Kendra Scott

It's best understood as affordable, everyday fashion jewellery rather than investment-grade fine jewellery. Fans love the colour, the recognisable silhouettes and how wearable the pieces are, while critics note that plating can fade over time. If you want stylish pieces you'll rotate often and you treat them gently, most shoppers find the mid-range price fair.

Reviews are mixed, which is fair to say upfront. The brand spans fashion jewellery, fine jewellery, home accessories and beauty, and the fashion-jewellery plating wears faster than the fine-jewellery tiers. Caring for it well, keeping it dry and stored, goes a long way toward keeping the finish looking fresh.

A signature-shape pendant is the classic starting point because it's versatile and instantly recognisable, with the Elisa pendant and the hexagonal Danielle drop earrings among the most popular gateways into the brand. Pick the one that suits how you dress day to day, and the Color Bar lets you choose the stone yourself if you want something personal.

It's the brand's customisation experience, launched in 2010, where you mix and match metals and stones to build a piece your way. It became a signature part of the in-store and online identity, and the same concept powers the Kendra Cares Program, which brings the Color Bar to pediatric hospitals.

American designer Kendra Scott founded Kendra Scott LLC in 2002, designing her first collection with just $500 in the spare bedroom of her home, shortly after her oldest son was born. She has described walking store to store around Austin selling to local boutiques in those earliest days.

Austin, Texas, is home. Scott built the business there, opened her first retail store on Austin's South Congress Avenue in 2010, and launched her e-commerce business and the Color Bar the same year. The brand's Texas roots are central to its story.

Steady, store-by-store expansion plus a couple of pivotal breaks. An order from Nordstrom helped her survive the 2008 financial crisis, and she expanded across the South and Midwest while deliberately ignoring the New York and Los Angeles fashion elite. In 2016 she sold a minority stake to Berkshire Partners at a valuation of $1 billion.

No. She stepped down as CEO in February 2021 while keeping the Executive Chairwoman title, naming Tom Nolan as CEO at the time. As of January 2026, Chris Blakeslee was appointed CEO of Kendra Scott Design Inc., with Scott remaining as designer and executive chairwoman.

Quite a lot. Valued at over $1 billion, the brand encompasses fashion jewellery, fine jewellery, home accessories, nail lacquer and beauty products. It started as jewellery made from home in Austin and has broadened into a wider lifestyle range over the years.

Philanthropy is a defining part of the brand. Scott has a long history of supporting women's and children's causes, launched the Kendra Cares Program in 2015 to bring the Color Bar to pediatric hospitals, and in 2019 donated $1 million to the University of Texas to launch a women's entrepreneurial leadership institute. In 2026 she was named a CNBC Changemaker partly for that giving.

Because the fashion-jewellery plating can fade with rough use, treat pieces kindly: keep them away from water, perfume and lotion, put jewellery on last when getting ready, and store items separately so stones and metals don't scratch. That routine keeps colour and shine looking their best for far longer.