How to choose a first piece

If you're buying fine jewellery for the first time — for yourself or someone else — it's tempting to go for whatever feels most distinctive. We'd suggest the opposite.

Start with something quiet enough to wear with everything: a thin band, a small stud, a fine chain with a small pendant. Pieces like this don't compete with what you already own, so they get worn far more often than something bolder and more particular.

It's also a more honest way to find out whether you actually like wearing jewellery day to day, rather than just liking the idea of it. A quiet piece worn constantly tells you more than a statement piece worn twice a year.

Once you know what you reach for without thinking, that's the direction worth building on.