Between £500 and £1,000 the compromises stop. You move into 18k gold, larger lab grown diamonds, and weights that survive being worn every day for decades rather than for a season.
This guide covers what we make in that band and what the extra money actually buys, piece by piece. Everything is solid gold, hallmarked at the London Assay Office, and made to order in our Hatton Garden workshop.
What changes above £500
Three things, in order of how much they matter.
The gold gets heavier. A chain at £255 and a chain at £775 can look similar in a photograph and feel completely different in the hand, because almost all of the difference is weight. Weight is what stops a chain kinking and what lets a piece be polished and repaired for a lifetime.
The purity goes up. Several pieces here are 18k rather than 9k, which is a warmer colour and a softer metal, better suited to something worn carefully than something knocked about.
And the stones get bigger. Not dramatically, but enough to see.
Diamond pendants
Mireille 18k white gold lab grown diamond pendant, from £515, and Calixta 18k white gold lab grown diamond pendant, £515. Each is a single diamond on a fine chain. These are what people choose when they want something that reads as fine jewellery without announcing itself.
Seren 18k gold lab grown diamond pendant, from £775, and Sarai 18k gold lab grown diamond pendant, £775. A larger stone than the two above, built on the same principle.
The chain is included in the price on every one. You are not buying a pendant and then discovering the chain costs extra.
Gold chains
A chain is the piece most likely to be worn every single day, which makes it the best value thing in this guide if the person you are buying for already wears gold.
At £515 there is Amal, Aura and Blythe, all 9k and all running up with length. At £645 the 18k curb chains start: Cherish in yellow gold and Bea in white gold, alongside the 9k Eirene.
At £775 and above sit Sunny, Zara and Radiance, which are the heaviest chains we make under £1,000.
Bracelets and bangles
The Sora and Stella 9k gold rope bracelets are both £515. The Jannah rope and the Liebe belcher are both £645, and the Amor rope is £905.
Bangles are the quiet recommendation here. Milosc and Amy are both £775. A solid gold bangle needs no chain, no clasp, no size and no maintenance, and it is the piece on this page most likely to still be worn in twenty years.
Rings, and the sizing problem
This is the band where rings become possible. It is also the band where gift buying gets harder, so read this part before you commit.
At £645 there is the Serica serpent ring and the Neris and Caelia V rings. At £905 there is the Celine, the Cyra serpent ring, the Auren diamond ring, the Aurela eternity ring and the Solenne half eternity ring.
We make in sizes K to N as standard and anything outside that is made for you, which adds time. Every Luma ring includes one free resize in the first twelve months, so a near miss is fixable rather than fatal. A wild guess is still a wild guess.
If you do not know the size and cannot find out, buy a bangle or a chain. It is not a lesser gift.
To see everything we make under £1,000 in one place, browse our gifts under £1,000 collection.
Where the money goes
We sell direct from Hatton Garden, so the price you see is the metal, the stone and the making, rather than the metal, the stone, the making and a shop on a high street.
Our guide to lab grown diamond pricing shows how a stone is priced, and 14k versus 18k gold explains what the purity difference does in practice.
If this band is more than you had in mind, our guide to gifts under £500 covers the same ground at the lower price point.
How long it takes, and what delivery costs
Everything is made to order. Everyday pieces take two to three weeks in the workshop, then go out insured and tracked.
UK delivery is £4.99 by Royal Mail Special Delivery before 1pm the next working day, and the courier asks for a signature. Everything goes out in plain packaging with nothing on the outer box that says what is inside or what it is worth. You can also collect from Hatton Garden at no charge.
Made to order pieces can be returned within 14 days for store credit. Ready to ship pieces returned within 14 days are refunded to your original payment method under UK consumer law. Engraved and pierced pieces cannot be returned unless faulty, and we will say so clearly before you order anything engraved.
Questions we get asked
Is 18k always better than 9k? No. It is a richer colour and a higher gold content, but it is softer. For a piece worn every day and knocked about, 9k lasts better.
Is the chain included with a pendant? Yes, on every one.
Can I see pieces before I buy? Yes. Our Hatton Garden studio runs by appointment and is set up as a consultation rather than a browse, so tell us what you want to compare and we will have it out for you.
How long does it take? Everyday pieces two to three weeks. Engagement rings four to six weeks. Full bespoke six to eight weeks from sign off.
Where are you? 13 Hatton Place, London EC1N 8RU, by appointment.
Written by the Luma Jewellery team in Hatton Garden. Every piece is designed and made to order in London.