Sometimes when you walk into the bigger department stores, the jewellery section seems well past…read moreits used by date. Also, there seems to be a cheapness to it, for a not so cheap price. Adorne gets high marks with me because it not only focusses on one thing - female accessories and does it well, it has handbags and clutch purses to match all the jewellery in the store. The items seem very good quality, like they will hold together through a cat fight at the clubs (although i'm yet to test this theory out). The items seem clean, seamlessly fancy and cool retro at the same time. You have your glass beads, your plastic beads, your fancy navajo indian styles, the city chic styles... themes like 'colour me coral' and 'silent night' and 'watermark' make it sounds like an Enya album but they aren't! The beaded necklaces are very stylish and trust me on this one, you'll be able to find something to go with that new dress you bought to go out tonight with. The good thing - the price isn't up there so it's affordable too. No more department store jewellery for everyone!

Adorne is a gorgeous store filled with pretty things for us 'women'. Note how I refer to 'women',…read moreas opposed to just 'girls'. It tailors to a more sophisticated clientele. Fashion conscious but who aren't too fussed on fads. Not to say that the items here wouldn't suit a younger crowd, because they are quite fashionable here, but it is of a better better quality to most. The vibe of the store is trendy and chic, whilst maintaing a casual atmosphere. For a woman, it is so easy to get carried away in here. On every wall are the endless possibilities of the next accessories for work, parties, functions and dinners. Their prices are moderate and the quality is great which makes this place a winner in my eyes.

Oh my, this is the most beautiful jewellery store I've ever seen. It probably helped a lot that my…read morevisit was at the beginning of December, so those trees laden with sparkling crystals in the window may have been in honour of Christmas and there's a fair chance the store doesn't look quite so enticing all year round. Still, it's location in a charming little building and the cosy room filled with cabinets combine to make a very alluring picture to innocent pedestrians. Their jewellery is absolutely gorgeous and they have a huge range. The service is also fantastic; when I called to verify the opening hours I was told that if I can't make it within their set hours, I should just call and they will stay a little later. It's a bit more pricey than your run of the mill Wallace Bishop type place, but it's obvious this is a high quality store and the extra zeros are worth it.

Fiera Jewellery is great little jewellery and gift store that started here in Brisbane with just…read moreone store in Ascot. They've now expanded all across Brisbane. The Bulimba store is on a busy section of Oxford Street and stocks some really stylish and kind of quirky items. I picked up some wooden earrings for only $9.95 - red, black or cream pieces of wood carved into cute designs (birds in bird cage, birds on a brand, chandeliers, intricate patterns). They also stock Thomas Sabo sterling silver jewellery and charms. These charms are the latest craze, but these ones are much cheaper than Pandora ones and they have some more alternative styles of charms. Fiera also stocks MOR products - I love the flavours of their products. The Tonka Bean Musk hand cream smells so good!

The best thing about Fiera is also the disappointing thing. When I go jewellery shopping, I want to…read moresee the outrageously expensive diamond rings that I can't afford but can happily dream about as I gaze at them fondly through locked glass cabinets. While Fiera has some upmarket pieces, most of the jewellery is fortunately within my price range. Lots of silver trinkets and some cute wooden earrings. The gift range is really nice. A lot of the decorative silver bowls look suspiciously like big silver bracelets. Subliminal messages perhaps?

This boutique is probably the smallest boutique in the shopping centre, but don't let its size fool…read moreyou, it has an very extensive range of silver jewellery on offer. The silversmith do not sell the cheap silver coated jewellery you will find at stores like Goldmark, everything sold at the Silversmith is handcrafted fine jewellery. I first noticed this store back when I began a fascination with charm bracelets (the original style, not the "Pandora" or "Italian charms". At the front of the Silversmith store's display was a huge array of silver charms. I actually ended up getting overwhelmed because there were too many to choose from. The store offers way more than just charms; once you step inside the 2 meter-long store you will notice all types of jewellery- rings, brooches, necklaces, pendants- all made of silver, of course. I would recommend this store over the cheap chain jewellery stores any day. Silver is timeless, as are the pieces sold at Silversmith.

The staff at Showcase Jewellers are very nice. They helped me find a present for my mother last…read moremothers day. A beautiful pendant with matching bracelet. She adored it. I couldn't have made my mind up if it wasn't for the friendly and helpful service I received here at Showcase Jewellers. They sell some of my favourite jewellery brands including Pandora and Thomas Sabo. If you are like me and a fan of both these labels, you must check this Showcase Jewellers in Mt Ommaney as not all Showcase Jewellers sell/ stock the same jewellery.

The Collective is a little gem of a store, with beautiful treasures for those looking for a unique…read moreor hand made gift. It definitely has a style of it's own and possibly will not appeal to anyone looking for new and modern, although there is some merit in combining vintage with modern. They have clothing, toys, vinyl, knitted items and much more. Definitely worth a look. I noticed a gorgeous hand made wooden fawn yesterday, so precious!

The Collective is all things good about people power. I love that this fairly altruistic venture…read moreprovides an outlet for lots of talented, crafty people to showcase their creations and maybe make a dollar or two. A stroll through this shop has me wanting; the prices aren't always cheap but there's a lot of work in handcrafted goods. From dolls to clothes, and woodwork to toys, there are treasures here. It's the kind of place that's always good for finding a gift for someone near and dear, though not so much for the guys.

When I need a fix, I nip into Diva. And I don't mean anything, ahem, of a "seedy" nature. I'm the…read moretype of person who always likes to buy myself a little treat most times I go shopping and if I'm skint, then it's here I go to indulge my overwhelming desire to buy something. Anything. It's so cheap, I can emerge within 5 minutes with a nice new piece of finger bling for under $10 (or often $5 if it's sale season). Word of warning - you get what you pay for, and it tends to fall apart (well the stuff I've purchased has!) but you'll definitely get a handful of wears out of most things. My Mum also loves shopping here for earrings (in my opinion, it's probably the thing they do best) because she doesn't have pierced ears. You just buy a little clip-on attachment, and the lovely shop assistants will convert pierced earrings into clip-ons for free while you wait. Oh, another little tip. If you're put off buying really cheap jewellery because it makes your skin go green or black (like mine does!) - I've got the solution. If it's a ring, for instance, just paint around it on the inside with some clear nail varnish and hey presto, no tell-tale black marks (and reapply the nail polish monthly). Ladies, I'm speaking from experience...

This large-ish Diva store isn't the chain's strongest one. Though there is quite a large range of…read morejewellery here (mostly earrings), the quality of this costume jewellery is a bit more clunky and too cheap-looking for my liking. Of course said jewellery is very cheap to begin with, and you can usually find a few diamonds amongst the rough here. Therefore, usually when I walk in I find myself walking out with one item, usually costing less than $10. However, if you're looking for a cheap costume jewellery and hair accessories store of decent range and quality, the Diva outlet at Chermside Westfield Shopping Centre gets a tick in all boxes. For some reason Diva's range and quality at the Chermside store is above that of all other Brisbane stores, like they're hording the best away from us inner-city dwellers. Busted, Diva.

Every now and then you come across a nice jewellery store inside a shopping centre. This is one of…read morethose times. The dark timber used throughout the shop sets off the glass cabinets full of artfully displayed necklaces, earrings, and any other adornment you can think of. Everything is displayed beautifully; each item has been placed carefully in odd positions to keep things interesting, while beautiful flowers have been used to add a little extra something. It's not a very big shop, but they've got lovely stuff and when you're inside you forget you're in a bustling shopping centre.