Mejuri: The jewellery brand to know in 2023

Jun 29, 2023

Fans include the Princess of Wales and Rosie Huntington-Whiteley

When it comes to jewellery in 2023, there are a handful of affordable brands in every woman’s collection – certain labels that sit pretty on bedside tables far and wide. And for the past few years, the name on everyone's lips (and hands, necks and wrists) is Mejuri.

Quiet luxury might be the newest buzzword, but we can assure you that it doesn’t have to cost a fortune to secure the lifestyle. The key is to invest in staple pieces that will last, transition seamlessly between seasons, and work with everything in your capsule wardrobe.

Luckily, Mejuri has been ahead of the curve, producing classic jewels with the modern woman in mind for the last eight years. “Democratising the fine jewellery industry and empowering individuals to purchase for themselves is still key for us,” Mejuri’s co-founder and CEO, Noura Sakkijha, tells Red.

When Jordan-born Sakkijha first started the business in 2015, she was on a mission to create timeless jewels that could be worn for both special occasions and everyday errands. The now Toronto-based entrepreneur co-founded Mejuri with her husband Majed Masad, and together they have taken the business from a website start-up into a global jewellery company – alongside raising their twin girls, we hasten to add.

It certainly didn’t take long for Mejuri’s message of high-quality jewellery at accessible prices to be heard and approved by the fashion set. Within months of conception, the brand was a big hit. In fact, you couldn’t (and still can’t) scroll Instagram without seeing its dainty chains, chunky rings and stackable earrings on the most fashionable of stylists and influencers.

Sakkijha explains it is all part of a successful marketing programme. “One of our key initiatives has been establishing a community of ‘fine crew’ members, a group of influencers who truly believe in our mission and help bring authenticity to the brand.”

While Mejuri partners with individuals, the founder loves to see the organic content that creatives produce on social media – it has been key to putting a face to the brand and making it relatable to customers. And it’s clear Mejuri is doing something right as it has amassed over one million followers on Instagram and racked up thousands of likes.

Within this impressive customer base, Mejuri also has many A-list fans – of all ages, it’s worth noting – who have been loyal wearers of the brand’s jewels for years. Most famously the Princess of Wales was spotted in Mejuri’s gold vermeil and freshwater pearl stacked hoops at last year’s Commonwealth celebrations, and recently pop star Ariana Grande donned the brand’s dainty pearl hoops to watch the men’s final at Wimbledon. Other celebrity sightings include Rosie Huntington-Whitley, Oprah and Margot Robbie, who have worn Mejuri’s croissant hoops, pearl drop earrings and spiral studs respectively.

Thanks to this exposure, Mejuri is now a household name, so it’s hardly surprising the brand is having a successful time. Sakkijha tells us Mejuri currently has over 1.5 million customers, 22 stores across North America and the UK, and over 3.5 million shipments worldwide – impressive for a brand less than a decade old.

But it nearly wasn’t to be for the female entrepreneur who, after coming from a family in the jewellery business, had her sights set on a different career path. However, after moving to Canada to complete an MBA in engineering, Sakkijha traded in her job as a process analyst at a major financial institution to fill the serious gap she saw in the jewellery industry. “The narrative was mainly geared towards traditional gifting of men buying for women,” she tells Red. “I wanted to flip it and create a brand with a simple premise of women buying jewellery for themselves, and celebrate what matters to them.”

While creating more choice for women is Mejuri’s modus operandi, Sakkijha appreciates that buying fine jewellery as a treat for yourself doesn’t come naturally to most people – especially in the current economic climate. Luckily, with Mejuri’s expansive range of products (with pieces starting at just £35) the brand promises to offer a luxury piece to every customer, no matter their budget.

And Mejuri is reinventing the meaning of fine jewellery. While traditionally unattainable brands such as Cartier and Tiffany & Co. once dominated the industry, now there’s a plethora of price points within the jewellery scene.

Sakkijha appreciates the jargon within the business can be confusing for customers looking to spend their money wisely. Thankfully she broke it down for us: “Fine jewellery is made using precious metals and stones, costume jewellery is made using alloys and demi-fine jewellery is a mix of the two,” the founder explains. “Fine jewellery is crafted with 10 to 18 karat gold, sterling silver, or platinum, which all of our pieces are.”

Many demi-fine techniques also use a process called flash plating, which is a very thin coating of gold, sometimes on non-precious metals, Sakkijha explains. However, at Mejuri the brand only uses 18 karat solid gold vermeil on pure sterling silver which is why the pieces are considered "fine" and last longer. “While gold-plated jewellery requires a little more care and you should avoid getting it wet, you’ll know if your piece is flash plated if it tarnishes quickly, even if you avoid the water,” the founder adds.

Mejuri is the perfect combination of luxury yet affordable, on-trend and timeless, and fashionable without being intimidating. This mixture of opposites to create the best of both worlds has also been replicated in the brand’s successful business strategy. After launching exclusively online, the jewellery label opened its first retail space in Toronto back in 2018. “We wanted to have a direct dialogue with our customers and get feedback from them in real time,” Sakkijha says.

So, what’s next for the celebrity-approved jewellery brand? Mejuri recently took the fashion world by storm when it collaborated with New York-based brand Luar on a three-piece collection including convertible hoops, delicate charms and a minimal bag featuring a jewellery pouch, no less.

“And we’re very excited about our introduction of more substantial pieces with relatively higher price points,” Sakkijha tells Red. After feedback from loyal customers the brand has expanded its portfolio to cater to even more women at various price points. We have no doubt followers of Mejuri will love it, and if the drops to come are anything like its core collections, we know we’ll be first in line to shop.

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