Every brand we carry at Noah's earns its place in the case, and adding a new one is something we think about carefully. Gabriel & Co. is one of the newest names in our showroom, and I'm genuinely excited about it. I want to tell you why.
It comes down to what happens when you pick the pieces up. The weight feels right. The finishing on the gold beads is even. Bangles that are meant to flex do so smoothly, and the ones that are meant to hold their shape do exactly that. Those are the details I look for after years of handling fine jewelry, and they're what made me want Gabriel & Co. in the store.
This fall's new arrivals just landed in our showroom, and they're a good cross-section of what Gabriel & Co. does well. There are four new bangles from the Bujukan collection, a matching floral set in two-tone gold, three rings that are built for stacking, and two pairs of earrings that I think will be the first things to go.
What follows is my walk through all of them: who makes them, what makes the Bujukan line different, and how I'd wear each piece. If you'd rather just come see them, I won't be offended. That's really the point.
Who Is Gabriel & Co.?
Gabriel & Co. is a family company, and that matters more to me than any award. The Gabriel family's story begins in Lebanon, where brothers Jack and Dominick learned the trade at the bench as apprentices to their father, Elias Gabriel, a master jeweler. The family came to the United States in 1983, during the civil war, and rebuilt the business here. By 1987 both brothers were working in their father's store, and in 1989 they founded Gabriel & Co. in New York.
The division of labor between them is easy to see in the product. Dominick is the designer, and he still leads the creative side as Chief Design Officer. Jack is the engineer, and his focus is on how a piece is built and how it holds up. You need both. A beautiful bangle that bends out of shape in six months isn't beautiful for long.
Over more than 35 years, Gabriel & Co. has grown into one of the most widely carried fine jewelry brands among independent jewelers in this country. It has repeatedly been named the best-performing brand in INSTORE magazine's Big Survey of independent U.S. jewelers. I take surveys with a grain of salt, but this one is a vote by people like me, the jewelers who see what customers actually come back for.
The company is best known for bridal, and its engagement rings are everywhere. But it's the fashion side of the catalog, the everyday fine jewelry, that convinced me. That's where these new arrivals come from.
The Bujukan Collection, Explained
If you know one Gabriel & Co. collection, it's probably Bujukan, even if you don't know the name. It's the one built around polished gold spheres: rows of small, perfectly round beads, often broken up by clusters of diamonds.
The name is Balinese. Gabriel says it comes from the word for persuasion, which is a nice way to describe how the collection works: nothing about it shouts, and the beads catch light in a soft, even way that draws you in. The idea came from Dominick Gabriel's fascination with the sphere. He has compared the collection to the domes of great cathedrals, which feel powerful without overwhelming you. It's a lofty comparison for a bracelet, but I understand it. A sphere is the simplest shape there is, and repeating it in gold gives you something that feels both orderly and alive.
Bracelets have always been the heart of Bujukan. When INSTORE covered the collection in 2019, they noted that bangles dominated it and that the whole thing was designed to be stacked and mixed. Gabriel even built a dedicated bracelet sizing kit for retailers, because a bangle that's the wrong size is a bangle that stays in a drawer.
Over the years the collection has grown to include rings, earrings and necklaces, in yellow, white and rose gold. Lately the design team has been pushing it in new directions. Some of the newer pieces add sharper elements, little gold spikes and studs, alongside the classic beads. You'll see it on the new bypass bangle below, and the same spiky edge carries over to a new pair of hoops. It gives Bujukan a slightly harder edge, and I think it works.
The New Bujukan Bangles
Four new Bujukan bangles came in this season, and each takes a different approach to the same idea. The first is the Beaded Chevron Bangle, the most formal of the four and the one I'd hand to someone who says they "don't usually wear bracelets." It's a closed bangle in 14K yellow gold, with beads and diamonds arranged in a chevron, a row of V shapes running around the wrist. The chevron gives it a sense of direction. Bujukan beads on their own can read as soft and round, but set in a V they look tailored, almost architectural. It works with a blazer as easily as with a sweater.
The Spike and Diamond Bypass Bangle is the one that surprised me. It mixes white and yellow gold, and instead of closing into a circle, its two ends pass by each other on top of the wrist. Along with the beads and diamonds, it has small gold spikes. On paper, spikes and Bujukan beads shouldn't go together, but in person they balance each other. The beads keep it from feeling aggressive, and the spikes keep it from feeling sweet. The two-tone gold lets it sit next to either metal, so it's easy to add to a stack you already own.
The Beaded Snake Wrap Bangle is 14K yellow gold, with beads and diamonds wound around the wrist in a coil, the way a snake wraps a branch. Serpent jewelry goes back thousands of years, to Egypt and Rome, and it's been in and out of fashion ever since. Right now it's very much in. What I like about this version is that Gabriel didn't make it literal. It's still clearly Bujukan, but the wrapped shape gives it movement. It looks good on its own, and it's the piece I'd build a stack around.
The last of the four is a yellow gold cuff with Bujukan beads, diamonds and a horseshoe motif. The horseshoe is one of the oldest good-luck symbols there is, which makes this an obvious gift for a milestone: a new job, a graduation, a new house. As a cuff, it slips on from the side of the wrist rather than over the hand, which is a real advantage if you've ever wrestled a closed bangle over your knuckles. It also means the horseshoe sits right on top, where it's meant to be seen.
The Floral Set: Studs, Signet Ring and Pendant
Not everything new this season is Bujukan. Gabriel also sent us a three-piece floral group: stud earrings, a signet ring and a pendant necklace, all in white and yellow gold with diamonds and all sharing the same flower design. Floral jewelry is a balancing act. Too many petals and it looks like costume jewelry; too few and it's just a cluster of stones. These land in the right place. The flower reads clearly from across a room, and up close it's crisp and well-proportioned.
The two-tone gold is a smart choice here. White gold flatters diamonds, and yellow gold gives the piece warmth. It also makes the set easy to wear with whatever else you own. You don't have to decide whether you're a "yellow gold person" or a "white gold person."
The Floral Stud Earrings are the easiest entry point: small enough for every day and polished enough for an evening out. When someone asks me for a first piece of fine jewelry, diamond studs are usually my answer, and these add a little personality to a classic. The Floral Signet Ring is the most interesting of the three. Signet rings were once pressed into wax to seal letters, and for most of their history they belonged to men. Over the last few years they've become one of the most popular styles for women, too. This one swaps the usual flat, engraved face for the diamond flower, so you get the substantial shape of a signet with something softer on top.
The Floral Pendant Necklace carries the same flower on a chain. It's a good layering piece, and it's the natural next step if someone already has the studs. Wear all three together and you have a set. Wear any one of them and it holds its own.
The New Rings: Built to Stack
The three new rings are different from one another, but they have one thing in common: each was designed to be worn with other rings. That's how most people wear rings now, and I think Gabriel understands it better than most brands.
The Marquise Easy Stackable Ring is a slim yellow gold band set with marquise-cut diamonds. The marquise is the long, pointed oval, a cut said to date back to the court of Louis XV. Its length makes a finger look longer, and its pointed ends give a band a sense of movement that round stones can't. Gabriel calls this one "easy stackable," and the name fits. It's thin enough to sit next to an engagement ring or wedding band without crowding it, with enough sparkle to stand on its own. If you're starting a stack from nothing, start here.
The Bujukan Diamond Wrap Ring brings the Bujukan beads to your finger in white and yellow gold. A wrap ring curves around the finger instead of forming a simple circle, so it looks like two rings even though it's one. That's what makes it so useful. You get the look of a stack in a single piece, which is ideal if you want a fuller hand without collecting five rings. The mix of beads, diamonds and two metals gives it a lot of texture for its size.
The Bujukan Wide Band X Ring is the boldest of the three: a wide band in 14K yellow gold, with beads and diamonds forming an X across the top. A crossover design like this has an old-school feel, almost like a monogram, but the beads make it current. Because it's wide, it doesn't need help. I'd wear it alone on the index or middle finger, or pair it with the marquise band on the next finger over. The contrast between the wide gold X and the thin line of diamonds is exactly what makes a stack look intentional.
The New Earrings: Huggies and J-Hoops
If I had to bet on which of these new arrivals sells out first, I'd pick one of the two pairs of earrings. Hoops never really go out of style, but the way people wear them has changed. Smaller, closer to the ear, and often more than one pair at a time.
The Bujukan Pavé Huggie Earrings are small hoops that sit snugly against the earlobe, hugging it, hence the name. They're in white and yellow gold, with Bujukan beads and pavé diamonds, meaning the stones are set so close together the surface looks paved. This is the kind of earring you put on in the morning and forget about. It's comfortable enough to wear all day and dressy enough that you never feel underdressed. If you have more than one piercing, huggies are the obvious choice for the second or third hole, and they're the most natural way into Bujukan for someone who isn't sure about a bangle.
The Spike Graduating Diamond J-Hoops are exactly what they sound like. Instead of a full circle, each earring curves from the front of the lobe, down and around, in the shape of a J. From the front it looks like a hoop, but it's lighter and simpler to put on. These are 14K yellow gold, with diamonds that graduate from small at the top to larger at the bottom, plus the same gold spikes as the bypass bangle. The graduation draws the eye downward, and the spikes give them attitude. Wear them with the bypass bangle and you have a coordinated look that doesn't feel matchy.
How I'd Wear Them
The best thing about this group of new arrivals is how well the pieces work together. Gabriel designs with stacking in mind, and once you've seen a few combinations, it's hard to go back to wearing one bracelet at a time. Here's how I'd approach it.
Start with one anchor piece. Every stack needs a center of gravity, and on the wrist that's usually the boldest bangle; the snake wrap or the chevron bangle are both good candidates. Build out from there rather than piling on pieces of equal weight. Then mix shapes, not just metals. People worry about pairing yellow and white gold, but metals are the easy part, and the two-tone pieces here bridge the gap anyway. What makes a stack interesting is contrast in shape and width: a closed bangle with an open one, a cuff with something round, the wide X ring next to the slim marquise band.
Give the stack room to breathe. Three or four bangles on one wrist is plenty for most people. Gold is soft, so bangles that knock together all day will pick up fine marks; some people like that lived-in look, and a professional polish takes care of it for everyone else. It also helps to let one area lead. If your wrist is full, keep your ears simple with the huggies. If you're wearing the J-hoops and the floral pendant, a single bangle is enough. The goal is for people to notice the jewelry without being able to count every piece.
Finally, build over time. A stack doesn't have to be bought all at once. The Bujukan pieces are designed to work together, so a bangle bought for a birthday this year will still make sense next to one bought for an anniversary five years from now. Almost all of these pieces cross over between everyday and dressed up: the studs, huggies and marquise band are true daily wear, and the bangles and X ring go to the office as easily as to dinner. With the holidays coming, I'd put the horseshoe cuff, the floral studs and the huggies at the top of any gift list.
Quality, Authenticity and Care
When I bring a brand into the store, I'm putting my name next to it. So before we took on Gabriel & Co., I wanted to know how the pieces are made and what stands behind them.
The materials. The new arrivals are in 14K gold, which I think is the right choice for jewelry you wear every day. It's harder than 18K, so it holds up better to daily knocks, and it still has a rich color. On the pieces whose details I've checked, Gabriel lists natural diamonds that are GIA-verified, with an average clarity of SI or better and near-colorless color. That's a sensible standard for fashion jewelry. It gives you real sparkle without paying for grades your eye can't see in a small stone.
The paperwork and the Authenticity Mark. Gabriel jewelry comes with a certificate of authenticity and a unique serial number, which helps with insurance and with any future warranty work. There's also something new I find clever. Every gold Bujukan bangle now carries what Gabriel calls the Gabriel Mark, a small seal that looks black in normal light but glows with the Gabriel logo under ultraviolet light. Bujukan is popular enough to be copied, and this gives you a simple way to know yours is the real thing.
Taking care of it. Fine jewelry needs a little maintenance, and the basics are simple. We're also happy to inspect and clean your pieces for you; it takes a few minutes, and it's the easiest way to make sure a piece you love stays that way.
- Store pieces separately, so diamonds don't scratch gold.
- Take your jewelry off before swimming, working out or cleaning with chemicals.
- Clean it gently at home with warm water, mild soap and a soft brush or cloth.
- Bring it in so we can check the settings from time to time. Diamonds on a bangle take more knocks than you'd think.
- White gold benefits from a professional polish now and then to restore its brightness.
Come See Them in Person
I can describe a bangle all day, but jewelry is physical. You have to feel how a Bujukan bangle sits on your wrist, how the beads catch the light when you move, and how a ring looks next to the ones you already wear. Photos only get you part of the way there.
All of the pieces in this article are in our showroom now. Come in, try them on, stack them however you like, and ask us anything. If you're shopping for someone else, tell us a little about what they already wear and we'll help you find the right fit. And if you see something on Gabriel's site that we don't have in the case, ask. We can often get it for you.
Gabriel & Co. may be one of the newest names at Noah's, but after spending time with these pieces, I don't think it will feel new for long.
