7 Jewelry Brands You Need to Follow on Instagram
Add some sparkle to your Instagram scroll with our latest round-up of cutting-edge jewelry. What to expect? A mix of up-to-the-second diamond trends, timeless staples, plus a few vintage and antique jewelry selects. We’re leaving no stone unturned, ensuring that your appetite for shine will be satiated—and then some.
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1. Mejuri
Style: Sophistication that doesn’t sacrifice a sense of fun.
Backstory: There were many things third-generation jeweler Noura Sakkijha loved about the industry—the craft, the natural materials—but she thought its traditional focus on “men gifting women and not women celebrating themselves” was hopelessly out of date. The company she co-founded, Mejuri, ignored tradition and advised clients to “forget occasions” and buy their own jewelry to wear any time they pleased. The eight-year-old brand entices women to do just that with pieces ranging from chunky, chain link bracelets to eternally appropriate diamond chokers and ear climbers. Collaborations with goop and Frame Denim helped ignite the brand’s popularity. Now, you’ll find inspiring how-to tips on Mejuri’s site, like celebrity stylist Brie Welch’s advice on choosing wedding day jewelry and a guide to cleaning jewelry. But ultimately, what the brand does best: taking the guesswork out of building a jewelry collection.
In-demand diamonds: Dainty pieces like slim signet rings, plus studs and mini hoops perfect for building a curated ear.
2. Stone & Strand
Style: Contemporary, feel-good pieces meant to brighten every day.
Backstory: While she was still attending business school in 2013, Nadine Kahane founded Stone & Strand as a way to bridge the gap between out-of-reach and expensive jewelry brands and costume jewelry. It turned out to be a wise strategy. In the intervening years she’s built a following among “young women buying jewelry for themselves,” especially on personally significant occasions like “an accomplishment at work, or as a gift-to-self on their birthday,” says Kahane. With her multiple ear piercings, her jewelry collection relies heavily on diamond and gold earrings that she never takes off. Why? Because, in her own words: “they’re comfortable enough to both sleep and exercise in.” The site recently took a plunge into the wedding world with the Aisle collection, a range of six natural diamond engagement rings, all priced under $2,000 to deliver big sparkle—without the giant price tag.
In-demand diamonds: Essentials with a personalized twist. Think sparkly initial pendants and engravable dog tags
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3. Aurate
Style: Classics crossed with fashionable flourishes.
Backstory: The Big Apple—its attitude, architecture and artisans—plays an outsized role in the story of Aurate, which offers “fine jewelry, born and raised in New York,” according to its founders Sophie Kahn and Bouchra Ezzahraoui. Each woman brings with them a background in fashion and finance, respectively, to their mission: offering affordable jewelry that looks and feels luxurious, with service to match. The brand’s bestsellers include slim, diamond-studded rings and solitaire pendants that can be stacked and piled on. The effect: a truly effortless look. Sophie, the brand’s designer, reports that she “always goes for a layered look when it comes to necklaces and rings.” Choosing natural diamonds was a logical choice for the duo: “We want to offer our women natural, high quality diamonds with no compromises,” said Bouchra. “All our diamonds are certified conflict-free and ethically sourced, so that everyone can go ahead and treat themselves with the clearest conscience.”
In-demand diamonds: The wraparound diamond ring and evil eye necklace have an edge-meets-elegant vibe.
4. Catbird
Style: Artsy arbiter of indie style.
Backstory: More than 15 years ago, As Brooklyn was becoming an epicenter of cool, the fate of Rony Vardi’s Catbird jewelry business was ascendant too. She outfitted many of BK’s creatives in hip, under-the-radar jewelry that captured the mood of the moment. Today, the brand keeps evolving to stay one step ahead of the fickle tide of changing tastes. The business now has two stores in its home borough (one devoted solely to wedding jewelry), plus another in Manhattan. Regarding the Catbird look, expect to find pieces that are delicate yet expressive, the perfectly eye-catching traits that have so effortlessly garnered legions of fans. For her jewelry wardrobe, Vardi favors the Diamond Pinprick collection. “I wear a stud and the Pinprick necklace every day. I am very partial to small diamonds sprinkled about,” she said.
In-demand diamonds: Violette the Swan engagement ring and Pinprick diamond necklaces.
5. The Last Line
Style: Giving all the trends a fine jewelry spin.
Backstory: After designing jewelry for big, corporate brands, Shelley Sanders launched The Last Line in 2017 with her husband, Teddy. In four years, the collection has ballooned to incorporate virtually every style under the sun: there are neon huggies, dangling petite diamond drops, and a premium selection of truly top-notch essentials for keeping your on-trend ear game in peak condition. You’ll also find hundreds of necklaces, bracelets, and rings that veer from glamorous and large-scale to sweet nothings embellished with daisies. In short: give yourself plenty of time to wade through all the options.
In-demand diamonds: A tennis bracelet that can be personalized letters of your choice and a punk-inspired safety pin ring.
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6. Doyle & Doyle
Style: Making the world of vintage jewelry accessible and unfussy.
Backstory: Sister act Elizabeth and Irene Doyle have been obsessed with jewelry since their days playing-dress up in their grandmother’s jewelry box. Now, they’ve amassed an impressive collection of their own making. Doyle & Doyle is a treasure trove of vintage and antique jewels spanning Georgian through contemporary periods. Their expert curation proves that desirable pieces don’t have to cost a fortune (their engagement rings begin under $1,000 for intricate Art Deco solitaires). But if you do happen to be in the market, you’re more than welcome to climb the stratosphere and enter a universe filled with large diamonds and signed pieces by historic makers like J.E. Caldwell. The same diversity spans all the categories of the jewelry they offer. And, Doyle & Doyle also makes its exclusive Heirloom collection: contemporary jewels inspired by antiques.
In-demand diamonds: The rose cut diamond ouroboros and framed sunburst bracelet are talismans to wear anytime.
7. The Moonstoned
Style: Utterly romantic, extolling the magic of antique jewels.
Backstory: Elizabeth Potts brings a sense of storytelling to the jewelry she sells, including largely vintage and antique pieces dating from the Victorian era to the present. She crafts long, dreamy descriptions for many of the pieces she offers, touching on the lore that’s embedded in their designs and materials. Engagement rings are one of her largest offerings; in the description of one, she explains that diamonds “are gems of composure” and “symbolic of all that is steadfast and tenacious.” In another, she tells of the origins of the marquise cut diamond (it has been said it was based on the shape of the Madame de Pompadour’s lips). And for those who have a specific, personalized style in mind, Elizabeth also takes on custom jewelry commissions.
In-demand diamonds: While the vintage pieces in the collection are one-offs, The Moonstoned designs a few made-to-order contemporary pieces inspired by antique jewelry, like the Starry Night Band and Inner Light Pendant.
