The best jewelry brands vary by style and budget, with top names like Cartier, Tiffany & Co., Van Cleef & Arpels, and Bvlgari leading luxury, known for iconic designs like Love Bracelets or Alhambra. For accessible, modern pieces, Mejuri, Monica Vinader, and Kirstin Ash are popular for everyday wear. Australian brands like Sarah & Sebastian, Cushla Whiting, and Lucy Folk offer unique, artisanal styles, while Omi Woods blends heritage with modern design using ethically sourced materials.
What Are The Top Designer Jewelry Brands?
There isn't one single "top" brand, as it depends on criteria like heritage, sales, or style, but Cartier, Tiffany & Co., and Van Cleef & Arpels consistently rank among the world's most prestigious, known for iconic designs, high-quality diamonds, and luxury appeal, with other giants like Bvlgari, Harry Winston, and Graff also leading luxury segments, while brands like Mejuri lead accessible luxury.
Opals are undoubtedly Australia's most famous gemstone, known for their stunning play of colors. However, the country is also home to an array of other exquisite gemstones. Sapphires, for instance, are found in various regions, with Queensland being a notable source.
Pandora is the world's largest jewellery brand, specialising in the design, crafting and marketing of accessible luxury jewellery made from high-quality materials. Each piece is created to inspire self-expression, allowing people to share their stories and passions through meaningful jewellery.
Pandora vs. Tiffany & Co. is a contrast between affordable, customizable charm jewelry (Pandora) and prestigious, luxury fine jewelry (Tiffany), with Tiffany offering superior materials like platinum and diamonds, heirloom quality, and a higher price point, while Pandora excels in accessible, personalized, hand-finished pieces, often sterling silver, ideal for everyday wear and self-expression. Think of Pandora as fun and collectible, and Tiffany as timeless, investment-grade luxury, famous for engagement rings and iconic blue boxes.
Neither Swarovski nor Pandora is definitively "better"—they cater to different preferences, with Swarovski, known for precision-cut crystals and glamorous statement pieces, while Pandora excels in personalized, everyday charm bracelets and durable sterling silver designs, making Pandora better for customization and daily wear, and Swarovski for impactful, formal sparkle.
Yes, Prouds the Jewellers sells real jewellery in Australia, offering a wide range of gold, silver, diamonds (including some from Belgium), and other precious items, but like any large retailer, product quality and customer experiences can vary, with some customers happy with affordable pieces and others reporting issues with durability or service, according to ProductReview.com.au and Reddit users. They are a long-standing Australian company (since 1903) known for being the country's largest jewellery chain, aiming to make quality jewellery accessible, but some items may be lower quality or best for occasional wear, say Reddit users.
Affordable luxury jewelry brands offer stylish, quality pieces without the high-end price tag, with popular options including Mejuri, known for everyday staples, Monica Vinader, great for layering, and Ana Luisa, focusing on sustainability and eco-conscious designs, alongside others like Gorjana, Catbird, and Madewell for trendy or classic looks, often using gold vermeil, sterling silver, or lab-grown diamonds.
The latest jewelry trends for 2025-2026 focus on bold statements and personal expression, with major themes including chunky gold chains, layered and stacked pieces (necklaces, rings, bracelets), revitalized pearls (especially baroque and oversized), colorful gemstones, and a return of brooches, alongside nature-inspired motifs like flowers and shells, and nods to the '90s with chokers and ear cuffs, all about mixing metals and textures for unique, personalized looks.
2021 Demand for types of Jewelry
Of these four primary types of jewelry, earrings were the most popular, making up 41% of the combined demand among these top four. Rings were also quite popular, though, earning more demand than necklaces and bracelets combined.
Flawless is the top grade in the GIA Clarity Grading System. Diamonds graded Flawless don't have visible inclusions or blemishes when examined under 10-power (10X) magnification by a skilled and experienced grader. As clarity increases, and if all other value factors are equal, diamond price per carat also increases.
When purchasing fake gold jewelry that doesn't tarnish, consider gold-plated sterling silver options. Gold-plated sterling silver jewelry offers several advantages. Firstly, it offers the aesthetic of authentic gold at a fraction of the price.
The best jewelry brands vary by budget and style, with luxury icons like Cartier, Tiffany & Co., and Bulgari offering timeless investment pieces, while brands like Mejuri, Monica Vinader, and Catbird provide quality, on-trend, and affordable options, and others such as Sarah & Sebastian or Omi Woods focus on fine, ethically sourced, or culturally inspired designs. Top choices often include classics like David Yurman and modern favorites for stacking and everyday wear, catering to diverse tastes from vintage to minimalist to bold statement pieces.
Neither Cartier nor Tiffany is definitively "better"; they are both top-tier luxury jewelers, but cater to slightly different preferences, with Cartier often seen as more prestigious, regal, and expensive, known for complex craftsmanship like the Love Bracelet, while Tiffany & Co. offers wider appeal, iconic engagement rings (like the Tiffany Setting), and more accessible sterling silver options, focusing on diamond brilliance and modern simplicity, though their silver can tarnish. Your choice depends on your style, budget, and what you value most in a piece.
Tiffany & Co. is expensive due to its brand prestige, meticulous craftsmanship, use of exceptionally high-quality and ethically sourced materials (like the top 1% of diamonds), unique iconic designs, and extensive brand marketing, all contributing to a premium price justified by heritage, luxury, and status, not just the materials themselves.
The top jewelry brands often include iconic luxury houses like Cartier, Tiffany & Co., Van Cleef & Arpels, and Bulgari, known for heritage and high craftsmanship, alongside modern favorites like Mejuri and David Yurman, offering accessible luxury and unique designs, with names like Harry Winston and Chopard also frequently cited for exceptional quality and innovation in precious stones, all shaping trends in engagement rings, everyday wear, and high jewelry.
Myth: Cartier LOVE bracelets are solid gold. Fact: When Cartier first established themselves as jewelry makers, much of their pieces were gold-plated. But today, Cartier jewelry, including LOVE bracelets, is 18k (or platinum). So, no, not pure gold.
Cartier's cheapest items often fall into their "Little Luxuries" range, including small leather goods, accessories, and some classic jewelry like the Trinity bracelet (often the most affordable jewelry) or delicate chain necklaces, sometimes starting under $1000-$2000 USD, while pre-owned vintage watches or small accessories like a body milk/perfume can be even cheaper, around £48 (approx. $60 USD), offering accessible entry points to the brand.
No, Lovisa does not typically sell solid, real gold (like 14k or 18k) for its main jewelry lines; instead, they offer trendy, affordable jewelry that is gold-plated (a thin layer of real gold over base metals like stainless steel or brass) or made with other materials, with some premium items featuring gold plating on sterling silver for a more durable, but still plated, option.
Australia is renowned for its unique gemstones, especially opals (the national gemstone, famous for black opals) and rare Argyle pink diamonds, alongside high-quality South Sea pearls from its northern waters and colorful sapphires. Other significant finds include Australian jade, diamonds, and even ancient zircons, making it a major source for diverse and sought-after jewelry stones.
What Are The Top Designer Jewelry Brands?
Swarovski competitors include Cartier and Tiffany & Co. Swarovski ranks 1st in Product Quality Score on Comparably vs its competitors.