Magento vs Shopify for jewellery specifically — when does each win?

Honest cut, jewellery-specific:

Shopify wins for jewellery if: AOV under $300, simple SKU set (rings + necklaces + earrings without size matrix), no customization (no engraving / sizing / made-to-order), no bespoke commission line, simple D2C only, single-region. Shopify is fine here. Apps cover most basic fraud (Riskified has Shopify support), simple custom-options (Bold / Infinite Options apps), basic returns. Below $1M GMV, the Shopify app stack costs <$500/mo and is operationally light.

Magento wins for jewellery if: AOV above $500, custom engraving / ring sizing / bespoke is a product line, multi-region (US + EU + UK + IN + AU), B2B / trade share >15%, GIA / IGI cert workflow is a buying-decision factor, secure-shipping rails (Brink’s / Malca-Amit) are needed, try-at-home or store-pickup is a competitive differentiator, full data ownership matters (custom fraud rules, custom appraisal templates, custom-built craftsperson queue).

Specific jewellery ceilings on Shopify:

• 100 variants per product (Plus: 2,000) — jewellery configurable matrices (size × metal × stone) hit this ceiling fast.
• Made-to-order multi-stage workflow — Shopify line-item-properties handle simple engraving but choke on a 7-stage commission flow with deposit-then-final-payment.
• Custom shipping by order value — conditional Brink’s / FedEx routing by AOV needs custom logic Shopify Functions can do but awkwardly.
• B2B trade pricing visibility — native customer-group pricing on Magento; Shopify needs B2B-on-Plus or third-party apps.

Migration trigger: most $2M+ jewellery brands hit the variant ceiling or the made-to-order workflow gap and switch within ~6 months of crossing $5M GMV. The brands that stay on Shopify past $10M are the ones with simple SKU sets and pure-D2C models — rare in fine jewellery.