Personalized Jewelry to Gift for Valentine’s Day (and Beyond)

The bespoke jewelry trend allows you to imbue sentimental meaning into your look. Gift him or her customized jewelry this Valentine’s Day, or keep a special piece for yourself. 

In an age of fast fashion and designer imitations, there’s something subversive about choosing a jewelry look that’s bespoke. A personalized necklace, bracelet, earring, or ring signals something individual and intentional, which makes for a maverick look. And if you’re gifting jewelry for Valentine’s Day or beyond, a bespoke piece is a sentimental way to make your gift feel all the more curated. You don’t even have to go all the way bespoke, creating a piece from scratch with a jeweler—you can cultivate a bespoke mood with touches like engraving, your loved one’s initials, birthstone, personal charm, or favorite stone. Ahead, we break down the latest ways of wearing the personalized jewelry trend, what brands are doing to make the customizing process as easy as possible, and of course, how to keep personalized jewelry clean, to ensure the sparkle on your bespoke piece lasts season after season. 

Alphabet and Motto Jewelry 

We’re loving alphabet jewelry, like the bubble-font single “B” Hailey Beiber wore this summer, which may have kicked the trend into high gear. Wearing a single letter can be an elevated moment, especially if you do it in gold or diamonds. We love how the Sydney Evans 18 karat gold and diamond initial charms deliver an injection of bling on the decollage. 

Read On for How to Clean Diamond Jewelry Correctly 

Still in the dawn of 2024, we’re setting our intentions and manifesting what’s to come. Motto jewelry gorgeously captures this sentiment with pendants that spell “Love” “Sparkle” “Joy.” To take your motto to the next level, choose pavé diamonds to spell out your intentions and mantra for 2024. 

Read On for How to Clean Gold Jewelry Correctly 

Name Jewelry

A Name Plate Necklace, like this diamond accent piece from Zales, is a modern icon, made famous by wearers like Sade and the fictional Carrie Bradshaw. The piece has come to connote a certain confidence in owning your style and your identity, and of course, wearing it with sparkle. 

For Valentine’s Day, consider gifting custom couples jewelry or personalizing a nameplate with a romantic nickname or word that has special meaning. 

The luxury house BVLGARI customizes pendants with engravings that can elevate the statement when gifting jewelry. For a more accessible take on the trend, Custom Couples Jewelry by brands like Jared also engrave pieces free of charge and Pandora  makes contemporary charms to make a personal story out of your jewelry—always a thoughtful way to spell out your love. 

You can also choose to wear your beloved’s initials inscribed in a pinky ring. We’re loving this one from David Yurman. After all, custom touches go a long way to making a piece feel more cherished.

For him, you can customize promise rings with engravings, or create bracelets with personalized silver accent charms, like these contemporary styles from Berradas. 

Read On for  How to Clean Silver Jewelry Correctly

Connoisseurs Pro Tip: When choosing custom, bespoke jewelry that’s fashioned from metal or includes metal charms or accent beads that will be worn against the skin, look for high-quality materials. Our favorite picks include 925 sterling silver and 14 karat or 18 karat gold. These are the materials that are most tolerated and least likely to cause allergic reactions. For those with sensitive skin, look for jewelry that is nickel-free. 

Zodiac Jewelry for a Personal Touch

Zodiac jewelry is a romantic way of showing your beloved you see and desire them for who they are. The heritage luxury house Van Cleef & Arpels has been incorporating zodiac themes into its collection since 1950, particularly with the Jewelry Zodiaque line. These iconic pieces feature tableaux designs representing each of the 12 houses and feature the dates of each zodiac sign engraved on each piece. 

Make It Personal with Gemstones

Contemporary brands like Jared can also get personal, with gemstone jewelry for each  birthstone. The Jared Lulu Frost Charm’d Collection also allows you to add charms to the bespoke process—you can choose a chain, select a charm (or two) from themed collections, and create a custom necklace ideal for gifting. Swarovski’s Birthstone Collection allows you to mix and match pendants and studs to build an entire jewelry box in your beloved’s birthstone.  

Another romantic touch is to follow the heart, literally. Red, the color most associated with Valentine’s Day, is always a choice colored stone to gift for the holiday. Rubies are popular, but also consider red jasper, red spinel, tourmaline, garnet, and the lavish red diamond. Read On for How to Clean Ruby Correctly.