It’s no secret that Italy has made its mark on the fashion industry. Home to some of the world’s biggest fashion houses, the country is truly a powerhouse of cutting-edge and luxurious design. But it’s not just fashion alone that gives Italy this reputation. Italy also enjoys an extensive history of jewellery making, the success of which is still felt in the present day. To celebrate this heritage, today we run through the best Italian jewellery brands in the affordable price range.
Our Best Italian Jewellery Brands
Diesel
With its rugged Italian character, Diesel is a fairly underrated brand in today’s market. Nevertheless, its interesting history and edgy streetwear jewellery designs have earned it a spot on our best Italian jewellery brands list.
Best known for its denim, the Diesel brand was born thanks to a young Renzo Russo. A prodigy for his age, Russo began sewing and selling jeans at just 15 years old. After attending a textile manufacturing high school, he later joined clothing manufacturer Moltex in 1976. Just two years later, Russo took a loan from his father two years later to buy 40% of the company, simultaneously officially renaming the brand ‘Diesel’. And since 1986, Russo has had full rights to the company.
Particularly throughout the 1990s and early 2000s, Diesel enjoyed global success for its rebellious and contemporary style, as well as its provocative marketing campaigns. Today, Diesel’s outspoken unisex jewellery designs continue to place emphasis on attitude and individuality. Often boldly branded with the Diesel logo, its jewellery is perfect for adding a daring edge to your look.
Our Picks:
Diesel STACKED STEEL Men’s Stainless Steel Bracelet DX0966040
As part of the recent resurgence of the Y2K style, chunky chain bracelets are back and better than ever. And what better way to jump on the trend than with this stainless steel Diesel piece? Secured with a lobster clasp, the bracelet is adjustable and features a flat curb-style chain as its base. Forming the centrepiece of the design is the brand’s signature logo tag, which brings some extra contemporary flair to the design.
Diesel STEEL Two-Tone Men’s Chain Necklace DX1355931
Not for the faint of heart, this chunky stainless steel necklace epitomises the brand’s industrial chic nature. Its flat curb-style chain sits with an effortless coolness around the neck and fastens with a lobster clasp at the back. Meanwhile, its dual-tone gold and stainless steel build refuses to let its wearer blend into the background.
Nomination
Whenever someone mentions ‘the Italian charm bracelet’, it’s Nomination’s composable bracelets that immediately come to mind. In fact, the Nomination domination is so widely felt, that you could say that they are one of the only charm bracelet powerhouses in the industry today.
Despite its huge success across the globe, the Nomination brand has humble beginnings. Forty years ago, Paolo Gensini came up with the idea to create a bracelet with customisable steel charms. Initially, this pursuit began as creating a line of individual letter charms allowing people to spell their own names on their bracelets. Consequently, each charm was branded with the trademark ‘Nomination’ on the back, a nod towards the Latin word “nominare”, meaning “to name”. However, due to its popularity, this trademark eventually became the brand’s name and became featured on the back of all charms as the range grew beyond letters.
But what was so special about Nomination was also its accessibility. Gensini seized the opportunity to make affordable jewellery at a time when the use of materials like stainless steel was widely disregarded. With its consistent affordability and ever-growing diverse range of themed charms, Nomination has built a legacy in both Europe and beyond. Today, the brand offers hundreds of charms for every occasion, which allows the unique opportunity to tailor your jewellery to even the most niche parts of your personality.
Our Picks:
Nomination Composable BEST FRIENDS Gold Bracelet (3 links + Stainless Steel Gold Base Bracelet) BFF-NOM
Sometimes the range of charms can be overwhelming and it’s nice to have a premade head start. To start you off, try one of our pre-curated bracelets assembled by our team of expert jewellers. Embodying the brand’s spirit, one of our particular favourites is this best friend-themed piece. It comes with three charms, including a smiling flower, a small gold heart and a BFF promise charm. These charms sit on a gold ion-plated stainless steel base bracelet, which puts a contemporary spin on the classic all-steel Nomination bracelet.
Nomination Composable Classic PLATES Steel And Silver 925 Hedgehog Flowers 330111/29
One of the best things about Nomination jewellery is that there really is a charm for every occasion and everything. A slightly quirkier option is this hedgehog charm. Perfect for any animal lover, the stainless steel base plate features an oxidised drawing of a hedgehog. Adorning his back are beautiful flowers, which reinforce the natural roots of this design.
Emporio Armani
Part of the Armani fashion empire, Emporio Armani is the last contender on our best Italian jewellery brands list for today. One of the two Armani branches designed by Giorgio Armani himself, Emporio Armani embraces the modern in its designs and boasts a portfolio of trendy jewellery for both men and women.
A fashion legend, Giorgio Armani was born in Northern Italy in 1934. Initially pursuing a medical career, Armani joined the fashion industry at age 23 as a window dresser. From here, he acquired knowledge about fashion and fashion marketing that helped him climb the industry’s career ladder. Now one of the most successful fashion designers in the world, Armani has since dressed many legends including the likes of Eric Clapton and Lady Gaga.
Founded in the 1980s, Emporio Armani stands for freedom and elusiveness, as represented through its iconic eagle logo. Although the brand was originally focused on denim products, its success led to an expansion into accessories like jewellery. Characterised by affordable yet incredibly elegant pieces, Emporio Armani’s jewellery line is a more than worthwhile addition to the list.
Our Picks:
Emporio Armani Women’s Necklace Rose Gold-Tone Crystal Set Heart Pendant EGS2965221
Dazzling but dainty, this gorgeous necklace is the first of our Emporio Armani picks. Along the rose gold-tone base chain, the necklace features stunning white cubic zirconia crystals. Forming the centrepiece of the design is a petite heart pendant, which houses even more sparkly crystals on its rose gold frame. At the back, the design fastens with a lobster clasp to ensure a secure fit. As a final added detail, the iconic Emporio Armani eagle logo sits towards the right-hand side of the necklace.
Emporio Armani Ring-Shaped Crystal-Set Charm Drop Earrings EG3556221
Complementary to any style and taste, we also love this Emporio Armani drop-style earring set. Suspended from a rose gold-tone hook, a ring-shaped charm hangs from each earring. Whilst the top half of each charm features beautiful baguette-cut crystals, the bottom half is black with the brand’s eagle logo as an embellishment. The resultant design makes both an effortlessly cool impression whilst being easily pairable with any existing earring look.
Do you agree with our best Italian jewellery brands list? Or is there a brand you feel is more deserving of a spot on our list? Let us know below!
