Fine jewelry is judged on design, materials and the house behind it. We chose pieces you can buy today, from houses with archives, at prices from a few thousand dollars to the level where a piece is discussed with a private-client advisor. Prices are indicative and depend on size, stone and metal.
Van Cleef & Arpels
Alhambra Vintage necklace
The four-leaf clover in mother-of-pearl, onyx, malachite or carnelian, on a chain of ten or twenty motifs. The most recognisable everyday piece in fine jewelry, with a secondary market that never sleeps.
Cartier
Love bracelet
Screwed on with a small screwdriver since 1969, in yellow, rose or white gold, with or without diamonds. Worn stacked, worn alone, resold at close to retail.
Bulgari
Serpenti Viper necklace
The snake as a line of gold scales, with or without pavé. Bulgari’s signature motif, at its most wearable, and unmistakably Italian.
Cartier
Trinity ring
Three interlocking bands in three golds since 1924. The entry point into a great house that costs less than a pair of shoes and lasts a lifetime.
Tiffany & Co.
Solitaire in the Tiffany Setting
The six-prong setting that lifts the stone into the light, invented in 1886 and copied ever since. Buy the original with a Tiffany-graded stone and papers.
Boucheron
Quatre ring
Four bands in four textures and golds, a small architectural object for the hand. The Paris house’s modern signature and a favourite of people who already own the icons.
Bulgari
B.zero1 ring
A spiral of gold inspired by the Colosseum, worn by people who would not otherwise wear a statement ring. Ages well, resells well, stacks well.
Graff
Coloured-stone high jewelry
For the largest and finest diamonds and coloured stones, Graff cuts, sets and sells at a level few houses reach. The place to go when the stone matters more than the name.
Chaumet
Le Baiser de la Paix and other narrative pieces
Tiaras, bee motifs and wheat ears since Napoleon’s court. Chaumet makes some of the most romantic jewelry on the Place Vendôme, at prices below its neighbours.
Fernando Jorge, Suzanne Kalan, Anita Ko, Repossi, Sophie Bille Brahe
Contemporary independents
The names collectors are buying now: sculptural Brazilian gold, baguette-diamond bands, ear stacks, Danish pearls. Pieces that will define this decade the way Alhambra defined the last.
| Piece | House | Best for | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alhambra Vintage necklace | Van Cleef & Arpels | Everyday luck | from $4,500 |
| Love bracelet | Cartier | The one you never take off | from $7,000 |
| Serpenti Viper necklace | Bulgari | Roman drama | from $9,000 |
| Trinity ring | Cartier | A first fine piece | from $1,400 |
| Solitaire in the Tiffany Setting | Tiffany & Co. | The engagement ring | from $15,000 |
| Quatre ring | Boucheron | Modern Place Vendôme | from $3,500 |
| B.zero1 ring | Bulgari | Everyday sculpture | from $1,900 |
| Coloured-stone high jewelry | Graff | The exceptional stone | price on request |
| Le Baiser de la Paix and other narrative pieces | Chaumet | Parisian romance | from $8,000 |
| Contemporary independents | Fernando Jorge, Suzanne Kalan, Anita Ko, Repossi, Sophie Bille Brahe | Personal signature | from $1,500 |
Try it yourself
Diamond Price CalculatorCarat, colour, clarity, cut and shape: an indicative retail price range for a natural or lab-grown diamond.Gift FinderWho it is for, the occasion and the budget: five luxury gift ideas that land, from a candle to a watch.Questions people ask
Which fine jewelry holds its value best?
Signed icons from Cartier, Van Cleef & Arpels, Bulgari and Tiffany, especially the Love bracelet, Alhambra, Serpenti and the Tiffany Setting, resell closest to retail.
What is a good first fine jewelry purchase?
A Cartier Trinity ring, a Bulgari B.zero1 or a single-motif Alhambra pendant: signed, wearable daily and priced under a few thousand dollars.
Is high jewelry different from fine jewelry?
High jewelry uses exceptional stones and hundreds of hours of handwork, made in single pieces or tiny series and often sold on request. Fine jewelry is produced in series from precious materials.
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