When it comes to heart-shaped jewelry, there are two kinds of people: those who love it and those who don’t — yet. It’s understandable that some people might find the shape (if not the sentiment) a bit saccharine, too closely associated with all things pink and red and mass-produced, plus capital-R romance!
The thing is, not all heart jewelry is equal. The category includes Elsa Peretti’s swooping organic forms, antique love locks and even anatomically correct versions. Peruse these 14 jewels, and just try not to feel the love.
Victorian Heart-Lock Curb-Link Bracelet
This gold bracelet may be more than 100 years old, but its chunky curb-link style still feels fresh. The heart-shaped lock has a snap clasp, so you don’t need the tiny key to open it (though it’s a nice touch).
VANLELES Ruby Heart-Shaped Earrings
These ruby-encrusted earrings are part of a collection that VANLELES Diamonds founder Vania Leles considers her love letter to Africa. The London-based Leles, who hails from Guinea-Bissau, in West Africa, told Introspective that she sources her rubies from Mozambique.
Tiffany & Co. Puffy Heart Pin/Pendant
It’s hard to tell whether this textured gold “puffy” heart is supposed to be covered in leaves or feathers. Either way, the 1960s Tiffany & Co. piece represents a delightfully quirky take on a classic form. Bonus: You can either wear it as a pendant or fold the bail down and pin it on as a brooch.
Carrera y Carrera Hand Earrings
“Heart in hand” is more than an idiom with these vintage earrings, each composed of a diamond-cuffed gold hand holding a heart-shaped ruby.
Bulgari Serpenti Tubogas Bracelet with Heart-Shaped Peridot
Bulgari’s iconic Sepenti collection might not be stereotypically romantic, but the cabochon peridot mounted on this yellow-gold Tubogas bracelet adds a subtle sweetness to the eternally edgy design.
Coral Heart Pendant
This heart was hand-carved in Torre del Greco, a town near Naples, Italy, noted for its corals and cameos. The sizable (more than 2.5 inches high and 2 inches wide) pendant’s gold bail is set with brilliant-cut diamonds.
Five Star Jewelry Love-Lock Stud Earrings
These dainty and utterly wearable heart-shaped gold studs, each with a keyhole in the center, are great on their own or as part of a curated ear look.
Victorian Diamond Heart Ring
Its proportions and rounded contours soften the heart shape of this circa 1899 ring. In fact, given that it’s set with 18 transitional and old European–cut diamonds, you could be forgiven for not noticing the shape at all.
Yellow-Gold Double-Heart Cuff
Although this cuff seems to be composed of abstract forms, it actually comprises two asymmetrical hearts made of gold beads, for a couscous-like texture.
Heart-Shaped Citrine Earrings
With its golden tone, citrine seems to exude warmth, which makes it a fitting stone for this pair of heart-shaped drop earrings dating to the turn of the 20th century.
Tom Ford for Yves Saint Laurent Anatomical Crystal Heart Pendant Necklace
Of course, Tom Ford could take an anatomical heart shape, render it in crystals and make it fashion. He sent this pendant, suspended from a black velvet ribbon, down the runway in his Spring/Summer 2003 ready-to-wear show for Yves Saint Laurent, worn by a model with smoky eyes in a black dress with sheer details. The effect was a little bit goth, a little bit glam.
Elsa Peretti for Tiffany & Co. Open Heart Ring
Elsa Peretti is justly considered a visionary, and her talent for reimagining everyday shapes and objects is evident in her many heart designs for Tiffany & Co., like this gold ring. Sinuous and asymmetrical, with an open band, it is beautifully imperfect — not unlike love itself.
Van Cleef & Arpels Sweet Alhambra Heart Bracelet
The quatrefoil shape of the iconic Van Cleef & Arpels Alhambra collection gets the most attention. But this dainty heart-shaped version, in deep-red carnelian (considered a lucky stone), is like a little bit of love you can wear every day, whether alone or stacked with other bracelets.
Syna Love Letter Pendant
So technically, it’s not heart shaped, but this sweet little pendant is in the form of an 18-karat-gold envelope that clicks open at its champagne-diamond seal to reveal a “love letter” with a heart on the front, which can be engraved with a romantic sentiment.
