Gone are the days of simple, single pearl studs or delicate diamond drops.
Brides today want wedding accessories to pack a punch. Earrings need to make a statement, to sparkle outrageously as they walk down the aisle. The right jewellery shouldn’t blend in or complement; the perfect pair will draw stares and be worn for years to come.
I’m getting married in a few months and, honestly, I’ve spent longer researching my earrings than my dress. The wedding dress? Easy. The earrings? An interminable quest.
Here are the wow-worthy brands I've found during my many months of research...
Soru
Bring the drama to your big day with a pair of Soru’s handcrafted designs.The brand, founded by two English-Sicilian sisters, counts the Duchess of Cambridge as a loyal customer and it’s easy to see why. The demi-fine earrings are uber-glam and on just the right side of extra. Go for trad pearl pieces or really go all-in for Italian flair with red rubies or multicoloured agate gemstones. Soru has beautiful clip-on versions too.
Editor’s pick: Santina earrings, £295; buy here.
Maison Sabben
Affordable pieces, handcrafted in France. Maison Sabben’s designer Sandrine Koehnlein manages to create minimalist yet statement earrings. Match you earrings to your bouquet with the signature pieces which centre around origami-inspired deconstructed flowers. Allow two-three weeks as everything is made to order. Available online or at The Mews Bridal in Notting Hill.
Editor’s pick: Dune earrings, 279€; buy here
Chan Luu
One for the boho brides. LA-based designer Tessa Tran’s creations are inspired by treasures she digs out at flea markets around the world. Tran has had a self-diagnosed obsession with pearls since childhood and the pretty stones feature in almost everything, from a cool jagged silver-tone hair clip to the earrings and necklaces in her collections.
Editor’s pick: Gold-plated pearl earrings, £100; buy here.
Anissa Kermiche
The Central Saint Martins-trained designer is most famous for the Love Handles vases you’ve been seeing all over the ‘gram, but look closely and you’ll see some of her jewellery also has a mischievous theme running through it. None more so than her Grab Them by the Balls drop pearl earrings. Start off the marriage on the right foot, we say.
Editor’s pick: Grab Them by the Balls earring, £165; buy now
Alighieri
The most recent recipient of the Queen Elizabeth II Award for British Design, Rosh Mahtani created cult London-based Alighieri in 2014. It’s now the jewellery brand to know with cool girls like Laura Jackson and Rosie Huntington Whiteley clambering to wear Mahtani’s pieces, which are all inspired by Dante Alighieri’s poem Divine Comedy. The distressed gold medallions are her bestsellers but it’s the chunky gold plated earrings - many with oversized glossy pearls - that’ll have brides-to-be hitting ‘add to shopping bag.’
Editor’s pick: Apollo’s Dance gold-plated pearl earrings, £395; buy now.
Timeless Pearly
An Insta-first brand - there’s no website yet, though there is one in the works - Timeless Pearly’s designs are vintage-inspired, often mis-matching and handmade in Paris. Charming, with bags of character, this is one for a playful bride and the arts and crafts style could be an ideal stand-in for your ‘something borrowed.’
Editor’s pick: Mismatched pearl & crystal gold-plated earrings, £245; buy here
Completedworks
You’ll find beautiful freshwater pearls among designer Anna Jewsbury’s creations - even black versions of the stones for a gothic twist, but it’s her clever work with ceramic which makes Completedworks one of the most interesting jewellery brands at the moment. The Fold collection is a work of art with ceramics and gold vermeil folded, bent and poured into fascinating shapes.
Editor’s pick: Suspended Forms, £175; buy here
Begum Khan
Begum Khan’s fantastical creations will be way too outlandish for most brides. Her dangling fish earrings, oversized evil eyes and gold-plated lobsters are just the ticket for sundowners in the Balearics but less appropriate for a sombre declaration of love in a staid old church. Having said that, Khan's Scarab Mon Amour collection features sparkling drop hearts dangling from a beetle-shaped stud. Wonderfully whimsical.
Editor’s picks: Scarab Mon Amour earrings, £1,100; buy here.
For more bridal inspiration, head to our wedding section.
