High-End Jewellery

What makes jewellery high-end?

High-end jewellery, also called fine jewellery or high jewellery, is jewellery where the stones are the point: a centre diamond of 2, 3 or 5 carats, a necklace of dozens of matched diamonds, a bracelet that catches the light across a room. These are pieces bought once in a lifetime, often for an engagement, a big anniversary or to hand down.

Size alone does not make a piece high-end. What matters is how well the diamonds are cut, how closely the smaller stones are matched to each other and to the centre stone, how securely they are set, and how well the metal is finished where you cannot see it. That is where a jeweller who makes the piece, rather than buys it in, makes the difference.

• Certified diamonds: every centre stone graded independently for carat, colour, clarity and cut.
• Matched stones: the diamonds in a line or cluster chosen to look the same colour and brightness side by side.
• A setting drawn for the stone: claws, head and band designed around your diamond, not a standard size scaled up.
• Precious metal throughout: 100% recycled platinum or 18ct gold, hallmarked.

Diamond necklaces, chokers and collars

A diamond necklace is high jewellery at its most striking. A riviera or line necklace is a single row of diamonds all the way round, either the same size or graduating towards the centre. A diamond choker sits close at the base of the neck, around 35 to 40cm; a collar is wider and more structured. A pear or drop pendant, like the necklace above, puts one large stone or a cascade of diamonds at the centre.

Because a necklace can hold a lot of diamond, a lab-grown diamond necklace is often the way to have the look of a full riviera at a fraction of the natural price. Every stone is matched to its neighbours for colour and brightness, so the line looks even from end to end. See our diamond pendants, or tell us what you have in mind and we will draw it for you.

How to choose a large diamond

The bigger the diamond, the more each of the four Cs shows. A grade that is invisible in a half carat stone can be easy to see in a 3 carat one, so it pays to choose with care.

• Cut: the single biggest factor in how bright a diamond looks. For a round diamond, choose an excellent cut. For ovals, pears and marquises, look for an even outline and a small or faint bow-tie, the dark band across the middle.
• Colour: a large stone shows its body colour more. In platinum or white gold, D to G keeps it icy white; in yellow or rose gold, H or I can look just as white.
• Clarity: brilliant cuts (round, oval, pear, cushion) hide small inclusions well, so a VS or a clean SI1 is often eye-clean. Step cuts (emerald, asscher) show more, so VS1 or better is the safer choice.
• Carat: prices jump at whole and half carats. A 2.9 carat diamond looks the same as a 3 carat one on the hand and can cost noticeably less.
• Certificate: always buy a large diamond with an independent grading certificate, and look at the stone's real photos and video, not just the numbers. You can do both in our diamond search.

Natural or lab-grown?

Both are real diamonds, with the same hardness, fire and sparkle; only a laboratory can tell them apart. Lab-grown diamonds cost much less carat for carat, which puts a 3 or 5 carat centre stone, or a necklace of many matched diamonds, within reach. Natural diamonds are rarer, and many people prefer them for a piece meant to be handed down. For something truly one of a kind, see our coloured diamond engagement rings in pink, yellow, blue and green.

Looking after high-end jewellery

• Insure it: add the piece to your home insurance or a specialist jewellery policy for its replacement value, and keep the certificate and invoice somewhere safe.
• Check the settings: have the claws and settings checked by a jeweller once a year, and straight away if a stone ever feels loose.
• Wear it last, take it off first: put jewellery on after perfume and creams, and take rings off for the gym, gardening and cleaning.
• Store pieces apart: diamonds scratch other jewellery and each other, so keep each piece in its own pouch or box.
• Clean it gently: warm water, a little washing-up liquid and a soft brush bring back the sparkle.

High-end jewellery questions