In Best of the Best, we honour the brands and people behind the most covetable products. Here are our favourite pieces of jewellery that topped the 2025 list
Jewellery of the Year: Van Cleef & Arpels Nœuds Marins Necklace
This extravagant necklace is the piece de resistance of Van Cleef & Arpels’s Treasure Island high-jewellery collection, launched in Miami earlier this year with a grand gala at Vizcaya Museum—complete with dancing pirates. Set in white gold with diamonds, a 31.99-carat emerald-cut Colombian emerald, and a giant cabochon-cut turquoise pendant, the necklace represents a perfect combination of skill in stone setting and an eye for colour. The twisted marine knots of its rope-like collar play to the theme, but its true inspiration comes from a 1979 archival design. Unlike its somewhat restrained predecessor, this piece is significantly more substantial in terms of both gems and craftsmanship. It transforms to be worn without the turquoise drop or with a separate diamond, turquoise, and emerald tassel pendant. What better way to tie one on?
Best Coloured Diamonds: Harry Winston Pink Diamond
Harry Winston earned his reputation as the King of Diamonds by acquiring the world’s rarest stones, most notably the 45.52-carat deep-blue Hope Diamond, which he donated to the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History in Washington, DC, in 1958. Following in his footsteps, his son Ronald (who is no longer affiliated with the house) gave the Winston Red, a 2.33-carat fancy-red diamond, to the museum in 2023; it went on view for the first time this year.
The company’s CEO, Nayla Hayek, who is also chairwoman of parent company Swatch Group, has similarly remained steadfast to the founder’s passion for exquisite coloured diamonds. Among the brand’s treasures are the Winston Blue, a 13.22-carat vivid-blue diamond; Winston Pink Legacy, an 18.96-carat vivid-pink diamond; and this newly acquired 5.22-carat fancy-intense-pink cushion-cut stone. Set in a platinum and 18k-rose-gold ring and surrounded by approximately 1.64 carats of white diamonds, it’s destined for a connoisseur with a museum- worthy collection.
Best Archive-Inspired Design: Tiffany & Co. Star Burst Necklace
Tiffany & Co.’s Star Burst necklace is the embodiment of what high jewellery should be: exceptional stones and craftsmanship in an entrancing play of colour, sparkle, and fantastical design. Inspired by archival sketches from legendary 20th-century designer Jean Schlumberger, this exquisite work is made with 64 carats of billowy crystal opals that have vibrant flashes of red, orange, blue, and green, surrounded by diamond starbursts. Intended to evoke a luminous galaxy in a wearable objet d’art, it also nods to the cosmic nature of gemstones.
Best Sapphire: Graff Sapphire and Diamond Bangle
Extraordinary gems are a given at Graff, but when the house debuted new high jewellery in New York City last November, a 118.17-carat cushion-cut unheated Sri Lankan sapphire stole the spotlight—even in a room of stones that would make the most seasoned collector gasp. A sapphire of this size and quality is incredibly scarce. To emphasise its rarity, Graff mounted it atop an 18k-white- gold bangle—the stepped metal arches framing the central stone—and further adorned the piece with 39.70 carats of custom-cut fancy and round diamonds extending the full length of the setting.
Best High-Jewellery Collection: Cartier Nature Sauvage
For a heritage house like Cartier, it’s easy to revisit its illustrious archives for inspiration. The challenge is evolving its design in contemporary ways. Mission accomplished. The Nature Sauvage high-jewellery collection reveals a progression of the French brand’s iconic motifs and designs in colourful, playful styles. There’s a feeling of movement in curvaceous shapes that sweep up the ear or drape around the neck like a supple silk scarf. What stands out is an enduring sense of modernity. Cartier’s use of beaded stones dates back to its early 20th-century designs and continues to look fresh today in such pieces as a necklace named Le Voyage Recommencé. Composed of a fluid pattern of chalcedony, spinel, and diamonds set in platinum, it hits the right balance of colour, texture, and form.
