Lucardi Men's Jewellery Review: Shop vs Specialist
A high-street chain and an online specialist are not the same purchase. Here is what each one actually gives you, and how to tell which one your next chain should come from.
Lucardi Men's Jewellery
Lucardi is one of the names Dutch shoppers actually walk past. Stores across the country, a deep online catalogue, next-day delivery on weekday orders placed before 17:00, and a men's section that runs from earrings to wedding rings. For a lot of buyers it is the default, and for good reasons that are worth stating plainly before anything else.
This review looks at the men's range the way a buyer does: what you get from a chain with physical shops, what the product pages tell you about materials, and where an online specialist is the better fit. Disclosure up front: we run Monrich, so read the comparison knowing that. Everything below about Lucardi comes from their published pages at the time of writing.
As a reference while you read, our men's cuban chains collection is the category we specialise in.
The short verdict
Lucardi is the right choice when being able to walk into a shop matters more than a published specification. Trying a chain on, having a ring resized, getting ears pierced, collecting or returning in person: none of that has an online equivalent, and it is genuinely worth something.
Where a specialist pulls ahead is on the detail a broad catalogue rarely publishes. Lucardi's steel pieces are described as "goldplated" without a stated process or thickness. If you want to know how thick the gold layer is before you buy, and want that backed in writing, that is a different kind of purchase.
Who Lucardi is
Lucardi is a Dutch jewellery retailer selling both online and through physical shops, with a store finder on the site and services that only exist because those shops exist.
The men's section covers earrings, rings, necklaces, bracelets, pendants, watches, piercings, gift sets and wedding rings. Materials filter across stainless steel, silver, 9, 14 and 18 karat gold, titanium, leather, palladium and fabric. The men's necklace category alone lists 113 products, filtered by chain type: figaro, gourmet, koning and more.
Two services stand out because no online-only brand can match them: ear piercing in store, and ring resizing. If you have ever ordered a ring in the wrong size, you know what that is worth.
The men's range in practice
The catalogue is broad rather than deep in any one direction, which is exactly what a general retailer should be.
Entry prices start low. The site's own price filters run in bands from under 15 euro up to 100 euro and above, and the men's necklace listing opens with pieces from around 15 euro. At that end you are buying a look for a season, which is a legitimate thing to buy.
Higher up, the range moves into silver and real gold at 9, 14 and 18 karat. That is a genuinely different product from plated steel: solid precious metal, hallmarked, priced accordingly. If your budget reaches there and you want metal value rather than a finish, a retailer with a gold counter is the sensible route, and we would say so without hesitation.
The middle is where the questions live: goldplated stainless steel, priced between the two, described by finish rather than by specification.
What the product pages declare
This is the part worth reading slowly, and it is not unique to Lucardi. It is how most of the category writes product pages.
On the pages we reviewed, gold-toned steel pieces are described as "stainless steel goldplated". That tells you the base metal and the colour. It does not tell you the plating method, and it does not tell you the thickness.
Those two things decide how long a gold finish lasts. Standard electroplating and vapour-deposited PVD can look identical in a photograph on day one and behave very differently after six months of daily wear. Thickness is measured in microns, and without a number there is nothing to compare between two chains that photograph the same.
We did not find a published plating specification or a separate guarantee on the gold layer on the pages we looked at. That is an observation about what is published, not a claim about quality: plenty of unstated platings perform perfectly well. It simply means the comparison has to be made on something other than the spec.
The shop is the real advantage
It would be dishonest to write this article without giving the physical stores their full weight.
You can see the actual colour of a gold tone under real light rather than under studio lighting. You can hold a 4mm and a 6mm next to each other and understand instantly what the millimetres mean. You can get a ring sized on your finger instead of guessing from a paper strip. You can return something by handing it over rather than packing it.
For a first piece, for a gift you are unsure about, or for anything where sizing is the risk, that is a real advantage and it is the honest reason to choose a retailer with shops.
Delivery terms are straightforward too: weekday orders before 17:00 are advertised for next-day arrival, with a 14-day returns window stated on the site.
Lucardi vs Monrich
Different shapes of business, so the comparison is about what each one optimises for.
| Point | Lucardi | Monrich |
|---|---|---|
| Format | Retail chain plus webshop | Online specialist |
| Catalogue | Very broad: steel, silver, 9-18k gold, titanium, leather, watches | Narrow: cuban, tennis, rope, signets, ID bracelets |
| Try before buying | Yes, in store | No |
| Ring resizing | Yes, in store | No |
| Real gold and silver | Yes | No, plated steel only |
| Plating specification | Described as goldplated, process and thickness not published | 18K gold PVD, 1-2 microns stated on every product page |
| Written finish guarantee | None found on the pages reviewed | 12 months against tarnishing, in writing |
| Standing offer | Seasonal discounts | Permanent two for one |
Read that table honestly and it splits cleanly. Lucardi wins on breadth, on precious metal, and on everything that requires a counter and a person. We win on one narrow thing: telling you exactly what the gold layer is and standing behind it.
Which one is for you
Three questions settle it faster than any review.
Do you need to try it on or get it sized? Then go to a shop. This is not a close call, and no amount of online specification replaces a counter.
Do you want precious metal? Silver or real gold means a retailer with those ranges. We do not sell them and would rather say so than blur the line.
Do you want a gold-toned chain for everyday wear, and want to know what the finish is? That is where a published specification earns its keep: 316L stainless steel with an 18K gold PVD coating at a stated 1 to 2 microns, a written 12-month tarnish guarantee, and a permanent two for one. Showering, sweating and the gym are the normal case, not the exception.
If you are still deciding what to buy rather than where, our cuban link buying guide covers widths and lengths, and our Sem Lewis review looks at another Dutch name in the same bracket.
Frequently asked questions
Is Lucardi a reliable place to buy men's jewellery?
It is an established Dutch retailer selling online and through physical stores, with a store finder, in-store ear piercing and ring resizing, next-day delivery on weekday orders placed before 17:00 and a 14-day returns window stated on the site. The main thing to check yourself is the material description on the specific piece you want.
Is Lucardi jewellery real gold?
Both, depending on the piece. The range includes 9, 14 and 18 karat gold as well as silver, and separately a line of gold-toned stainless steel described as goldplated. Those are very different products at very different prices, so read the material line before comparing two items that look alike.
Does Lucardi say how thick the gold plating is?
On the pages we reviewed, gold-toned steel is described as goldplated without a stated process or micron thickness. That is normal across the category rather than specific to them, but it does mean you cannot compare the finish against a brand that publishes a number.
What is better, a jewellery chain store or an online specialist?
A chain store if you want to try pieces on, need a ring resized, want precious metal, or prefer returning in person. An online specialist if you want one narrow category done to a published specification with a written guarantee. Neither answer is right for everyone.
Can I wear plated steel in the shower and at the gym?
Depends on the coating. A dense PVD layer on 316L stainless steel is made for daily wear including water and sweat, which is why we state 1 to 2 microns on every piece and back it for 12 months. Where the process and thickness are not published, there is no way to know in advance, so treat it more carefully.
One category.
One published specification.
Cuban and tennis chains in 316L stainless steel with an 18K gold PVD coating, 1 to 2 microns stated on every product page. A written 12-month tarnish guarantee and a permanent two for one.
See the chains → Tracked delivery to the Netherlands / 30-day returns / 12-month guarantee
