Style · How To

Ring Stacking in 2026: The Rules, the Breaks, and What Actually Works

Ring stacking has been building for years and is now firmly established. A practical guide to what works — the rules, the breaks, and the sizing trick.

Read More
A hand resting on a décolletage wearing four stacked silver rings across two fingers — a clover motif ring, a wide hammered band, a pavé ball ring, and a black onyx bezel ring — alongside a sculptural chunky silver chain necklace.

Also new this week

Close-up macro photograph of three UK hallmarks on the inner shank of a yellow gold ring — a sponsor's mark in an octagonal shield, the number 18 in a shaped cartouche indicating 18-carat gold, and an assay office or date letter mark to the right.
Guides · Buying Guides

UK Jewellery Hallmarks Explained: The Complete Guide

UK jewellery hallmarks date to 1300 — the oldest consumer protection in the world. How to read them: what the marks mean and where to find them.

By Florence12 min read
Black and white archival photograph of the Cullinan diamond as found in 1905 — a rough crystal of 3,106.75 carats, showing the natural cleavage face on one side that suggests it was once part of a larger stone.
Stories · Famous Stones

The Cullinan Diamond: How the World's Largest Stone Became Two Crowns

The Cullinan diamond was found in 1905, weighed 3,106 carats, and was sent to England by post. How it became two crowns and a private joke.

By Florence11 min read
“
For people who buy beautiful things,
and want to know the story behind them.
— The Gem, since 2026

The Guides

More guides →
Two silver signet rings on a heavily tattooed hand — a cushion-shaped ring engraved with a face motif, and a square-topped ring with a black stone set in ornate silverwork — held alongside a folding knife.
Guides · Considered Buying

The Best Signet Rings for Men: A 2026 Buying Guide

The best signet rings for men in 2026, from Rebus and Castro Smith to vintage Hatton Garden finds. Shapes, engraving, makers, and how to wear one.

A dealer's tray of antique and vintage rings at an open market, densely arranged on black velvet; gold settings with cabochon stones in onyx, coral, turquoise, and carnelian, alongside silver and mixed-metal pieces, photographed from above against a warm amber background.

The Collector's Edit: Where to Buy Genuine Antique and Period Jewellery Online

Close-up macro photograph of three UK hallmarks on the inner shank of a yellow gold ring — a sponsor's mark in an octagonal shield, the number 18 in a shaped cartouche indicating 18-carat gold, and an assay office or date letter mark to the right.

UK Jewellery Hallmarks Explained: The Complete Guide

A close-up of a two-stone diamond bypass ring on a dark stone surface — yellow gold shank with a white metal (platinum or white gold) crossover setting holding two round brilliant diamonds.

Platinum vs White Gold: The Honest Answer

The corner of Hatton Garden and Greville Street, EC1, showing a row of jewellery businesses including Flawless Fine Jewellery in the foreground, with street signs for both roads visible and pedestrians on the pavement.

Hatton Garden: The Complete Buyer's Guide to London's Jewellery Quarter

A stack of four Cartier Love bracelets on a wrist — three in yellow gold and one in white gold — showing the screw-motif exterior and the standard stacking configuration.

The Cartier Love Bracelet: A Buyer's Guide to New, Pre-Owned, and Fake

A Van Cleef & Arpels Alhambra bracelet in yellow gold with malachite four-petal motifs on one wrist, alongside a plain silver bangle on the other, worn with a black outfit.

The Van Cleef Alhambra: Is It Worth Buying (and Does It Hold Its Value)?

From the magazine

More stories →
Black and white archival photograph of the Cullinan diamond as found in 1905 — a rough crystal of 3,106.75 carats, showing the natural cleavage face on one side that suggests it was once part of a larger stone.

The Cullinan Diamond: How the World's Largest Stone Became Two Crowns

Wallis Simpson, Duchess of Windsor, photographed in her home in the Bois de Boulogne, Paris, c. 1974, wearing a yellow satin gown with fur-trimmed wrap and an emerald and diamond necklace with pear-shaped drop pendant, matching earrings, and an emerald cocktail ring.

Wallis Simpson's Jewellery: The Collection That Rewrote Fine Jewellery

Queen Victoria's mourning brooch containing a coiled lock of Prince Albert's hair, set under glass in a gold rococo scroll frame — Royal Collection, Buckingham Palace.

Victorian Mourning Jewellery: When the Dead Were Worn by the Living

A Bulgari Serpenti Tubogas watch coiling around a wrist in yellow gold, with a diamond-set watch face at the snake's head, worn with a white shirt cuff and a small gold snake ring on the index finger.

Bulgari: How a Greek Silversmith Built Rome's Greatest Jewellery Empire

Black and white photograph from 1922 showing four members of the Cartier family standing outdoors — three brothers and their elderly father — in summer suits.

The Cartier Family History: How a Paris Workshop Became the World's Most Important Jeweller

The Chopard-made Palme d'Or trophy displayed in its navy presentation case — an 18-carat gold palm frond mounted on a rough crystal block, inscribed Festival de Cannes 2018.

Chopard at Cannes: What It Means to Dress a Film Festival

Close detail of the Imperial State Crown showing the Black Prince's Ruby — a 170-carat uncut red spinel — at the front cross patée, with the Cullinan II diamond (317.4 carats) set on the band below, flanked by sapphires, emeralds, and pearls.
Stories · Crown Jewels

The Black Prince's Ruby: The Gemstone That Isn't a Ruby

The Black Prince's Ruby is 170 carats, sits at the centre of the Imperial State Crown, and is not a ruby. It is a spinel. The history of a famous misnomer.

The Style edit

More style →
A hand resting on a décolletage wearing four stacked silver rings across two fingers — a clover motif ring, a wide hammered band, a pavé ball ring, and a black onyx bezel ring — alongside a sculptural chunky silver chain necklace.
Style · How To

Ring Stacking in 2026: The Rules, the Breaks, and What Actually Works

Ring stacking has been building for years and is now firmly established. A practical guide to what works — the rules, the breaks, and the sizing trick.

By Florence11 min read
An overhead view of a pile of gold-tone jewellery heaped in a white ceramic dish — chains of various link styles, rings, earrings, and pendants in a tangled, undifferentiated mass.
Style · Building a Collection

How to Build a Jewellery Collection: A Practical Guide to Starting Well

Most jewellery collections are not collections — they are accumulations. A practical guide to building one deliberately, in the right order.

By Florence12 min read
A man's hands adjusting a belt buckle, wearing three silver signet rings — an engraved lion-face on the left index finger, a ridged cushion signet on the left middle finger, and a plain square signet on the right little finger — against a dark suit.
Style · The Edit

The Men's Jewellery Edit: What to Buy, What to Wear, and What to Ignore

Men's fine jewellery has been growing faster than women's for three years. A guide to what's worth buying, what works, and what to leave alone.

By Florence12 min read
A late Victorian or Edwardian amethyst and seed pearl brooch in yellow gold scrollwork, photographed in its original fitted burgundy velvet presentation box, surrounded by purple harebells.
Style · How To

How to Wear a Brooch in 2026 Without Looking Like Your Grandmother

The brooch is back, and not ironically. How to wear one in 2026 — where to pin it, what to avoid, and why the piece in your jewellery box is worth wearing.

By Florence11 min read
Six Georgian and early Victorian acrostic jewellery pieces — including two multi-stone REGARD rings, a flower-cluster ring, a filigree circular brooch with pearl centre, and a scrollwork gold pendant — all set with coloured gemstones whose initial letters spell coded words.
Style · Floral Motifs

The Language of Flowers in Fine Jewellery

Victorian floriography gave flowers coded meanings set in gold. A guide to floral jewellery, from forget-me-nots to acrostic rings and Van Cleef.

By Florence14 min read
The Gem, in your inbox · every Friday

One letter from Florence, every Friday morning.

A long piece worth reading, three things worth knowing, one thing worth buying. Free. No nonsense. Roughly twelve minutes of your week.

No spam. Unsubscribe whenever.

More from the magazine

Full archive →
A diamond halo engagement ring with a round brilliant centre stone set in a rose gold milgrain bezel, on a split white gold shank pavé-set with accent diamonds.
Guides

The Diamond Market in 2026: What's Actually Happening

17 min readMay 2026
Three coloured-stone rings on a dark reflective surface: an oval emerald three-stone ring in yellow gold, a pink sapphire cluster ring in rose gold, and a diamond and blue sapphire half-eternity band in white gold.
Guides

The Engagement Ring Guide: Every Stone Beyond Diamond

20 min readMay 2026
Overhead view of hands polishing a crystal-set pendant with a lint-free cloth, surrounded by a spread of fashion jewellery, tweezers, a soapy water bowl, and a jewellery loupe on a dark stone surface.
Guides

How to Care for Your Jewellery: A Complete Guide

18 min readMay 2026
A jewellery valuation session
Guides

How to Sell Your Jewellery: A Guide to Every Route, Honestly

15 min readMay 2026