Photo-Illustration: The Strategsit; Photos: Ambar Pardilla
“Beware the mall brands” is advice obeyed by many a jewelry collector. Not only because they often come with traditional retail markups, but also because the quality can be all over the place. Mall-brand jewelry is at the foot of the metaphorical fine-jewelry ladder, lower than a wholesale club like Costco (where a membership can get you gold that’s cheaper than just about anywhere else) or a department store (getting a Bloomingdale’s little brown bag with a half-off strand of pearls may be just as happy an event as unwrapping a Tiffany blue box) — at least to some of the jewelry collectors I know.
But if there was a pie chart of the fine-jewelry industry, Kay, Pandora, and Zales — all mall brands — are big slices. Their retail presence goes beyond your friendly neighborhood shopping center. Kay and Zales are a part of Signet Jewelers — the same company that owns Jared, Banter (formerly Piercing Pagoda), Blue Nile, and James Allen — which claims to be the biggest retailer of diamonds in the world. (I remember hearing an “Every Kiss Begins With Kay” commercial before ever reading De Beers’ “A Diamond Is Forever.”) Pandora, which started as a goldsmith’s shop in Copenhagen back in 1982, is the world’s largest jeweler by production volume. Not even the busiest Diamond District jewelry dealer can compete.
I wondered how these brands’ pieces actually were, as someone who’s been collecting fine-jewelry pieces for years. How would their gold look outside of a store’s vitrines, without overhead lights, or a salesperson rattling off warranty plans? To investigate, I tried different pieces from each brand over a few weeks. Kay, Pandora, and Zales each loaned me pieces, including the following: a chain, a pair of hoops, a ring, and a tennis bracelet. I treated everything as I would any of my own jewelry — that is, mindfully (i.e., I don’t shower in jewelry, and you shouldn’t either). In general, prices are high — even considering things like total carat weight, karats, and the cost of precious metals. Long gone are the days of a diamond-initial pendant set in 14-karat white gold on an 18-inch chain for $79 at Zales (according to a New York Magazine post from 2004). There were also varying degrees of quality across the board — more than once, I worried something might need a repair (in fact, something did break on me). I still did find a few quite literal gems.
Want to be emailed about sales and other updates to your saved products?
Success! You’ll get an email when something you’ve saved goes on sale.
Yes
Traditionally, a Singapore chain has twisted links that are finer than what you get on a Cuban. The big thing about it is fluidity. This is a nice Singapore chain. It’s available in both 18- and 20-inch lengths and either white gold or yellow gold. It does what every Singapore chain should do: shine. Light dances on it. It’s shinier than my comparable Hundred Summers chain — which is described as shining “like a hundred summer suns.” It might be 14-karat gold, but the color of the gold rivals that of a 22-karat pendant I wore it against. At 1.25 millimeters, it’s on the thinner side (Singapore chains are anywhere between one and two millimeters usually) but not flimsy in the slightest. A small qualm I have with the chain is the size of the jump ring. It makes getting the chain on harder — I had to turn the closure to the front and then flip it around. It’s more an annoyance than a problem, though.
Want to be emailed about sales and other updates to your saved products?
Success! You’ll get an email when something you’ve saved goes on sale.
Yes
Initially, Pandora’s felt the heaviest of the chains I tried. (Even with its nearly identical specs to the Zales equivalent: Both are 14-karat gold and 1.25 millimeters wide.) It’s a textbook example of how a ball chain should be — made with great, neat craftsmanship. It could hold what are among my largest charms, a horseshoe locket and spiderweb. I appreciated the length options too: You can adjust the chain to wear at the full 17.7 inches, or to around 16.7 or 15.7 inches. (I’m guessing there’s an inch difference between the lengths — Pandora doesn’t list these exact measurements online.) Helping matters are the larger, oval-shaped jump rings. It was easy to hook the lobster-claw clasp on any of them by myself. Everything’s absolutely sturdy, too. Not once did I think I would have a situation like what happened to Daisy Buchanan’s pearls on her wedding day in The Great Gatsby. And thankfully, I didn’t!
[Editor’s note: This is only available for store pickup right now, but you can sign up to receive a notification when it comes back in stock online.]
Want to be emailed about sales and other updates to your saved products?
Success! You’ll get an email when something you’ve saved goes on sale.
Yes
By far, the chain I had the most trouble getting on was Kay’s — for the combination of the spring ring (which is my least-favorite style of clasp, admittedly) and the links of the extender. It required several attempts every time, and was like a game of cat and mouse to get the timing right, opening up the spring ring and connecting it to a link. I couldn’t do it without being in front of a mirror. The chain, which is 16 inches with a two-inch extender, was more of a choker on me — granted, I don’t have the neck of one of Truman Capote’s Swans — and felt a tad short. You can’t miss the detail of the diamond-cut links, however, which are 1.9 millimeters each. They remind me of sunbeams. I can’t deny that it’s a very pretty chain. If anything, it feels a little bit delicate. Like Pandora’s and Zales’, Kay’s used 14-karat gold — it’s the least gold-looking of them all. It’s a finer, lighter gold.
(From left to right) Chains by Pandora, Kay, and Zales.
Photo: Ambar Pardilla
Want to be emailed about sales and other updates to your saved products?
Success! You’ll get an email when something you’ve saved goes on sale.
Yes
I’d like nothing more than to keep Pandora’s Figaro Hoops. They really are special. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a Figaro chain (named after the character in the The Barber of Seville) for the ear before. Bravo, Pandora! No one believed me when I told them they were from the mall brand. It’s a clicker hoop, and every clicker hoop should make a satisfying click, akin to the sound of a closed doorknob. I got the audible equivalent of a hacker in the mainframe yelling “It’s in.” And they stay in — no matter if I was (literally) pulling my ear, as an overzealous child would. Just one note: Unlike some other clickers I’ve tried, this hinge opens to an almost full 180 degrees (rather than a 90-degree angle, for example). You just have to push until you get the click — it doesn’t take elbow grease, only a little bit of pressure.
[Editor’s note: They’re only available for store pickup right now, but you can sign up to receive a notification when they come back in stock online.]
Want to be emailed about sales and other updates to your saved products?
Success! You’ll get an email when something you’ve saved goes on sale.
Yes
Kay doesn’t brand these as tube hoops, but they have all the hallmarks of tube hoops (a press rep confirmed they’re tube style). They’re extremely lightweight: I could barely feel them in the palm of my hand. I couldn’t believe it considering their size of 20 millimeters (or, for reference, both Pandora hoops could fit inside the entire circumference). I don’t think saying they’re “lightweight” even covers it. They’re one of the most comfortable pairs of hoops I’ve had the pleasure of wearing. You absolutely forget you have them on. I worried that the posts (which are more humped than curved, as you can see here) would make them uncomfortable to put in. But they went into my piercing like an inflatable to a water slide. At $399.99, they feel steep for a classic, but they’re regularly marked down to around $279.99 (much better).
Want to be emailed about sales and other updates to your saved products?
Success! You’ll get an email when something you’ve saved goes on sale.
Yes
Zales let me down here. You had me with striated lab-grown diamonds. Unfortunately, the diamonds are tiny and not sparkly sparkly (with a 1/15 total carat weight and a SI2 clarity — or slightly included, according to the Gemological Institute of America’s clarity scale). Unlike Kay’s and Pandora’s, which are both 14-karat gold, Zales used ten-karat gold — which has less amount of actual gold, about 41.7 percent to 58.3 percent. (To be fair, because of the percentage of other metals in ten-karat gold, it’s harder-wearing than 14-karat gold.) But you want some more gold than that for $449.98. And then there’s the clicker. Remember when I talked about hearing a satisfying click, akin to the sound of a closed doorknob? Well, one hoop does; the other doesn’t. I worried about it falling out constantly. Not that a gentle breeze would do this, but tucking a strand of hair back behind the ear could.
(Clockwise) Hoops from Kay, Pandora, and Zales.
Photo: Ambar Pardilla
Want to be emailed about sales and other updates to your saved products?
Success! You’ll get an email when something you’ve saved goes on sale.
Yes
I genuinely liked every (non-engagement) diamond ring I tried. This might be the blingiest of them for the 18 round, brilliant-cut, bezel-set lab-grown diamonds (more than Zales’ five, or Kay’s 17 that I counted below). Because of the size of the diamonds (with a 0.7-carat weight, VS+ clarity, and G-I color), this has a tasteful amount of sparkle. That’ll cost you $950. I don’t know about that. For comparison’s sake, Quince makes a diamond bezel eternity ring starting at $498. But Tyla (a Pandora ambassador) had it on her finger at last year’s Met Gala — maybe that’s priceless.
Want to be emailed about sales and other updates to your saved products?
Success! You’ll get an email when something you’ve saved goes on sale.
Yes
I don’t think the product images do this justice. The lab-grown diamonds punch above their 1/3 total carat weight, VS2 clarity (or “very slightly included,” on GIA’s clarity scale), and F color (or colorless, on GIA’s color scale). They’re clear, brilliant, and shiny; all good words when it comes to diamonds. A prong setting like this usually makes me nervous — fortunately, everything felt secure.
Want to be emailed about sales and other updates to your saved products?
Success! You’ll get an email when something you’ve saved goes on sale.
Yes
If you told me Catbird made this, I’d believe you. Technically, it’s in Kay’s “Now and Forever” bridal line, and it’s for an anniversary. I agree that it’ll fit nicely in with an engagement ring and wedding band. But the diamonds are shown in all their glory when this one’s worn by itself. As far as stats go, they have a 1/4 total carat weight, VS2 clarity, and F color. (Doesn’t that sound familiar to a similar ring above?) They’re tiny but shiny. And the prongs don’t bother — they make the diamonds “float” without cutting you on the sides of your finger.
(Top to bottom) Diamond rings from Pandora, Zales, and Kay.
Photo: Ambar Pardilla
Want to be emailed about sales and other updates to your saved products?
Success! You’ll get an email when something you’ve saved goes on sale.
Yes
The “tennis bracelet” came to be accidentally, when champion Chris Evert lost a diamond bracelet at the U.S. Open in 1987 . It’s the category I had the most trouble with in this experience — maybe because it takes no small feat of jewelry engineering to get right. Zales’s scores points for originality. It has a 1 3/4 total carat weight of lab-grown diamonds, with an 1/2-carat emerald-cut diamond in the center that’s beautiful. It’s resplendent as the Hall of Mirrors at Versailles is. (I also tried a sterling-silver tennis bracelet from Zales, but it doesn’t show off the lab-grown diamonds in nearly the same way.) I wondered if these middle diamonds would throw off the balance of the rest of the tennis bracelet, but they didn’t. And working the box clasp was pretty seamless. It’s not the cheapest or priciest of the tennis bracelets, but it’s the one I’d be most excited to receive. Something to keep in mind: The ten-karat white gold is rhodium-plated — which helps with durability, but it may have to be replated eventually.
Want to be emailed about sales and other updates to your saved products?
Success! You’ll get an email when something you’ve saved goes on sale.
Yes
There was a problem with Kay’s right away — a latch on the box clasp didn’t shut fully. Kay sent me a replacement (and then another, inadvertently), and while neither had the same issue, it took a fair bit of trial and error to get them closed. Upon closer inspection, some of the setting work wasn’t perfect (and it should be for the price tag of $2,699.99), with several wonky-looking prongs. Not to mention you’re only getting lab-grown diamonds between I2-I3 clarity. Sorry, Kay, but it’s a no.
Want to be emailed about sales and other updates to your saved products?
Success! You’ll get an email when something you’ve saved goes on sale.
Yes
The biggest disappointment was Pandora’s tennis bracelet. When it arrived out of the pink-ribboned gift box and in the bubble-wrapped package, I couldn’t help noticing how the row of lab-grown diamonds wasn’t straight. More than anything, you want a tennis bracelet to be flexible. But this was stiff and rigid. Well, the gut feeling of something being wrong turned out to be right. To my horror, it broke the first time it was on my wrist. The link connected to the clasp snapped off. (The brand did apologize, saying this “doesn’t reflect Pandora’s usual quality or craftsmanship.”) In all my years of jewelry wearing, I can count on my hands how many times something has failed me. It was especially disappointing as I liked Pandora’s fine jewelry generally more than Kay’s or Zales’. Under Pandora’s warranty, it wouldn’t be repaired, only replaced with the same item (if it’s still available) or exchanged for an item of equal (or lesser) value. I think I’d take the exchange!
(From left to right) Tennis bracelets by Kay, Zales, and Pandora.
Photo: Ambar Pardilla
I’d exchange the Pandora’s tennis bracelet for this — a more reliable 14k paperclip chain.
Some mega-watt sparkle, with a marquise-cut lab-grown diamond.
Much sturdier than Zales’ other striated hoops — even at a bigger size.
The Strategist is designed to surface useful, expert recommendations for things to buy across the vast e-commerce landscape. Every product is independently selected by our team of editors, whom you can read about here. We update links when possible, but note that deals can expire and all prices are subject to change.