What high jewellery is, how it differs from fine and costume jewellery, and why one necklace can cost more than a house.
By Shreya S · Last reviewed 15 November 2026
What is high jewellery?
High jewellery, or haute joaillerie, is the jewellers’ equivalent of haute couture: one-of-a-kind or very limited pieces built around exceptional stones and made almost entirely by hand in the house’s own workshops. The big houses unveil new collections once or twice a year, often around the Paris couture weeks in January and July, and many pieces are sold to private clients before the public ever sees them.
How is it different from fine and costume jewellery?
Fine jewellery also uses precious metals and real stones, but it is made in series and sold in boutiques: think of Cartier’s Love bracelet or Van Cleef & Arpels’ Alhambra. Costume jewellery uses non-precious materials such as glass, crystal, resin and plated metal. High jewellery sits above both, defined by rarity, the quality of the stones and the hours of hand work.
Who makes it?
The historic jewellers of Place Vendôme (Cartier, Van Cleef & Arpels, Boucheron, Chaumet), along with Bulgari, Tiffany & Co., Graff and Harry Winston. Fashion houses compete too: Chanel has made high jewellery since Gabrielle Chanel’s diamond collection of 1932, Dior Joaillerie has been led by Victoire de Castellane since 1998, and Louis Vuitton now shows its own collections.
Why does it cost so much?
Mostly the stones. Matching a suite of sapphires or emeralds by colour can take years of sourcing. Then come the hours: a complex necklace can need thousands of hours from designers, wax modellers, setters and polishers. Prices are rarely published, and the most important pieces are offered privately to collectors.
Read on Ayerhs: 24 Fine Jewellery Gifts Your Partner Will Treasure · Richemont’s First-Half Sales Rise as Jewellery Leads · The History of Haute Couture