The Best Fine Jewellery Brands to Know, and How to Judge Them

Ask ten people to name the best fine jewellery brands and you will hear the same handful of famous houses, followed by a long pause. The truth is that the most interesting fine jewellery is often made by designer-led houses that have built a signature over decades, and one of the clearest examples is Suzanne Kalan, the designer behind the scattered baguette look. Before you browse our fine jewellery edit, it helps to know what to look for. A piece like the Classic Diamond Tennis Bracelet in 18K White Gold, with 4.00 carats of baguette diamonds, shows the standard well.

The best fine jewellery brands use solid gold of 14 carats and above, natural precious stones, a signature design you can recognise at a glance, and consistent handwork. Names worth knowing include Cartier, Tiffany, Van Cleef & Arpels, Graff, Messika, David Yurman, Jennifer Meyer and Suzanne Kalan, a family house that has made jewellery since 1988.

What makes jewellery “fine”?

The word gets used loosely, so let’s pin it down. Fine jewellery is made from precious metal, solid gold and platinum, and set with precious stones such as diamonds, sapphires, rubies and emeralds. It is built to last a lifetime and to be repaired, resized and passed on.

Gold purity is the first thing to check. Pure gold is 24 carat, far too soft for everyday wear, so it is alloyed with other metals. 18 carat gold is 75% gold and 14 carat is 58.5%. Both are proper fine jewellery standards. Eighteen carat has a richer colour; fourteen carat is a touch harder and a little more affordable.

Anything plated, filled and vermeil sits below fine jewellery, however good it looks on day one. That is not a criticism, just a different category, with a different lifespan.

How to judge a fine jewellery brand

Price alone tells you very little. These are the four things I check when I assess a house.

A signature you can spot

The best houses have a design language you can recognise across a room without seeing a logo. That signature is what gives a piece lasting value, emotionally and in style terms, because it does not date with trends.

Handwork

Turn a piece over. The underside should be as neatly finished as the front. Settings should be even, prongs smooth, and hinges on a bracelet should move freely. Handmade jewellery shows its care in the places most people never look.

Materials

Look for the gold carat stated clearly and the stone weights given in carats. A serious house tells you exactly what you are buying. Vague descriptions are a warning sign.

Range

A strong house offers a way in at a sensible price and a way up to heirloom pieces, all in the same design language. That lets you build a collection over years, with every piece speaking to the others.

The fine jewellery brands worth knowing

There is no single ranking, and anyone who gives you one is guessing. What follows is a guide to the kinds of house you will meet, with the names most often discussed.

The famous names

Cartier, Tiffany, Van Cleef & Arpels and Graff are the names most people reach for first when they think of fine jewellery. You will already have a view on them, and that is fine. Use the questions above to test any piece you are considering, however well known the name on the box.

Specialist and designer-led houses

This is where fine jewellery gets personal. Messika, the Paris diamond house, David Yurman, Jennifer Meyer, the Los Angeles designer known for personalised pieces, and Suzanne Kalan all belong in this conversation. A designer-led house tends to have a strong point of view. When it speaks to you, it really speaks to you, and when it does not, you keep looking. For a wider comparison of houses with a similar feel, read our guide to brands like Suzanne Kalan.

Why Suzanne Kalan stands out

Suzanne Kalan has made fine jewellery since 1988. Every piece is handcrafted and made in America, and it is a family business: Patile Kalan was born into the family of jewellers and grew up working beside her parents. If you want the full story, our profile who is Suzanne Kalan covers it.

What sets the house apart is the baguette. Suzanne Kalan is credited with redefining the use of baguette-cut diamonds and introducing the Fireworks design, in which baguettes are set at offset, scattered angles so each stone catches the light independently. Most jewellers line baguettes up. Kalan lets them tumble. Our guide to Suzanne Kalan Fireworks baguette jewellery explains the technique in detail.

The house works in solid 14 and 18 carat gold, in yellow, white and rose, with white diamonds alongside a wide palette of coloured stones: rainbow, pastel, pink, light blue, dark blue and black sapphires, emeralds, rubies, white topaz, citrine and rainbow moonstone. Gradient “ombre” designs run through blue, red, green and black.

The collections at a glance

Amalfi lines baguette gemstones edge to edge. Bold uses larger-scale baguettes on flexible pieces. Classic Diamond and Classic Gold carry the Fireworks setting. Princess offsets princess-cut stones, and Golden Age pairs princess cuts with more polished gold. Nadima mixes cuts of gemstone with round diamonds. La Fantaisie plays with stars and celestial shapes. Frenzy sets baguettes at deliberately uneven angles. Block-Chain sets stones into solid gold links, Inlay sets them flush into polished gold, and Gilded uses hand-shaped, softly hammered gold inspired by earlier eras.

A first piece at every budget

One of the best tests of a fine jewellery house is whether its entry pieces feel as considered as its showpieces. Suzanne Kalan passes easily.

Under $2,000, start with colour. The Amalfi Hexagon Studs in 14K Rose Gold, Rainbow Moonstone are around $1,080 at Coveti, and the Amalfi Mini Pendant in 14K Yellow Gold, Green Ombre is around $1,400. Both are proper solid gold pieces you can wear every day.

From $2,000 to $6,000, diamonds come in. The Classic Diamond Stacker Band in 18K Yellow Gold sets 0.33 carats of baguettes for around $3,630. The Evil Eye Mini Pink Sapphire Ring in 18K Rose Gold, a 3 mm pink sapphire centre with 0.21 carats of diamonds, is around $4,220. The Infinite Pave Diamond Mini Rondelle Pendant in 18K Yellow Gold is around $5,400, the La Fantaisie Star Rainbow Sapphire Signet Ring in 18K Yellow Gold around $5,540, and the Classic Diamond Spark Studs in 18K Yellow Gold, 0.69 carats, around $5,980.

From $6,000 to $11,000, the pieces become signatures. The Block-Chain Multi-Rainbow Sapphire Thin Bracelet in 18K Yellow Gold, 1.45 carats of rainbow sapphire baguettes set into gold links, is around $7,160. The Classic Diamond Thin Bangle in 18K Yellow Gold, with 0.60 carats of baguettes, is around $10,690 and comes in Small, Medium and Large.

Above that sit the heirlooms: tennis bracelets, tennis necklaces and full diamond bangles. The Classic Diamond Tennis Bracelet, at around $40,090, is the house’s most recognisable bracelet. Our tennis bracelet guide explains how to choose one.

Mixing houses

Nobody needs to be loyal to one house. The trick is to keep one thread running through, usually the metal. Yellow gold from three houses looks like a collection. Three metals from three houses can look like an accident.

Suzanne Kalan makes this easy because so much of the range comes in all three golds, and because her softer pieces sit happily next to bolder names. The Gilded Diamond Lariat Necklace in 18K Yellow Gold, hand-shaped gold with 0.16 carats of diamonds, is around $5,690 at Coveti and layers with almost anything. For colour, the Nadima Blue Mix Cluster Pendant in 14K Yellow Gold is around $2,450.

What Suzanne Kalan costs at Coveti

Coveti stocks 2,655 Suzanne Kalan pieces, and the prices fall like this.

Earrings and rings are the easiest way into the house. Bracelets carry the highest median because so many of them are tennis lines and bangles set with baguettes all the way round.

How to buy fine jewellery online with confidence

Buy from a retailer that guarantees authenticity, states metals and carat weights clearly, and has a clear returns policy. Every Suzanne Kalan piece at Coveti is 100% authentic, we are based in London and ship worldwide, and our returns policy sets out how returns work.

Check sizing before you order. Suzanne Kalan rings come in US sizes from 4 to 11 including quarter sizes, with most styles made from 6 to 7.5. Bangles come in Small, Medium and Large. Tennis bracelets are mostly 7 inches, and necklaces run 16 to 18 inches, many of them adjustable.

Finally, buy for the long term. Fine jewellery is the one category of fashion where cost per wear really does fall to almost nothing, provided you choose a piece you will put on without thinking. Start with the house whose signature you love most, then build slowly. You can see the full Suzanne Kalan range on the Suzanne Kalan brand page.

Frequently asked questions

What are the best fine jewellery brands?

There is no single ranking, but names most often discussed include Cartier, Tiffany, Van Cleef & Arpels, Graff, Messika, David Yurman, Jennifer Meyer and Suzanne Kalan. The best house for you is the one whose signature design you love, using solid 14 carat gold and above with natural precious stones and careful handwork.

What is the difference between fine jewellery and fashion jewellery?

Fine jewellery is made from solid precious metal, such as 14 and 18 carat gold, and set with precious stones like diamonds and sapphires. Fashion jewellery uses base metals, plating and imitation stones. Fine pieces are built to last a lifetime and can be repaired and resized, while fashion pieces are made for a season.

Is 14 carat gold fine jewellery?

Yes, 14 carat gold is a recognised fine jewellery standard. It is 58.5% pure gold, slightly harder than 18 carat, which is 75% gold, and a little more affordable. Suzanne Kalan uses 14 carat gold in collections such as Amalfi and Nadima, and 18 carat gold across most of the rest of the range.

Why is Suzanne Kalan jewellery so recognisable?

Suzanne Kalan jewellery is recognisable because of the Fireworks setting, which places baguette diamonds at offset, scattered angles so each stone catches the light on its own. The house is credited with redefining the use of baguette-cut diamonds. Every piece is handcrafted and made in America, and the house has made jewellery since 1988.

How much does Suzanne Kalan jewellery cost?

At Coveti, Suzanne Kalan earrings start at around $1,080, necklaces at around $1,400, rings at around $2,020 and bracelets at around $4,630. Medians run from $3,930 for earrings to $28,920 for bracelets. The top pieces, such as diamond cuffs and tennis necklaces, reach well into six figures.

What should my first fine jewellery piece be?

A first fine jewellery piece should be something you will wear every day, which usually means diamond studs, with a slim band and a fine pendant close behind. All three suit every outfit and hold their appeal for decades. A Suzanne Kalan Classic Diamond Stacker Band, with 0.33 carats of baguettes, is around $3,630 at Coveti.