Whenever I’m sitting in a Kit team meeting, I like to look around the boardroom and take note of my coworkers’ jewellery. I spot multiple stacks of delicate gold rings, dainty pearl-adorned hoops and thread-thin chains with small, meaning-laden pendants. Often, these pieces are from Mejuri, the Toronto-based juggernaut, disruptor and all-around favourite in the demi-fine jewellery space.
Mejuri’s success lies in its reinvention of tradition. The direct-to-consumer, sustainable jewellery line relies on a drop model to release limited runs of product frequently, often resulting in waitlists. There’s a heavy emphasis on women buying for themselves (or for their friends) and the idea that you don’t need to wait for a special occasion to treat yourself to something shiny. It’s potent stuff.
Still, I wondered: Who are the next Mejuris? Surely there are other (Canadian!) brands democratizing fine and demi-fine jewellery and sustainably designing pieces that feel modern and covetable. So here are five brands—some established, some emerging, all cool—who are poised to become the next generation of Canadian jewellery superstars.
OREMME
“Growing up, I either saved up to buy fine jewellery or wore no jewellery at all,” said Emilie Nolan at the launch party for her line, Oremme, the newcomer on this list. Oremme is fine jewellery in the true sense of the word—the rings are made from 10 and 14k gold (which means you can swim, shower and basically live without needing to take them off) and finished with precious stones like diamonds, rubies, sapphires, citrines and emeralds. The current edit is a super-focused collection of rings and earrings, but the brand is looking to expand. Like Mejuri, the focus is on selling directly to customers via its site. The price point is also higher than the rest of the brands on this list, but that’s what you get for fine—or, as Oremme likes to put it, fiiiine.