Quality jewellery (not big brands)

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pomeline

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Jul 18, 2015
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Thought it might be a good idea to introduce small, fine quality jewellers here that are not well-known brands. I've seen numerous times how a brand gathers reputation and in the end starts making jewellery of not so much of excellent quality but run-of-the-mill stuff that's stamped with their brand name and with an inflated price.

I'm after quality and do not really care about brand names. I'm also after good deals, beautiful design and paying for the real value. I might be on the wrong board here but I thought it might be interesting to talk about those jewellery makers that we find whose products are simply excellent even if their name isn't well-known and worn by every celebrity. And I'm talking all price ranges, not just diamonds and platinum (but at a minimum sterling silver jewellery).

Am I completely off track here? If everyone thinks simply that it's all about brand names, logos, image and all that, then I'll shut my big mouth and get my coat but I didn't really find any thread that would address this topic. If I get the green light, I'll post a few of my current favourites.
 
I for one would love to hear about good quality fine jewellery that’s not branded - I love the big fine jewellery houses such as Cartier and Tiffany as much as the next person on here, but some of my most treasured pieces are from my local jeweller or from small brands that are not as commonly recognised.

I recently discovered Brooke Gregson who is a US-based jewellery designer but she is not at all well-known here (UK). Her pieces are mainly in 18k/14k yellow gold and she uses a lot of gemstones such as emeralds, tourmalines and opals in her designs. The quality in my opinion is outstanding and I love that they are unique. I only own two pieces by her at the moment, both necklaces, would love to add more but the price point is high. I’ll see if I can take some photos!
 
Just so it doesn't seem like I hate fine, traditional jewellery houses; I do love Cartier, Garrard, Van Cleef & Arpels, Harry Winston, Asprey... the list is endless. I also love antique and auctions. But I love finding some unknown master who is creating exquisite jewellery too.

I'm currently in Ireland and just amazed to have found some local talents who are creating lovely pieces. Not just the traditional stuff but very bold designs too. I'm actually thinking of maybe starting a blog in the future about my jewellery enthusiasm as I do love to collect things that many find silly. I'm a bit of a magpie I'm afraid. I'll have to see if I can find some photos...
 
Some of my favourite sterling silver pieces are from Terra Incognita. The shop is near the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam. The jewellery features mainly semi-precious stones, fossils and various types of carvings set in sterling silver. The owners are gemologists who source their material from all over the world. They design their own jewellery. Many pieces are one-off designs. They also do custom work.
PicsArt_06-02-07.39.33.jpg
 
I for one would love to hear about good quality fine jewellery that’s not branded - I love the big fine jewellery houses such as Cartier and Tiffany as much as the next person on here, but some of my most treasured pieces are from my local jeweller or from small brands that are not as commonly recognised.

I recently discovered Brooke Gregson who is a US-based jewellery designer but she is not at all well-known here (UK). Her pieces are mainly in 18k/14k yellow gold and she uses a lot of gemstones such as emeralds, tourmalines and opals in her designs. The quality in my opinion is outstanding and I love that they are unique. I only own two pieces by her at the moment, both necklaces, would love to add more but the price point is high. I’ll see if I can take some photos!
I would love to see some pictures. I saw a Brooke Gregson astrology pendant online that i thought was beautiful, but couldn't judge the quality haven't seen it in person. I couldn't tell the roughness if that makes sence because it is brushed.
 
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Thought it might be a good idea to introduce small, fine quality jewellers here that are not well-known brands. I've seen numerous times how a brand gathers reputation and in the end starts making jewellery of not so much of excellent quality but run-of-the-mill stuff that's stamped with their brand name and with an inflated price.

I'm after quality and do not really care about brand names. I'm also after good deals, beautiful design and paying for the real value. I might be on the wrong board here but I thought it might be interesting to talk about those jewellery makers that we find whose products are simply excellent even if their name isn't well-known and worn by every celebrity. And I'm talking all price ranges, not just diamonds and platinum (but at a minimum sterling silver jewellery).

Am I completely off track here? If everyone thinks simply that it's all about brand names, logos, image and all that, then I'll shut my big mouth and get my coat but I didn't really find any thread that would address this topic. If I get the green light, I'll post a few of my current favourites.

Thank you for this thread! I 100% agree that there are amazing jewellers besides the big names. I love learning about independent artists who are creating truly unique pieces without inflating prices just because of a name (+ marketing + celebrity ambassadors + fancy packaging, etc).

A few of my favorites - Leen Heyne is in Amsterdam and I love his folded, textured pieces. I posted a thread about him after I got a silver twist ring from him - super nice person!

E04F3A57-D58F-406C-8B10-9AC870189E9F.jpegBF0D2443-BA47-4750-9851-1FE3DB170DB8.jpeg

Aimee Kennedy is a Canadian who does really fierce edgy wedding sets and other jewelry in various precious stones:

1B3D87EB-1EA7-47DA-B4AF-09ED87D30C9C.jpegC009C2A2-85BC-4AEE-AFBF-D21BF4794ABF.jpeg


And Artemer Studio (not sure where they are from) but they do such stunning pieces with baquette diamonds and creating unique shapes from different diamond cuts. One day I’d love one of their horizontal baquette needle solitaires :love:

0EF11C7C-97F7-4A4D-8AB1-1DC211A59FBB.jpegF3E6ADD5-EFCA-4387-B25B-687ACAB8C74B.jpeg
 
Thank you for this thread! I 100% agree that there are amazing jewellers besides the big names. I love learning about independent artists who are creating truly unique pieces without inflating prices just because of a name (+ marketing + celebrity ambassadors + fancy packaging, etc).

A few of my favorites - Leen Heyne is in Amsterdam and I love his folded, textured pieces. I posted a thread about him after I got a silver twist ring from him - super nice person!

View attachment 5099546View attachment 5099547

Aimee Kennedy is a Canadian who does really fierce edgy wedding sets and other jewelry in various precious stones:

View attachment 5099548View attachment 5099549


And Artemer Studio (not sure where they are from) but they do such stunning pieces with baquette diamonds and creating unique shapes from different diamond cuts. One day I’d love one of their horizontal baquette needle solitaires :love:

View attachment 5099550View attachment 5099551
Love these pics! Not much of a diamond person but the unusual settings are making me drool.
 
I would love to see some pictures. I saw a Brooke Gregson astrology pendant online that i thought was beautiful, but couldn't judge the quality haven't seen it in person. I couldn't tell the roughness if that makes sence because it is brushed.

Here is a photo of my mandala flora pendant in 18k yellow gold which comes on a long (20 inch) chain :heart: I’ll see if I can take a photo of my other one for you. The quality is really good, the pendant itself is quite weighty and the chain substantial.

2DB1BA11-D022-4865-AF81-C31ACDDCDFFC.jpeg
 
Here is a photo of my mandala flora pendant in 18k yellow gold which comes on a long (20 inch) chain :heart: I’ll see if I can take a photo of my other one for you. The quality is really good, the pendant itself is quite weighty and the chain substantial.

View attachment 5099883
What a lovely necklace, and something not everyone will have! Love the length too. Thank you so much for posting.
 
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