Most beautiful turntable under $5k

Funk Firm Sapphire or Vector. Form follows function. 

Beauty is in the eyes of beholder indeed. Another vote for the Technics SL1200G - it’s the culmination of DD functionality and beauty where Technics had to do it all again from scratch in the right way. IMO there is no other table more simple to use and most of all the G is sonically very hard to beat at this price range when you mach the cart right and add a hydraulic damper to the magnesium tonearm.

On the polar opposite: Mag Lev ML-1:

I had one to try for couple of months. Utter beauty to see that levitating platter in action. ...but plain annoying operation (super-slow star- and slowdown times) and sonically not as pleasing, you could hear nearly 1/5th of note variation (wow/flutter) by ear on loud sections and relatively noisy at low level sections, especially in loud environment. But boy, it’s a work of art in it’s phisics-curiosity looks when it plays :)

(For comparison 1200G is like a blitz fast rock solid table, utter simplicity and ease of use, class-leading stability and silent as a church mouse even in open-air festival-amplification sound levels and those who ask: for me actually more beautiful in that silver!)

Michell Gyro Dec - I have had mine for 30 years and still going strong. At least two hi-fi reviewers here in the UK use one as a source coupled with an SME 309 or IV tonearm. John Michell preferred the SME V which I use on my "Orbed" Gyro Dec - see my system pics.

I'm a bit biased, but I love the look of my Schiit Sol.  What I like the most about it is how unusual it is.  No, it doesn't have ultra-luxurious wood or platinum inlays, or any of that bourgeois stuff.  It's plain, black, crinkle-finish with technically intriguing mechanicals.

YMMV.

Fender (of all companies) is coming out with their first turntable in many years (and yes, they got their start with turntables before switching to musical instruments decades ago).

It’s actually a project in conjunction with MoFi, drawing on their Ultra Deck line.

It certainly is a head turner with that striking, sunset wood tone.

It won’t be available until sometime in May and only 1000 will be made. $3500