Affordable fine jewelry may sound like an oxymoron, but thanks to a recent boom in direct-to-consumer brands, the landscape is changing. And thanks to the advent of Instagram, it feels as though new brands are popping up every week with an interesting twist to stand out from the pack. Still, you don’t have to pick between DTC disruptors and time-honored jewelry houses— there’s enough 14k love to go around. Read on for our roundup of eye-candy jewelery worth investing in, ahead.
Follow enough Insta-influencers and you’re bound to see one wearing a piece from Mejuri, a Canadian fine jewelry company that makes items you can wear everyday. Because of its direct-to-consumer business model (i.e. you can only shop their items from its site), prices are lower than traditional luxury brands. You can stock up on the pieces you love without feeling like your bank account was ransacked.
Color, color, and more color—this is where this DTC brand shines. Sure, you can find your regular gold hoops and eternity bands, but TLL’s rainbow tennis bracelets, diamond daisies, and playful charms are what the brand is becoming known for. That, and the enthusiastic celebrity fanbase, which includes Miley Cyrus, Katy Perry, and Rachel Zoe.
Anyone interested in a diamond studded wrist piercing? Maria Tash is an OG East Village piercer turned fine jeweler who brought fine body jewlery to the masses. There was no curated ear game before her deft hands reached for a needle. Her fine jewelry line allows you to create a constellation of diamonds from head to toe, literally.
Based in New York City, designer Matthew Harris sought out to make beautiful jewelry that was actually accessible. The results are thoughtfully created styles that mix precious stone like Malachite and tiger’s eye with diamonds and 14k gold into modern, sophisticated pieces. Entry-level pieces include diamond studs and sweet necklaces starting around $200, but even his jaw-dropping architectural styles are affordably priced and look as if they belong in a museum.
With a background in sculpture, Wing Yau approaches jewelry with a holistic approach. The ethically sourced brand takes a celestial forms–like the brand’s best-selling constellation earrings—and grounds them with conflict-free diamonds and the brand’s signature stone, luminescent opal.
When you think of modern heirlooms, the first brand to come to mind is Foundrae. Co-founded and designed by Beth Bugdaycay, her tokens are meant to empower and protect its wearers, with medallions and enameled cigar rings symbolizing love, resilience, and strength.
Jacquie Aiche is the queen of boho chic fine jewelry. As one of the first designers to herald fine body jewelry, her brand is where spirituality meets diamonds. Think inlay lapis lazuli, diamond embellished bellychains, and weed-themed jewelry for the 14k tokers out there, including Rihanna herself.
Louis-Ulysse Chopard, a Swiss watchmaker, founded Chopard in 1860, but it has since expanded into jewelry—specifically, the diamond showstoppers seen on the red carpet. Still, their jewels shouldn’t be reserved for Hollywood premieres. The recently-dropped Happy Hearts collection is something you could easily wear every day.
Designer Vania Leles is bringing the voice of Africa to fine jewelry with her luxury label Vanleles. Taking inspiration from traditional African prints, the Nile River, and the snow tops of Mount Kilimanjaro, her high pieces should be your future crown jewels.
Though the brand launched in 2014, it’s their latest development that’s caught our attention: Design Studio. Here, you can play engagement ring designer working with more than 3,500 style combinations to create your perfect ring. The diamonds come from Diamond Foundry — a Silicon Valley-based firm that produces lab-grown diamonds using solar technology—and acquired Vrai in 2017. Once your ring is designed, it’s made in Los Angeles and then sent to you. Perfect for those who truly can’t stand shopping IRL.
If you think anything like Irene Neuwirth, fine jewelry should come with a heavy dash of playful imagination. Hand-cut tourmalines are sculpted into hibiscuses, candy necklaces made from opals look good enough to eat, and more colorful baubles have made this brand’s style instantly recognizable.
You can have solid gold, rubies, and enamel with a side of kitsch when you look to Alison Lou Jewelry. Under the creative direction of Alison Chemla, the prescious brand has become synonymous with cheeky emoji studs and lucite hoops in a rainbow of colors (worn and loved by Emily Ratajkowski).
The famous French jeweler has a storied relationship with coronated kings and the Kardashians alike. Their cult-like fans continue to stock up on its iconic love bracelets in 2020, but they’ve been providing high luxury goods since 1847.
Are you the type to love fine jewelry and tarot card readings? Let Sofia Zaskia be your new favorite jeweler. The designer weaves astronomy, mythology, and spirituality through her pieces, so you can be sure to feel personally connected to every piece.
You can’t talk about fine jewelry without a Tiffany & Co. shoutout. From 2000s-era charm bracelets to jaw-dropping engagement rings, the jewelry in Tiffany’s iconic blue box is meant to be cherished, worn with ease, and passed down for generations to come.
Based in San Francisco, California, Harwell Godfrey is helmed by founder and designer Lauren Harwell Godfrey with the power of healing in mind. Her pieces, made of 18k gold and gemstones, reference the elements, ancient motifs, and more for colorful, meditative pieces you’ll own for life.
Bvlgari is an Italian luxury brand that, while it has expanded in fragrances, hotels, and more, is at its a core a fine jeweler. Founded in Greece in 1884, the company has dedicated more than 130 years to crafting everything from its iconic serpent bangles to their influencer-backed B.zero1 rings.
Not all pearls are made equal. While many brands have made strands of the oceanic orbs, it doesn’t get more classic than pearls by Mikimoto. The company was founded by entrepreneur Mikimoto Kōkichi, who is credited for creating the first cultured pearls ever, thus kickstarting the industry.
When it comes to Instagram fine jewelry, nobody’s feed is as technicolored as Stephanie Gottlieb. It’s a candy store for your eyes, with rainbow-speckled rings, massive engagement rings, and the designer’s really great manicures.
You see a cable twist bangle, and you instantly know who made it: David Yurman. The brand was founded by David, a sculptor, and his wife Sybil, a painter, which speaks volumes to the brand’s artistic approach to jewelry.
Based in Los Angeles, CA, Ceremony focuses specifically on rings for special occasions. Wedding? Engagement? Graduation? Either way, Ceremony describes their pieces as “a collection of rings for marking new traditions.” And with its direct-to-consumer model, Ceremony minimizes the markup of their 18-Karat gold and precious stone bands.
Find the new minimal with Khadijah Fulton, the designer behind Los Angeles-based White Space. Her style ranges from clean minimalist lines to undular, natural forms using baroque pearls, but at its heart all jewelry is intended for personal, daily wear. She is also the jewelry designer behind Vrai, so you can trust that she knows what she’s doing when it comes to sourcing materials ethically and keeping costs down.
This brand believes you “shouldn’t have to choose between high quality, fair pricing and doing good,” so they create jewelry made of durable materials (14 and 18-Karat gold, Japanese pearls, S1 clarity diamonds) through sustainable production methods. Shop individual pieces or try its service Curate by AUrate, where you can take a style quiz and AUrate will send you five pieces free of charge. Take a week to figure out what you love and return what you don’t. You’ll only be charged for the individual pieces that you decide to keep.
Unlike other brands mentioned here, Menē exclusively works with 24-Karat gold. Each piece is priced based on the real-time value of the pure gold weight, plus a design and manufacturing premium, which means that the price for a piece can change depending on the day. According to the site, “this premium is never more than 20 percent of the precious metal value each day. The result: a $500 Menē ring will have at least $400 in gold or platinum value at the time of purchase while $100 is the revenue earned by Menē.”
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