How to choose a piece you will still love in ten years

Where to start

Begin with how often it will be worn. A piece worn every day is a durability decision first and an aesthetic one second; a piece worn a few times a year can afford a softer stone and a more delicate setting.

Then set the metal. It governs the colour of everything else and it should agree with what the wearer already owns — mixed metals can look considered, but only on purpose.

Only then choose the stone. Working in that order stops you falling for a stone that cannot survive the life the piece will actually have.

Rings

The most personal piece and the hardest to buy blind, because a ring has to clear a knuckle and then sit still. Solitaires put the stone forward; halos read larger for the same carat weight; three-stone and trilogy settings carry more width across the finger.

What to look for: Check the band width against the wearer's other rings — anything under 2mm looks delicate but bends more easily on an active hand. Look for a rounded inner edge, which is what makes a ring comfortable over a full day.

Best for: Everyday, if the setting sits low. Occasion, if the stone stands proud.

Necklaces & pendants

Length does more work than the pendant. A 40–42cm chain sits at the base of the throat; 45cm falls just below the collarbone and is the most versatile; 50cm and longer sits on the sternum and layers well beneath the shorter ones.

What to look for: Ask what the chain weighs, not just how it looks. A hollow chain will kink; a solid one will not. Check that the bail is soldered closed and the clasp is a lobster or bolt-ring rather than a spring hook.

Best for: Everyday. The one category almost nobody takes off.

Earrings

Studs are the daily piece; hoops read as jewellery from across a room; drops move with the wearer and flatter almost every face shape. Weight matters more here than anywhere else — a heavy drop drags on the lobe within an hour.

What to look for: Solid posts with a proper butterfly or screw back. For drops, check the piece hangs perpendicular when held by the post; if it tips forward, the balance is wrong.

Best for: Studs every day; hoops and drops for occasion.

Bracelets & bangles

A bracelet takes more abuse than any other piece — it meets desks, doorframes and sleeves all day. Tennis lines and rivières want a double-locking clasp; bangles want a wall thick enough not to go oval.

What to look for: Test the clasp with one hand. Look for a safety catch on anything set with stones, and check the links move freely without a gap you can see daylight through.

Best for: Everyday, if the clasp is secure. Occasion, for anything fully set.

Wedding & eternity bands

Bought once and worn continuously, which makes durability the whole brief. Court profiles are the most comfortable; flat profiles read more modern; a full eternity is beautiful and cannot be resized, so a half-eternity is often the wiser choice.

What to look for: Match the metal to the engagement ring it will sit against — a harder metal will wear a softer one away over years of contact. Check the two rings sit flush without rocking.

Best for: Every day, for decades.

Metals

Yellow gold (14K · 18K · 22K). Gold alloyed with silver and copper. The warmest of the three golds and the traditional choice for fine jewellery; higher karat means richer colour and softer metal. 18K is the balance most of our pieces are made in — deep colour, hard enough for daily wear. 22K is glorious and soft; keep it for pieces that are not knocked about.

White gold (14K · 18K). Gold alloyed with palladium or nickel and finished with a rhodium plate, which gives it its bright, cool white. The rhodium wears through in two to three years of daily wear and the warmer gold beneath shows. Replating is quick, inexpensive and part of normal upkeep — not a fault.

Rose gold (14K · 18K). Gold with a higher proportion of copper, which gives the blush. The copper also makes it the hardest of the three golds. Needs no plating and does not fade. It suits warmer skin tones particularly well and hides small scratches better than white gold.

Platinum (950). Denser, rarer and naturally white all the way through, so it never needs plating. Noticeably heavier on the hand than gold. Platinum does not wear away — it displaces, developing a soft matte patina over years. Many people prefer it; a jeweller can polish it back whenever you would rather have the shine.

Sterling silver (925). Silver alloyed with copper for strength. Bright, cool and the most affordable of the precious metals. Tarnishes on contact with air and skin chemistry. A polishing cloth restores it in seconds; store it in a closed pouch and it will barely tarnish at all.

Gemstones

Diamond — Mohs 10. Judged on cut, colour, clarity and carat — in that order of visible impact. Cut governs how light returns to the eye and is the one grade you should not compromise on; most stones are eye-clean from VS2 upward. The hardest natural material there is, but it will still chip on a sharp knock to the girdle. Safe in an ultrasonic cleaner.

Sapphire & ruby — Mohs 9. The same mineral — corundum — separated only by colour. Hard-wearing, richly saturated, and a genuine alternative to diamond for an engagement ring. Durable enough for daily wear. Avoid sudden temperature change, which can stress a stone with inclusions.

Emerald — Mohs 7.5 – 8. Prized for a colour nothing else matches. Almost every emerald carries internal inclusions — the trade calls them the jardin — and they are a mark of natural origin, not a fault. Never ultrasonic, never steam. Most emeralds are oil-treated, and heat or vibration drives the oil out. Wipe with a soft damp cloth only.

Pearl — Mohs 2.5 – 4. Organic, and the softest thing we set. Judged on lustre above all else — a pearl with deep lustre at a modest size will always outshine a large dull one. Last on, first off. Perfume, hairspray and even perspiration dull the nacre. Restring knotted strands every year or two of regular wear.

Opal — Mohs 5.5 – 6.5. Play-of-colour comes from silica spheres diffracting light. No two are alike, and the best have colour that shifts as the wearer moves. Contains water and can craze if it dries out or is heated. Keep away from ultrasonics, solvents and direct sun.

Coloured gemstones — Mohs 6 – 8. Aquamarine, tourmaline, tanzanite, morganite, amethyst and garnet — the stones that let colour lead a design without a rare-stone price. Most are fine for occasion wear. Check the hardness before choosing one for a ring worn daily; anything under Mohs 7 will abrade over time.

Finishes

High polish is the mirror finish most fine jewellery is sold in. It shows the most light and, on a soft metal, the most fine scratching — which polishes out.

Satin and brushed finishes scatter light instead of reflecting it, hide daily wear better, and give a quieter, more contemporary surface.

Hammered and florentine finishes are worked by hand and are the most forgiving of all: the texture absorbs marks that would show on a polished band.

Milgrain — the fine beaded edge on vintage-inspired pieces — is cut with a knurling wheel and softens over decades of wear. That softening is part of the appeal.

Everyday versus occasion

Everyday pieces want hardness above Mohs 8, a low profile, a secure setting and a metal you are happy to see develop a patina. Bezel and flush settings protect a stone far better than claws.

Occasion pieces can be everything the everyday ones cannot: softer stones, higher settings, more of them. Store them properly between outings and they will look new for a lifetime.