These are some of my most popular google search terms when shopping for jewelry online:

…you get the idea.

For the past few years, I’ve been on a quest to lead a more intentional and minimalist life. So, when buying “non-essentials,” I invest in what feels “precious”and the most meaningful to me. Those items tend to be well-made and feel more “special.” As a result, I find that I wear them more often.

Investing in jewelry that brings me joy feels better than cheap, poorly made, soulless fast fashion jewelry.

In my search for jewelry that fits into my new, “does-this-bring-me-joy?” lifestyle, I’ve found quite a few brands that meet my criteria.

The list below (in alphabetical order) includes the hottest jewelry brands you absolutely need on your radar.

Attention — Frugal babes who love to ball on a budget: As a bonus, I’ve included some promo codes so you can spoil yourself and save some coins, while buying small.

Q. What’s your favorite style of jewelry?

I’d love to know! Feel free to leave a comment below or on Instagram.

1. Aurate New York

Designed to be worthy of the women who wear it.

New York City-based jewelry line, Aurate, is having a major moment. After the success of their recent partnership with actress Kerry Washington (Aurate X Kerry Washington), the brand has really taken off.

Delicate Jewelry is still having a moment. Simple, silver or gold rings, necklaces, earrings, and bracelets all in classic silhouettes are perfect for a laid back, effortlessly-chic style. They can dress up the most casual outfit and tone down an outfit that would otherwise be a bit “too” extra. (Wait. Is that a thing?)

Dainty jewelry is perfect for warmer weather. Why? Because who really wants to wear heavy metals when it’s as hot as Hades outside?

The important thing with buying dainty jewelry is finding something that’s well-made. Jewelry should be an investment. Cheap, “junk” jewelry is fun, but you’ll only be able to wear it once or twice before it tarnishes. That’s not environmentally sustainable or budget friendly.

Investing in jewelry that’s quality gold-plated, gold-filled or solid gold is a much better move.

Thankfully, Aurate New York has a very reasonably priced fine jewelry line. They make the most beautiful, sustainable gold rings. I recently ordered their vintage emerald cut ring with a green tourmaline stone lined with white topaz. Stay tuned for photos on my Instagram @ChiefofStyle.

Click here to get 20% off your first order.

2. Automic Gold

Besides the fact that their jewelry is understated and beautiful, there are so many reasons to love Automic Gold.

Automic Gold works with solid gold, platinum, and silver. They also carry diamonds and gemstones and have a wide selection of jewelry: rings, earrings, necklaces, and pendants. They take custom orders, too.

All gold pieces are solid gold and made from reclaimed gold material and shipped in recyclable packaging.

The brand is also size-inclusive, carrying ring sizes 2 through 16! And, the pieces are for all genders.

The models they use are beautiful, unique, and the most diverse I’ve ever seen for a fine jewelry company. They’re committed to celebrating positive, honest body images and they don’t photoshop their models.

Founder, Al Sandimirova, is committed to fair and accessible prices, year round. Automic Gold is based in New York City and queer-owned.What’s more, the company is self-funded and prides itself in not “compromising their values for numbers.”

Sign up for updates from Automic Gold on their website.

3. Copper Canoe Woman

Inspired by elements drawn from the land and sea

Cooper Canoe Woman is an Indigenous woman-owned jewelry infused with coastal Indigenous culture and identity.

Created by owner Vina Brown (Haíłzaqv and Nuu-chah-nulth), Copper Canoe Woman has exploded in popularity on social media and on television. Vina’s earrings are big and bold, and never fail to make a statement.

They’re on trend and modern, while also keeping alive Indigenous connection to mother earth, culture, and traditions. Several of Vina’s designs also honor queer and 2Spirit communities and political activism, like her dangly, iridescent “Honor the Treaties” pair. Straight to the point. We stan!

She designs earrings on both hooks and posts and the sizes range from large to extra extra fabulous (unofficially…just what I call them). She uses matte, glossy, iridescent, clear, and opaque acrylic as well as natural materials like abalone and wood.

Her designs are perfect for urban Indians and rez babes of all ages, as they merge traditional with modern, reminding all who rock them that It’s (Always) a Good Day to Be Indigenous!

You can find Copper Canoe Woman on Instagram. The brand releases new designs and restocks weekly.

Get 15% off at CopperCanoeWoman.com with code CHIEFOFSTYLE15.

4. femmeboyant Designs

Accessory armor & celebration for queers, weirdos, and pals.

femmeboyant designs are handmade in Vancouver (unceded territories of the Musqueam, Squamish Tsleil-Waututh peoples).

According to QTPOC founder and designer, Arthi Mehta, femmeboyant is “a protest.” These special pieces are “a celebration of divinity inherent in marginality.”

Love that.

With designs that include “ACAB,” “Black Joy,” “Trans is holy,” and various pieces featuring a range of pronouns, femmeboyant designs are affirming and bold.

Many include elements like crystals and gemstones. Some are more lighthearted, like silver, hand twisted nameplate / door knocker-style earrings that say, “pro choice…pro cats.”

What I love most about femmeboyant is the narrative and meaning behind the brand, message, and the jewelry itself.

Arthi describes the jewelry as “protective armor.” That’s how I’ve always defined personal style, especially for folx in marginalized bodies. So, I love that this forethought and meaning is infused in each item.

To purchase, DM @femmeboyantdesigns on Instagram and let them know The Chief of Style sent you.

5. Inner Wolf Jewelry

Being adorned and made to feel beautiful should be accessible, regardless of your budget.

Inner Wolf Jewelry is owned and operated independently by Ashya Elizabeth. Creating from her studio in (so-called) Vancouver, Canada. Ashya’s work is influenced by her Cree and Turkish ancestry, every piece infused with elemental components of the natural and spiritual world.

Holding onto a deep connection with the earth, animals and minerals, Ashya incorporates natural elements into her work using raw stones as well as hair, quills, antler sheds, and feathers. Whether sourced independently or from elders, every gift from the animals is done so humanely and with honor and respect for the animal and the earth. 

Ashya is proud to be able to share these pieces of her culture with the world. 

You can find Inner Wolf Jewelry on Instagram and shop via the website, InnerWolfJewelry.com.

6. Old Soul Vintage

Our repurposed button jewelry incorporates iconic luxury for the style-conscious woman.

Ultra sustainable, designer-remixed jewelry brand, Old Soul Vintage, is totally my vibe. In fact, I created similar, thrifted and repurposed pieces for myself before I knew brands like this were a thing. Old Soul Vintage took a cute DIY idea and turned it into a successful brand and business.

One key element of sustainability / environmentalism / traditional Indigenous ways is to use every piece of whatever you consume. In other words, don’t be wasteful. Old Soul Vintage Jewelry repurposes buttons, key chains, belt charms, bag keys, and other hardware from designer clothing, bags, shoes, jewelry, and other accessories, creating something totally new.

So, buttons become rings and cuffs links, key hooks become bracelets, and pull tabs are refashioned into pendant necklaces.

The brand was born out of a love for modern aesthetics and a passion for vintage flair. Prior to being repurposed, each recycled element is authenticated. Once verified as being a true designer piece, it’s transformed by hand into a one-of-a-kind heirloom.

What’s more, the brand is gender inclusive, so there really is something for every designer fashion lover.

You can find Old Soul Vintage Jewelry on Instagram @OldSoulVintageJewelry and at their website OldSoulVintageJewelry.com.

7. Reesa Beesa

Dreamed up, designed and printed with love and tears in sunny Los Angeles ♡ Featuring original illustrations by Reesa.

Theresa Baxter, better known as Reesa Beesa, is an LA-based artist/art director/illustrator/designer/visual storyteller/model…what can’t this creative babe do?

Best known for her feminist illustrations on Instagram under the name @ReesaBoBeesa, Reesa creates visual stories captured in single images, centering people, bodies, and experiences that many of us know and have lived, but rarely see in portrait form. The “main characters” in these images are often full bodied, self-accepting and fully expressed. A more simplistic or “basic” perspective might be that they’re “grotesque.”

Reesa incorporates with subtle detail, the mundane using details and exaggerations as background, creating an inviting world — one familiar to many of us. Each portrait features vibrant colors and occasionally mantras and affirmations. Each image conveys a radically inclusive, sex-positive, queer, and feminist disobedience of the rules placed upon women, femmes, and thems/themmes by the cishet, white supremacist, capitalistic patriarchy, all the while exalting the magnificence of the Divine Feminine.

Reesa’s art reminds us to rest, to cry, to spoil ourselves, to luxuriate, to connect, to engage in ritual in solitude and with others, and, most of all, to take up space without being unapologetic about it.

I love her art so much, five of her illustrations hang in my apartment to remind me of my own inherent worth. Another way of saying that is, that her work reminds me and us that we’re That Bitch. Thanks to her sparkling jewelry line, we can all be reminded that we’re That Bitch when we’re out and about…all the while inviting others to have the same level of self-confidence.

Shop Reesa’s jewelry, apparel, accessories, and artwork at ReesaBoBeesa.com and follow her at @ReesaBoBeesa on Instagram.

8. Sucre Couture

Sucré Couture pays homage to the influence Black women have had on fashion and culture pre-y2k. A Sucre Girl evokes a raw, sexy, magnetic essence.

Another one of my favorite jewelry brands is Sucré Couture. The website, social media presence, branding, and, of course, product line all give off cool, around the way girl vibes, like the founder herself.

Sucré Couture was founded by Kimberly Fomby, a fashion entrepreneur, jewelry designer, and Black woman-in-tech. The team has since expanded, so there are more hands on deck. I’m here for these boss moves!

Sucré sells necklaces, bracelets, anklets, earrings, rings, and a stunning red, Ruby Woo-like nail polish. The jewelry is vermeil and 100% non-tarnishing. So, it’s budget friendly and long-lasting. Check my Instagram Reel to see my favorite Sucré piece, the Swirl Hoops that I got more than two years ago. I wear them at least once per week and they still look brand new.

After the success of their previous collection, heritage, Sucré Couture is now preparing to release their Fall ’22 drop, “Majik.” There are hints on their website and social media page of what’s to come with this new collection. I honestly can’t wait! If previous collections are any indication, it’s going to be epic.

I can already tell that the aesthetic of the campaign will be dark, moody, mysterious, and sensual. Not only is that already “on brand” for Sucré, but the all-Black woman team behind the brand know about timing. So, with Halloween and Día de los Muertos fast approaching, I’m sure the jewelry as well as the campaign around it will be “majikal” and blow us all away.

Follow Sucré Couture at @SucreCouture and shop their site at SucreCouture.com. Get 20% off with code AMY20.

9. Teal Pansy Jewelry

Jewelry isn’t gendered.

Another independent, Canadian-made brand I love is Teal Pansy Jewelry.

Teal Pansy Jewelry sells jewelry, candles, and self-care items and is lovingly queer and trans made.

More specifically, their product offering includes crystal and non-crystal necklaces, earrings, sea glass earrings, key chains, collar clips, brooches, keychains, linocut prints, body care, candles, care packages, various vintage finds, and more. And, they also do custom orders.

Teal Pansy is made up of Brettley and Wyatt who create these items “with femmes at heart, the Earth in mind, and crystals in hand.”

Brettley and Wyatt make a variety of crystal candles with intentions such as healing, grounding, cleansing and more. They are two love bears that like to create and share their magic together. (Does it get any sweeter than that!? I’m literally melting.)

According to their Etsy page, “Brettley loves creating unique jewelry to adorn people and bring them joy. This jewelry is made with beautiful things the earth makes: raw gemstones, gold and silver. Timeless semi-precious stones are juxtaposed with modern and minimalistic settings.”

What I love most is how good it feels to support this brand. Besides supporting the artisans, 13% of profits go directly to Indigiqueer orgs and Indigenous land defenders. More specifically, Unist’ot’en, Ulluisc and the 2-Spirit Collective at UNYA (Urban Native Youth Association), Indigenous communities working for social and environmental justice.

You can follow Teal Pansy on Instagram @TealPansyJewelry and shop their products at their Etsy store. Use code CHIEFOFSTYLE15 for 15% off!

10. THJ Jewelry

Navajo jewelry for Rockstars and Ma’Sani (Grandmas)

Turquoise holds a very special significance to many Native cultures, especially the Navajo (Diné) people. Some of the most beautiful turquoise jewelry I’ve ever seen in my entire life have been made by Diné hands. The talent from the Diné nation is truly unreal.

Turquoise is a semi-precious gemstone and is often called the “stone of life.” Though it is not actually “alive” (depending on what you believe), it does change colors according to its environmental conditions: light, dust, and the acidity of one’s skin can all affect it.

I could honestly go on and on about my love for turquoise and its grounding properties. Having grown up going to intertribal pow wows, I’ve spent years admiring huge, chunky turquoise jewelry pieces made by Diné silversmiths, who are well-known on the pow wow trail for their beautiful designs and craftsmanship.

THJ Navajo Jewelry was created in 2014 by Tyler and Heather Johnson, both Navajo from Northern Arizona and raised on the Navajo Nation. 

They use modern silversmithing techniques as well as Tufa Casting, the Navajo’s first form of silversmithing.  Together, they design contemporary jewelry while staying true to traditional Navajo Designs with the intent of creating jewelry that can be enjoyed and passed down for generations. 

I first found THJ on Instagram during the early days of The Chief of Style. The blend of traditional and modern, respect for the past and a celebration of the present, and the blend of Indigenous culture and an edgier, punk rock aesthetic really speaks to me at my core. I live for that blend of tradish and modern. In many ways, it speaks to our reclamation of identity.

By taking who we are, where we come from…and creating something new, we really are living out our ancestors wildest dreams. They walked so we could run. We are here because they found a way to survive. Being reminded of that connection when wearing jewelry like this feels really good, to put it mildly.

The piece in the above photo was custom made with Sterling Silver, rare Sleeping Beauty Turquoise, and Silver Spikes. Contact THJ via Instagram or their website, THJNavajoJewelry.com to place an order.