Star sign or constellation: which zodiac necklace you are actually buying
There are 2 quite different necklaces sold under the word zodiac, and most people do not realise which one they have bought until it arrives. The symbol, the constellation and the birthstone are 3 separate presents, and star signs do not line up with calendar months.
Buying jewellery for someone whose taste you do not know
A jewellery gift can go wrong in 3 ways, and only 1 of them is taste. How to settle size and metal before you worry about style, and what to buy when you cannot ask.
How to clean jewellery at home, and what actually damages it
A pearl cannot go in an ultrasonic cleaner and gold vermeil must never be scrubbed. What really damages jewellery, how to clean each material safely at home, and what to do with the piece that is past cleaning.
How to stack bangles: measuring, widths and how many to wear
A bangle is a closed circle, so the internal diameter is the whole of the fit. How to measure your hand, choose widths, build a stack that stays where you put it, and what to do with an inherited gold bangle that will not go on.
T-bar necklaces: what the T-bar actually is, and how to wear one
The T-bar began as a pocket watch fitting in the late 1800s. What it is now, how a T-bar clasp differs from an ordinary one, which chain and length to choose, and what to do with an Albert chain you have inherited.
Gold plated, vermeil or solid: what you are actually buying
Professional Jeweller reported in March 2026 on the squeeze rising bullion puts on pricing. Here is what gold plated, gold vermeil and solid gold actually mean, and what each one costs.