84% matchPura Vida
Beachy stackable bracelets with charms, cause-marketed
What changes: String/cord not metal wire bangles, lower price
Brand profile
Alex and Ani
Rhode Island jewelry label known for expandable wire charm bangles, now largely an online business after bankruptcy and near-total store closures.
CranstonOrigin
UnisexFocus
Minimalist / ContemporaryStyle
$$Price
4 brands like Alex and Ani like Pura Vida, BaubleBar, Ettika →
What to know about Alex and Ani
One product, worn many at once
The line centers on an expandable wire bangle designed to be stacked, with charms — zodiac signs, initials, birthstones, licensed characters — doing the differentiating.
Licensed charms drive the range
Beyond symbols and birthstones, the assortment leans on tie-ins including Disney characters, which is a large part of what customers actually shop for.
Post-bankruptcy, mostly online now
Founder Carolyn Rafaelian was ousted in 2020 and a 2021 Chapter 11 left Lion Capital with 65 percent; the Rhode Island HQ and nearly all stores have closed.
If you like Alex and Ani
84% match
80% matchBaubleBar
Affordable costume jewelry with personalization and Disney
What changes: Trend-led earrings/necklaces rather than one signature bangle
70% matchEttika
Gold-plated layering pieces at the same price ceiling
What changes: No charm/symbolic storytelling or licensing
68% matchEvry Jewels
Cheap trend jewelry aimed at stacking and layering
What changes: Younger Gen Z trend focus, lower prices, no charms
Brand facts
Alex and Ani makes affordable metal jewelry, built around an expandable wire bangle worn stacked and finished with symbolic charms: zodiac signs, initials, birthstones and licensed characters, including Disney tie-ins. Carolyn Rafaelian founded it in Cranston, Rhode Island in 2004, naming it for her two eldest daughters. She was ousted in 2020 and the company filed Chapter 11 in 2021, emerging with London private equity firm Lion Capital holding 65 percent. It has since shut its Rhode Island headquarters and nearly all stores, selling mainly online and through wholesale.
- Founded
- 2004
- Origin
- Cranston, United States
- Made in
- USA
- Price
- $$
- Focus
- Unisex
- Facts checked
- August 2026
- Styles
- Minimalist / Contemporary, Y2K