25 cool jewelry brands you'll want to add to your wishlist
jade eggs, gumdrop charms, and signets with a twist
Quick Links: guide to the bay area’s best shops, 8 gifts for the analog soul, updated wardrobe staples if you want to check what’s on sale this week!
Hello! Hope you are having a cozy weekend. We hosted a potluck, so my kitchen is full of party snacks (hot cheetos aka my metaphysical cigarettes) and hearty leftovers (chicken pot pie and kabocha rigatoni). I loved hearing about what readers are cooking for potluck season…bookmarking the Kristina Cho persimmon custard tart recipe! (Why am I using so many exclamation marks today…idk!).
Of all gift categories, jewelry is my absolute favorite to give and receive. Some context:
My siblings have pierced ears and I do not. So for many birthdays and holidays over the years, I’ve gifted them earrings to vicariously live through. They usually react with genuine glee because I know their tastes really well (I’m the big sister, I INVENTED their tastes!!! jk but not really hehe). They will probably get earrings from me this year…
I have to live my truth and say that the horseshoe theory applies to my gift-receiving preferences. Either get me something brutally practical like a chef’s quality squash peeler, or something freakishly fanciful like a jade egg necklace. I want to rip the gift wrap open, see the velvet jewelry box, grab your arm and shriek “stoppppppppp!!!! you didn’ttttt!!!”
The last reason why I’m fixated on jewelry lately is because prices are going up next year due to supply costs. I’ve spoken to many friends in the jewelry biz, and everyone is stressed about how the skyrocketing price of gold and silver will impact their businesses.
Here are 25 cool jewelry brands that are top of mind for me right now, and my favorite pieces from each.
Most are brands I have only recently discovered—definitely not an exhaustive list! Use the search term “jewelry” to find coverage on other brands in the Molehill archive.
Loren Stewart
*Up to 30% off depending on order amount, discount updates automatically in cart.
The website has so much stuff I like…this is the kind of browsing I get truly lost in. I’m 90% ready to check out on the Silver Vintage Clip Chain ($250) because I’ve been searching for the right chunky-ish chain for my Danica Stamenic egg-shaped pendant, and it will look amazing hanging off the modular clip.
Speaking of egg shapes, this Ovo on cord ($80) is what the infamous Goop jade egg should have been. Imagine it resting on a pale pink silk button-down and matching swishy pants.
I am also salivating over this Peridot Mini Gem Signet ($565). It inspired me to search for similar secondhand vintage styles, but so far I’m not seeing anything comparable at the same price or lower.
Other pieces I love: smoothed out silver padlock pendant ($150), the crystal orb ring ($360), the turquoise orb pendant ($305), and the XL disc pendant ($225).
Feral Rabbitt
Simple, sweet designs that feel like handpoke tattoos in metal form. Made by local Oakland-based jeweler, Peyton Rabbitt (some people just have the coolest names, right?) The silver scallop band ($160) would look pretty stacked on top of a silver band.
Pacto Joyas
Silver jewelry made in Chile. Their rings are what really caught my eye—the forms feel aural and vibey. They also use 980 silver as opposed to the standard 925 silver.
I’m trying to order the Pauta ring ($80 +$30ish shipping to USA) which I am told is possible but the payment form is a little glitchy for international customers. They told me through email I could check out by sending payment to their PayPal account, so I’ll keep you updated on whether that works.
Sandy Liang
I think we have arrived at a collective understanding that people don’t buy Sandy Liang jewelry because they’re looking for craftsmanship. They buy it because the designs are freaking cute as hell, which is valid. That said, I know the brand would reallyyyy expand their customer base if they started using solid sterling silver.
SL pulls off another “too cute to fail” move with these newly released fava earrings ($128). The bean gets the bow treatment! As a proud member of the leguminati, I would 100% wear these if I had pierced ears.
Chan Luu
Another example of fashion jewelry leaning into legume forms. This is the peapod necklace with pearls as peas ($175). Wear it with a long knit dress for your work holiday party, you’ll probably get compliments on it from the most random unexpected people like Tabitha from Accounting.
Lobeta
*sponsored mention
A new kid on the block silver jewelry brand designed in New York and made in Seoul. Founder Daisy Pyo is the brand’s best model, showing how the pieces complement her voluminous layered skirts and gorp-y footwear. The product lineup is focused on minimal pieces with an edge, like the San Elongated Signet Ring ($249). I love a ring that feels weighty and solid.
Laura Lombardi
*30% off core collection through 12/1.
I have a Laura Lombardi chunky chain. I do not wear it every day. The way I see it, she designs fun “chains with a twist” (mostly made of gold-plated brass) that add intrigue and layered depth to your everyday pieces. My pick would be the Riccio Chain ($115) with the little pretzel-y knots.
Wolf Circus
*25% off sitewide
This Canadian brand has been around for years—I discovered them through Garmentory a longgg time ago and still check their new collections every now and then. I have this bunny charm ($56), their ring selection is quite well-priced for what it is.
Kara Yoo
*sponsored mention.
I’ve enjoyed seeing Kara Yoo grow as a brand over the years—she has nailed a design POV that taps into the spirited yet elegant expression many women want right now. It’s the perfect amount of trendy, and that’s really hard to get right. My pick would be the Sasha earrings ($150) that come in a gourd-like Russian doll shape and colorful gemstone pairings!
Danica Stamenic
I credit Danica for being the jewelry designer-curator who made me fall in love with silver. Her website is one of the few places where you can shop coveted drops from Casa Spratling, the studio carrying on the legacy of Taxco silversmithing.
All her pieces are extremely solid. My silver mirror signet ($275) weighs a hefty 13 grams. So luxurious.
Pamela Love
*30% off
Another sale I got lost in…brimming with magpie bait. Jewelry inspired by Greek mythology motifs, like pomegranates and amphoras. The Ruby Hera pendant ($245) is stunning. Rubies as arils is genius.
The lines of the anemone earrings ($220) are perfect for an updo hairstyle with two tendrils untucked and a long cream silk dress…
For their simpler pieces, $50 for a sterling silver box chain is a hard deal to beat. The green jade designs are worth a look as well.
J. Hannah
My first “big girl” jewelry purchase was at a J.Hannah sample sale in an LA Arts Distract warehouse space in 2018. I walked in wearing a Shaina Mote dress and a blue ribboned Clyde hat and thought I was hot shit. I left with a silver ring with a puffy aquamarine on top, and I still wear it all the time.
My pick is the Candy Girl charm ($240) which truly looks like photorealistic crinkly candy wrapper…wow.
Also can’t stop thinking about the quatrefoil signet (starts at $740). The brushed finish, the shape—swoon.
