My Friend Has $200 to Spend on Jewelry—I Suggested These 38 Chic Pieces

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(Image credit: @cocobassey)

Diamonds are a girl's best friend. Or if you're like me, diamonds aren't exactly on your "can buy" list at the moment. As much as I love jewelry and dressing up, I own just a few fine-jewelry pieces. The rest are studded, plated costume jewelry that are just as fun without costing anywhere near what I would have paid otherwise. 

Now that the holidays are over, all of my friends are looking to make smart purchases with the money they received from their parents, partners, or friends. After debating the merits of cubic zirconia and gold-plated versus gold vermeil, I sent my friends a long list of fun, exciting, low-cost jewelry to wear out to special occasions and while on their way to the grocery store. Truly, you can never have too many gold huggie earrings. 

Below, the best jewelry finds I dropped in my group chat that my friends bought nearly immediately. Run, don't walk, to the checkout line before these gems sell out. 

Next, Shopbop Has the Best Statement Jewelry—29 Pieces Perfect for Your Next Event

Assistant Shopping Editor
Ana Escalante is an award-winning journalist and Gen Z editor whose work ranges from dissecting size inclusivity at fashion week to discussing how American Girl Doll meme accounts are the the answer to society's collective spiral. She's covered it all: Queen Elizabeth II's corgis, Roe v. Wade frontline protests, and the emergence of jorts (or jean shorts for the uninitated). At Who What Wear, Ana is responsible for delivering smart, insightful, personality-driven shopping guides and trend features for a digital-first generation.

Before joining Who What Wear, Ana was Glamour magazine's editorial assistant, where she focused on daily news and special packages, including leading the brand's 2022 Met Gala coverage. For more than half a decade, she has covered style, beauty, and digital culture for publications such as Paper magazine, Harper's Bazaar, Vogue Japan, and Allure, among others. Ana has been called a rising star in media by publications such as Nylon and Teen Vogue. (Her mother, meanwhile, calls her "the coolest person" she knows.)