The Best Gifts That Are Actually Worth The Splurge
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The art of gift giving is rarely as straightforward as clicking “Add to Bag” on someone’s wishlist and making sure it’s wrapped and ready in time. At the core, gift giving is a way to communicate that we care — remembering an occasion and honoring it with a material item is a time-honored gesture for a reason. It’s why we keep handmade ornaments and sentimental trinkets for decades, stored and cared for like the precious objects that they are.
But sometimes, an occasion might inspire us to make this gesture a bit more, shall we say, grand. And while no one could convince us of a correlation between price point and depth of emotion, we can definitely all agree on one thing: If we are going to spend top dollar on a gift for someone we love, we want to know we’re getting our money’s worth.
If there’s anyone on your list who makes you really want to splurge, here are this year’s top picks for your grand gesture — with our editors’ enthusiastic endorsements that every one of them is more than worth it.
Looking for more? The perfect gift could be on one of our other lists! Check out our sustainable gift guide for men,our minimalist gift guide, and our sleep gift guide, for starters! And remember, it’s not always about the price tag — so go here for our top gifts under $50. Happy gifting! 🎁✨
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1. Brilliant Earth
Best For | The ethical jewelry lover
Price | $95–$75,000
Call it what you will, but when we think about splurging for something truly special, we think jewels. And Brilliant Earth is our go-to for luxury jewelry with ethics we can get behind. Dedicated to responsible sourcing, we love their dedication to total transparency on the provenance for all precious metals and gemstones used in their pieces. They also set and meet ambitious sustainability targets to reduce their own environmental impact while raising the bar on industry standards. They manage all this while still producing some of the most gorgeous designs out there that any jewelry lover would appreciate — like the Blake Curb Chain (starting at $1,450) that is perfect for layering or holding the spotlight on its own, and the Alisha Diamond Huggies ($1,450) that feature 20 round lab-grown diamonds.
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2. Eight Sleep System
Best For | Sleep science aficionados
Price | $2,899+
For the sort of sleep support that goes well beyond a warm cup of milk and banning blue light from the bedroom, Eight Sleep is leading innovations in luxury sleep tech. Their sixth generation sleep system Pod 6 is their smallest hub yet, fitting under most bedframes. Paired with the intelligent mattress cover, it responds to biometric sensors to provide fast temperature relief to both the right and left side of the bed — which means if a couple sharing a bed gets night chills on one side and sweats on the other, the Pod 6 is meeting both individual’s needs at the same time. With an app that makes personalization easy and nuanced, and accessories that help address everything from snoring to back support, this gift is the — dare we say it? — dream.
3. MadeIn Cookware Sets
Best For | The serious home chef
Price | Sets start at $258
Home cooks don’t need every bell and whistle for a professional quality kitchen — they just need MadeIn. The brand trusted by chefs and restaurant all over the world makes the sort of workhorse cookware that would make any serious home chef drool. Browse their stainless steel line for the best overall pots and pans, seasoned carbon steel for the high-heat lovers, or the Italian-made CeramiClad® for a sustainable non-stick that blows the competition out of the water. Not only does MadeIn bring high performance to the table, they also nail it on design, with beautiful mixed metal details and colored ceramic accents that make their pieces really pop. Style and substance? Yes, chef.
4. Naturepedic Organic Pillows
Best For | The gift of better sleep
Price | $139+
Naturepedic is one of our all-time favorite sleep brands, frequently making the cut for mattresses, bedding, and more. The brand is serious about creating quality sleep support from the best non-toxic materials — and they’ve got the certifications to back it up. You can’t go wrong with their catalog, but if we had to choose one item for a showstopping gift, it’s gotta be one of their pillows. Our fave? The Organic Wool Pillow is naturally hypoallergenic and temperature-regulating — ideal for anyone who tends to flip their pillow all night, constantly seeking the cooler side. Medium-firm with a removable cover, the gentle lift is perfect for back and side sleepers alike! (Psst: Can’t go wrong with their Adjustable Organic Latex Pillow, either — in case they might prefer to adjust their pillow’s firmness themselves!)
5. NordicTrack Reformer
Best For | The Pilates enthusiast
Price | $4,999.99
NordicTrack Ultra 1 Reformer is the luxury gift for the Pilates lover, bringing the studio directly into their home. The thoughtfully designed machine comes ready-to-use with minimal setup needed. With the iFit app and subscription, users can access thousands of classes on-demand, with the generously sized pivoting touch screen. Our editor recently tested it for a review and was able to take her first class within minutes of setting up! When it comes to bang for your buck, this machine takes the cake — serious Pilates students find themselves shelling out hundreds of dollars each month to attend studio classes, not to mention investing in the time and effort for travel and accommodating the studio schedule. The Ultra 1 Reformer lets users build their practice on their terms, with a cost-per-use ratio that saves them tons in money, time, and hassle.
6. Plunge Air
Best For | The bathhouse regular
Price | $5,490+
Health and wellness nut who doesn’t want to sacrifice home design? Enter Plunge Air. Reap all the benefits of a cold plunge without committing to the footprint. This brilliant design inflates in less than 15 minutes and comes with the pump, cover lid, and a carry pack. It’s lightweight yet sturdy, UV-resistant, and fully insulated for reliable performance indoors or out. Even better? The Air is a portable 2-for-1! Enjoy an iceless cold plunge experience and then add on a heater to transform the Air into a hot tub. After use, the unit packs up into its carry pack, making it easy to store or take with you, for the ultimate luxury health experience no matter where you go.
7. Marinamantra
Best For | WFH Yogis
Price | $1,249+
Marinamantra’s Flow Floor-to-Standing Desk is ideal for yoga practitioners who spend more than a few hours a day in front of a computer. Marinamantra thinks beyond just sitting and standing, offering four adjustable heights to accommodate multiple work postures: Grounded allows users to sit directly on the floor; Focused is just high enough for sitting on a yoga block or bolster; Active is at a height for low lunges or sitting in a chair; and Standing is ideal for any, well, standing posture. For people who itch to move but struggle to find the time, this desk makes incorporating yoga postures, stretches, and more into the regular workday — without having to step away from the desk at all!
8. Merit Beauty Five Minute Morning Kit
Best For | The polished minimalist
Price | $177+
Merit’s Five Minute Morning Kit is an elevated take on quick, everyday makeup staples: Skincare-first formulas make their products pull double duty as both makeup and hydrators, so that your face feels as nourished and beautiful as it looks. Choose from their best-selling concealer stick or their tinted mineral sunscreen, a tinted lip oil, lip blush, or lipstick, then pick a shade for their flush balm, day glow stick, brow pomade, and mascara. The whole thing comes with their blending brush, and all first orders are bundled in their signature bag — which is cute enough to use as a clutch! For the elegant but low-maintenance person in your life, this kit is a small luxury to enjoy every day.
9. The Sak, Los Feliz Medium Tote
Best For | Work- and weekend-ready carryall
Price | $189+
The Sak, Los Feliz Medium Tote does the impossible: It makes a cool girl, slouchy silhouette bag that is still structured enough to actually use. With room for all the personal daily essentials (water bottle, wallet, phone, makeup) plus enough structure to toss in work items (planner, tablet or laptop up to 14″), this bag is the working woman’s dream tote. Made with Leather Working Group (LWG) gold-certified leather, it comes with an adjustable strap, magnetic snap closure, and five pockets for easy organization. It’s the sort of bag that she’ll reach for again and again, designed to take on a patina that only gets better with age.
10. Function Testing
Best For | The person that loves health metrics
Price | $365/year
For some people, an annual blood panel from their PCP just isn’t enough information — whether they’re data nerds or trying to get to the bottom of persistent symptoms despite all their labs being “normal.” Function offers 160+ lab tests through their annual membership. Members can go to one of 2000 partnering labs nationwide or Function will come to their home to collect samples. A detailed intake process collects personal health history to help personalize the process, and testing includes over 100 biomarkers, with add-on options available. The best part? Results are reviewed with dedicated clinicians who help make sense of the data and recommend any possible next steps with each member personally. Then, test again 3-6 months later, and repeat the process for an even more detailed look at the data. Deeper insights, personalized care, and holistic advice? The ultimate luxury.
11. Suri Toothbrush
Best For | Eco-conscious, holistic health nut
Price | $105+
If the ultimate luxury is what turns a daily chore into a gorgeous moment of self-care and personal wellness, then the Suri Pro 2.0 Electric Toothbrush has cracked the code. Not only does she have an impressive pedigree, but she also takes purpose-driven design to the next level: Unlike the vast majority of conventional toothbrushes, Suri is eco-friendly, long-lasting, and recyclable. The brand takes full responsibility for their product’s life cycle, and have even gone so far as to make the little fiddly parts (like the toothpaste cap) from plant-based materials. The attention to detail for every aspect of the teeth brushing experience — like the UV light cleaning and charging case, and the cute little mirror mount — is what elevates this ordinary object into something worth gifting.
The Good Trade editors are a diverse team of writers, researchers, and sustainable product enthusiasts. Every recommendation is informed by hands-on testing, rigorous vetting, and years of reporting on the products and practices that shape our daily lives. We are not a marketplace, and we are not owned by a brand. Our editorial team maintains independent standards across every review and recommendation.
