If you’re a sucker for expensive, timeless jewellery, we’ll go ahead and say that you have good taste. However, the term timeless is a hard one to accurately define; its enduring quality, it seems, is also an elusive one. But the giving of jewellery, whether it be a display of respect, adoration, friendship, desire or the ultimate commitment to love, is an act truly as old as time itself.
Each year sees hundreds of budding upstarts entering the industry with little more than an etsy account and a storage unit, which brings a youthful vitality to a commerce which could otherwise be seen as a little, well, fusty. While trend jewellery can be fun, in the end, the truly timeless jewellery brands are the ones which people return to, time and again, to evoke complete class and elegance. So, here are 5 IDEAL jewellery brands that are utterly timeless and will last a lifetime.
TIFFANY & CO
Mention the name Tiffany & Co and romance surely comes to mind, along with the song moon river from the iconic film Breakfast at Tiffany’s. Because every girl wants a Tiffany ring, the mere mention of the brand’s name is enough to set any woman’s heart aflutter. Although the brand was born in 1837, it wasn’t until 1886, when Tiffany introduced their engagement ring with its signature six-prong setting that it became a real household name. Today women everywhere covet that iconic little turquoise coloured cardboard box and what may be inside.
MIKIMOTO
Timeless in style and unrivaled in sophistication, is there anything more classic and elegant than a pearl necklace paired with some pearl earrings?. And pearls are the name of the game at the company founded by Mikimoto Kokichi, who was born in 1858. She is widely acknowledged as starting the cultured pearl industry, so if you’re looking for timeless, there is no better brand.
The first pearl shop, probably ever, opened just inside the 19th century, in 1899, in Tokyo and soon the company expanded globally. Timeless, sure, but 2017 saw Mikimoto bring back their once world famous, iconic ‘phoenix’ crown for the year’s Miss Universe competition. Still relevant, still elegant and still very much in fashion.
THOMAS SABO
Although Thomas Sabo has only been around since 1984, the jewellery brand has become ubiquitous on the catwalk, the red carpet and beyond over the three decades of its existence.
Founded with a simple goal in mind, to help people express personality through fashion, the company name is now a byword for status and sophistication, and the rise of the brand has been simply meteoric; their expansion into high class watches in 2009 representing a pivotal moment in Thomas Sabo’s quest for world domination. Their charm pendants remain their most popular item, and can be found at all quality online jewellers, such as Silver Tree.
SWAROVSKI
The swan logo has become so synonymous with the assured sparkle of crystal, that when we see the silhouette of real swan – as we so often do – we wonder if we could pick it up and wear it as an earring. Swarovski have been in existence for three centuries, and the Austrian company has stores in more than three quarters of countries worldwide. And it’s not just jewellery that makes this company unique; we’ve been lusting after Rihanna’s Swarovski encrusted dress for some time now.
BVLGARI
Sotirios Boulgaris doesn’t exactly trip off the tongue, and isn’t a name you’d expect to become household, but by establishing Bulgari (stylised Bvlgari) in 19th century Rome, he did just that. Instantly recognisable through its unique, colourful and rounded style of gemstone, the brand is – and has been – worn by everyone from Ingrid Bergman to Elizabeth Taylor, Naomi Campbell and Carla Bruni. An international range of spa hotels has followed, but what makes the brand so enduring is not because a place where you rest your head, but an item you wear around your wrist or neck.