Fine Jewellery Reviews, Guides and Stories from London
Garnet Buying Guide: The Birthstone That Comes in Six Colours
Garnet isn't one stone, it's a family: red, orange, green, pink and even blue. A buying guide to the species, the prices, and the one that's rarest of all.
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The Gem is an independent editorial magazine about fine jewellery — its history, culture, and buying advice — publishing since January 2026. Coverage is organised into three sections: Stories, on the histories of jewellery houses and the pieces that made them famous; Guides, research-led buying advice on diamonds, gemstones, and precious metals; and The Edit, curated seasonal selections. All writing is by Florence.
Also new this week
Cartier Love Bracelet vs Bulgari B.zero1: The Investment Comparison
Two screw-and-spiral icons, two different resale stories. What the Love bracelet and B.zero1 cost in the UK, and which actually holds its value.
The Most Important Jewellery in Halloween Movies
Hidden jewels that gave us the word gaslighting, a sigil hiding in plain sight, a ring stolen from the wrong woman. Six pieces that carried the plot.
For people who buy beautiful things,— The Gem, since 2026
and want to know the story behind them.
The Edit
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The Vintage Clip-On Earrings Edit: Nine Pairs Worth Wearing
Most twentieth-century costume earrings were made for unpierced ears. Nine vintage pairs worth wearing this party season, and the one I'd talk you out of.
The Snake Jewellery Edit: 12 Pieces Worth Knowing About
From Queen Victoria's 1839 engagement ring to a £105 London-studio serpent ring, twelve snake pieces worth knowing, and what each one actually costs.
The Best Pearl Necklaces That Aren't Your Grandmother's
Modern pearl necklaces, ranked: single pearls on chains, baroque statement pieces, and one that is, unashamedly, an inherited strand restrung.
The Autumn Jewellery Edit: What Changes When the Season Does
Autumn changes what jewellery must survive: wool, scarves and a 4.50pm sunset. Six pieces ranked, with the hallmark and repair checks that matter.
How to Style Jewellery for the Office: A Practical Edit
What jewellery actually survives a working day and reads well on video calls, plus what quietly works against you in meetings.
The Jewellery of Grief: What We Wear When Someone Dies
What to wear to a funeral, when to wear a loved one's jewellery, and the real options for ashes, hair, and memorial pieces.
The Signet Ring Edit: From Engraved to Statement
The signet ring is not having a revival — it never left. A maker-by-maker guide to the best engraved, statement, and hardstone signet rings to buy in 2026.
How to Wear Fine Jewellery to a Festival: The Layering Guide
How to wear fine jewellery to a festival — what to layer, what to leave at home, and how to build a look that survives three days in a field without looking like it tried too hard.
The Guides
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Sapphire Buying Guide: The Stone That Comes in Every Colour
What actually determines a sapphire's value: colour, clarity, origin, and treatment. A buying guide with real price ranges and what to ask before you pay.
Garnet Buying Guide: The Birthstone That Comes in Six Colours
Cartier Love Bracelet vs Bulgari B.zero1: The Investment Comparison
A First-Timer's Guide to Buying Tiffany & Co.
Opal Buying Guide: Play-of-Colour, Construction, and the Water Problem
Ruby Buying Guide: The Most Misunderstood Stone in Fine Jewellery
Is Pandora Worth It? A Collector's Honest Assessment
From the magazine
More stories →
The Most Important Jewellery in Halloween Movies
The Opal Curse: How a Novel Killed a Gemstone's Reputation for a Century
The Georgian Poison Ring: History, Mystery, and Hidden Compartments
The World's Most Famous Sapphires: Provenance, Power, and Royalty
Princess Catherine's Jewellery: The Choices That Defined a Style
The Secret Language of Gems: Inside the World of Acrostic Rings
Bound and Buckled: The Secret History of the Belt Ring
Buckle rings, also called belt rings, are sculpted to look like a tiny belt and buckle. Medieval origins, Victorian symbolism, and where to buy one today.
The Gem exists because most jewellery writing is either breathless PR or impenetrable gemology. Neither is much use when you’re trying to decide whether a Cartier Love bracelet is worth the mortgage payment, or whether lab-grown diamonds are genuinely identical to mined ones (they are, with caveats).
This is a magazine for people who take jewellery seriously without taking themselves too seriously. We publish buying guides built on research rather than press releases, histories of the houses that shaped the industry, and the occasional strong opinion about why signet rings are having a moment for entirely the right reasons.
Florence writes everything. She has been known to be wrong, but not about jewellery.
About The Gem
