Plug the word necklaces into the Etsy search box and you’re greeted with no fewer than 7,169,991 results. That’s a lot of Etsy necklaces to sort through! Spend a mere second on each and you’ll miss the next 83 days of your life.
So we did the clicking, browsing, and investigating for you. Only the very best, most delightful, most exquisite, most playful, and most affordable Etsy necklaces made our gift list for this year. Whether it’s made of sterling silver, rose gold, or dried wildflowers, each necklace is handmade by a designer that’s probably new to you.
The best part is that Etsy makes it easy for you to buy directly from the maker, usually at a significant discount to full retail pricing. Whether you’re buying a gift for your mom, girlfriend, wife, or secret sweetie, you’re sure to find something new and delightful on this list!
Etsy Necklaces: Our Top Picks for 2023
Rachel Pfeffer Designs
Our Necklace Picks: Pizza Slices, Druzy Saturns, Honeycomb & Bee, Pretzels
Why We Love ‘Em: It’s always refreshing to see familiar themes in completely unexpected places. Nothing says playful and approachable like a slice of pizza or a pretzel dangling from your neck.
The recycled silver and bronze pizza slices give a nod to that greasy 2AM slice from the night before. It’s also available in a sparkly ruby edition for true pepperoni lovers. And the honeycomb/bee combo really shows off the rustic beauty of sterling silver when hammered by hand.
Designer: Rachel Pfeffer | Washington DC
Favorite Materials: Bronze, sterling silver, druzy stones, topaz, opals, crystals
Geschmeide Unter Teck
Our Necklace Picks: Dandelion Blossom Pendant, Daisy Blossom Necklace
Why We Love ‘Em: Step one of the maker’s process? “Gather daisy in the garden.” Each flower is carefully picked and exquisitely dried before suspended in polished resin. Of course each necklace is a little bit unique, just like every flower on Earth. Stop and smell the daisies whenever you want!
Designer: Isabell | Germany
Favorite Materials: Fresh picked flowers, resin, sterling silver
Tanith
Our Necklace Picks: Brass Auto Lightbulb, Blue Light Special
Why We Love ‘Em: In Tanith’s capable hands, specialty lightbulbs and other tiny mechanical objects become surprisingly unique necklaces. It’s fun to imagine all the moments, now lost to the past, in which the lightbulb hanging around your neck surged with electricity and lit up.
Designer: Tanith Rohe | San Francisco, CA
Favorite Materials: Copper wire, old lightbulbs, other up-cycled materials
GLDN / Layered and Long
Our Necklace Picks: Moon Phase Necklaces, Tiny Skulls
Why We Love ‘Em: These ever-so-dainty designs are lightweight and very reasonably priced. You can pick up the Moon Phase Necklaces in waxing, waning, and full. Then wear the one that most closely matches the current phase of the moon. And while most skull necklaces come off a bit macabre, these almost seem cute.
Designer: Chrissy Lavdovsky | La Conner, WA
Favorite Materials: Sterling silver, gold fill
Custom Book of Favorite Recipes
Our Necklace Picks: Concrete with Dried Moss, Summer Baby’s Breath, Black Sea Amber, Climbing Tree Frog
Why We Love ‘Em: Plenty of folks on Etsy are using dried flowers and other natural ingredients, but Villa Sorgenfrei’s designs are among the best executed. The colors really pop and the glass is thick enough to ensure you stay dry. Claudia and Dirk do most of the making and packaging from their workshop in Berlin, with a small team of helpers. It’s a classic Etsy success story!
Designer: Claudia Poepsel | Berlin, Germany
Favorite Materials: Glass, water, sea water, dried flowers/leaves/moss, stones and minerals
The Pendant Emporium
Our Necklace Pick: Vintage Map Pendants
Why We Love ‘Em: Sherry and Dan (mother and son) are true vintage ephemera experts. You’re more than likely to find a stock design that meets your geographical or literary preferences, but if not, they’ll do one up custom for you in 2-3 days. We particularly love some of the vintage map pendants that feature national parks, entire continents, or islands surrounded by bright blue ocean!
Designer: Sherry & Dan | Hardy, AR
Favorite Materials: Vintage paper, plated silver, antique bronze, epoxy resin
Silk Purse Sow’s Ear
Our Necklace Picks: Envelope Locket, Botanical Locket
Why We Love ‘Em: If you’re looking for affordably creative Scottish jewelry (and, let’s face it, who isn’t these days?), Silk Purse Sows Ear is far and away the best choice. Eilidh’s designs are sometimes quirky, often surprising, and always unique. And we just love the milky turquoise seas of these vintage globe lockets.
Designer: Eilidh Strang | Edinburgh, UK
Favorite Materials: Vintage brass, copper, enamel
Still looking for unique Etsy necklaces?
Like we said before, there are more than 7 million necklaces for sale on Etsy, and nearly 26 million jewelry listings in total! The perfect gift for that impossible to shop for woman is surely lurking in there somewhere.
If none of our 18 Etsy necklaces catches your eye, then we suggest exploring these other fabulous Etsy jewelry best-of-lists: