Those broken-heart best friend necklaces included, any jewellery that celebrates friendship seems to come with a kitschy reputation. Also featuring in said category: those friendship bracelets we spent our teen years tying onto our wrists and chunky, childhood friendship rings.
You may have moved on from the aesthetic, but the sentiment of cementing a bond with a friendship necklace still remains strong. Why wouldn't you want to shout about a brilliant friend or treat a pal who has been there for you during tough times? Exactly. Luckily, our childhood favourite best friend necklaces have had a seriously grown-up glow-up for the new season courtesy of Kendall Jenner and Bella Hadid-approved Monica Vinader, tarnish-free and Instagram-adored jewellery brand Hey Harper and Kate Hudson's favourite LA-based jeweler Jennifer Meyer.
Today, best friend necklaces come in 18ct gold vermeil or sterling silver, instead of the more dubious designs we picked up back in the day. There are even scatterings of diamonds or precious gems adorning these pendants for those really deserving friends.
For galentines gifts, or just because, hearts are an understandably iconic choice. Whether teeny, tiny tokens that you can buy two of, or interlinking designs that focus on knots and twists, we're pleased to see that there is more choice that just the broken heart design. It's a classic for a reason, but we do love options.
One of the best updated best friend necklaces we've seen is Monica Vinader's cult Togetherness design. Utilising recycled gold also makes it a sustainable choice and, if you're wondering, gold vermeil is a process that layers on five times more gold than standard gold plating for a really thick finish. The resulting texture is satin-soft and smooth, making for a super-comfortable feeling against your skin.
What happens if you have more than one best friend? A multi-charm necklace, like this gold plated necklace from Abbott Lyon, allows you to gift a charm pendant to a two friends. Or you could opt for a budget version, like ASOS's broken heart necklace, and buy several, sharing them out among for your whole girl gang.
Layered necklaces - the kind that come in a set of two - are also a clever idea to share with your friends and follow the ‘one for you, one for me’ methodology. Although current high-fashion jewellery trends are all about big, bold, statement designs, the most enduring best friend necklaces are more timeless. Delicate chains, pearls and smaller gem stones take centre stage in the prettiest designs, which make them all the likely to last forever, just like your friendship. Awwww.
If these best friend necklaces have inspired you to make a matching set with your BFF, we've also found the best friendship bracelets and for more ideas for BFF gifts, check out our guides to the best Galentine's Day gifts. If you're shopping for a significant other, we found 51 gifts for girlfriends that are bound to impress plus check out the Valentines Day gifts the GLAMOUR editors are all dropping hints for…
Read more from Glamour UK Fashion Director at large Alex Fullerton here or follow her on Instagram @alexandrafullerton
