailey Bieber, Bella Hadid and Rosie Huntington-Whiteley wear their heart on their necklace, so wearable is the trend. The royals often wear the initials of their children, while Hailey Bieber's necklace of choice is a big puffy 'B', in tribute to her married surname.
Jewellery designer Maya Brenner commented . "Initial necklaces are a staple jewellery piece that transcends trends, so we're not surprised everyone from Love Islanders to royalty is wearing them. They're such a gateway design for those who want to build their jewellery collection with something personal and they're a fail-safe gift for a loved one." "
We've sold over 125,000 initial necklaces at Maya Brenner since we launched them in 2007, and we don't see it slowing down with more women buying jewellery for themselves. The layering trend has also hugely contributed to their growth with chain layering and charms coming back to the forefront of jewellery styling."
I personally wear the initial of my daughter on a chain as a sign of affection; it’s a great conversation piece, and a little more intriguing than wearing a full name on a necklace. I also have a necklace with a large ‘C’ on, which I wear on days I need a little confidence boost, showing my identity and that yes, I'm unashamedly me.
What I love about Samantha's necklace is the size. There's no small, discreet initial peeking through a top - this is a loud, proud and bold take on the trend, making sure everyone knows (and possibly remembers?) her name, or at least her initial. A branding of sorts? If so, bravo Samantha, bravo.
