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Jewellery buying guide

Buying jewellery as a gift can be a difficult process. Whether you are looking for some practical advice, or just a few ideas, this help guide offers tips on how to choose the perfect piece of jewellery.

Which metals and gemstones should I choose?

Observe which jewellery she wears most often, and take a note of the colour of the metal and the stones which feature most prominently:

1. Is her favourite jewellery white gold, yellow gold or rose gold? Whichever colour she wears the most will be the safest option for a present.

2. Does she favour diamonds, pearls, or gemstones? If she has a lot of jewellery with gems, which colours does she prefer? Choose jewellery which incorporates her favoured gems and colours.

Rings, earrings, bracelets, necklaces or pendants?

It’s often very difficult to choose what sort of item to buy. Should you buy a ring, or a bracelet? Here are a few tips to help you decide:

1. What does she wear most? If she often wears bangles, necklaces or pendants, or has a wide selection of different rings or earrings, then any of these might be a good choice. On the other hand if she hasn’t got pierced ears, never wears earrings or she always wears the same pair, then you would perhaps be better off choosing something else.

2. For ideas on what other types of pendants, necklaces or bracelets are available, browse our jewellery collections or take a look at the suggestions below.

Don’t know her ring size? Use our size guide to determine which size to buy.

Which style should I go for?

There are many different styles of jewellery. Here’s an outline of the different styles available, and some examples from our collections. If you recognise some the styles in what she wears, then you can choose a piece of jewellery based on her preferences.

1. Does she tend to wear modern, or more classic, antique style jewellery?
If she prefers modern jewellery, you could take a look at our Duo Stone, Simply Cocktail and Pebble Collections, or the jewellery by our by guest designers Angela Hubel and Fei Liu.
If she prefers more traditional jewellery, you could browse our Classic Pearl and Daisy Collections.
Alternatively for a unique combination of vintage and modern styles, explore our Eclipse Collection.

2. Is her jewellery delicate and intricately crafted, or does she favour the more bold, larger designs?
If she tends to go for delicate jewellery, she may like the intricate designs and matt finishes of our Breeze, Mythology and Love Diamonds collections, or the more delicate pieces from the Poppy Seed and Eclipse collection.
Alternatively take a look at our Organza and Gobstopper collections for a bolder look.

3. Does she tend to wear jewellery which makes a real statement on its own, or more conservative jewellery which compliments the rest of her attire?
If she likes to make a statement, then you can explore some of the showpieces outlined in the point below, or have a look at our Sonora, Duo Stone and Gobstopper collections.
Alternatively for something a little more understated, try the Seed Pearl, Yard of Pearls and Lily Pad collections.

4. Are you buying her jewellery to wear on a special occasion, or something for every day?
If you want something that will dazzle, you could try the more elaborate designs from the Breeze collection, or any of the cocktail pieces from Drusy or Simply Cocktail Collections, or the bolder rings from the Eclipse Collection.
For something special that can be worn every day, take a look at the Organza and Lily Pad Collections.

What's the occasion?

There are lots of reasons why you might be buying a gift, from a birthday present for your sister to a valentine’s gift for your wife.

1. Birthday
Whether you choose a necklace, bracelet, earrings, or a matching set of all three, virtually any well chosen piece of jewellery is likely to be very much appreciated on a birthday.
For matching sets of jewellery, take a look at the Breeze, Lily Pad, Drusy and Eclipse collections.
For a personalised gift, you could consider buying a piece of jewellery which features the receiver’s relevant birthstone. Take a look at our guide to Gems and Birthstones, which outlines the different qualities of gemstones, explains which stones are pertinent to which months, and gives links to the Annoushka jewellery featuring the relevant stones.
Alternatively, browse our Mythology collection, which not only contains a popular selection of intricately crafted Amulets, but also a range of pendants based on the signs of the Zodiac – choose the birthday girl’s relevant sign.

2. Christmas
Christmas is always a special time of year, and a gift of jewellery can add that extra bit of sparkle.
For something to wear to a Christmas party, a striking cocktail piece from our Simply Cocktail, Duo Stone or Drusy Collection would make a perfect present.
For a more delicate, understated piece of diamond jewellery which she can wear every day, explore the Daisy, Eclipse, or Lily Pad Collections.
Alternatively, if the person you are choosing for wears pearls, you could choose from our Classic Pearl collection, or from the Yard of Pearls and Seed Pearl collections.

3. Anniversary
For a classic wedding anniversary gift for your wife, a diamond necklace or an eternity ring are almost guaranteed to go down well. An eternity ring is traditionally studded with diamonds or other gems the whole way around its circumference – the unbroken circle of gemstones representing eternal love.
It’s also possible to buy half eternity rings – where the gemstones run half way around the ring.
If the ring is very wide, a half eternity ring may be more comfortable to wear.
Eternity rings can be worn alone, or together as part of a ring stack. If you buy one, another can always be added to the stack at a later date, as part of another gift. Explore our Eclipse Collection for a stunning variety of eternity rings, or take a look at our interactive ring stack designer to get an idea of what rings will look like in combination.
For a striking diamond pendant necklace, take a look at our Lily Pad Pendants or the Daisy Pendants, or the stunningly delicate Love Diamonds Pendants.

4. Valentines Day
Nothing says romance like a ring or a necklace, whilst gold or diamonds are also generally always well received.
Choose a diamond ring from our striking Eclipse, Lily Pad or Pebble collections.
For a stunning, intricately crafted yellow gold necklace, see our Breeze Necklace and Breeze Drop Necklace.
Alternatively for a striking diamond pendant, take a look at our Lily Pad Pendants or the Daisy Pendants, or the stunningly delicate Love Diamond Pendants.

5. Engagement
An engagement ring traditionally boasts a central stone either on its own – known as a solitaire ring – or surrounded by other, smaller stones. Popular stones for engagement rings include diamonds and rubies, which are some of the hardest stones.
For a stunning diamond engagement ring, browse the rings in our Eclipse, and Daisy collections.
In more recent years, it has become relatively common to choose an engagement ring in the style of an eternity ring, similar to those available in our Eclipse collection. Or for something completely different, you could explore our Simply Cocktail collection.
When buying an engagement ring, its worth bearing in mind what kind of wedding ring you will want to go with it, so you can make sure they will fit together and compliment each other well. For a preview of what some of our rings will look like together, take a look at our interactive ring stack designer.

6. Arrival of a baby
If you are buying a present following the birth of your own child, the most popular gift for the new mother is an eternity ring - colloquially known as a ‘baby ring’ or ‘push ring’. This will often be worn on the ring finger of the left hand with the wedding and engagement rings, or on the ring finger of the right hand. Our Eclipse collection boasts many beautiful eternity rings. To see what an Annoushka eternity ring might look like in combination with an engagement or wedding ring, take a look at our interactive ring stack designer.
If you are buying a gift for a friend, daughter or sister who has just had a baby, you could consider one of our Engravable Disks, engraved with the child’s birth date, or a necklace, bracelet or earrings from our Love Diamonds Collection.

7. Congratulations!
For a congratulatory gift, a necklace, a bracelet, a pendant or a ring would all make wonderful gifts. You might want to choose something that she can wear every day to remind her of the occasion and of your confidence in her, in which case you could choose something relatively understated from our Eclipse, Lily Pad, Organza or Pebble collections, or a pendant from the Mythology collection.
Alternatively you might want something more bold, or a piece that she can wear at an occasion, in which case take a look at our Gobstopper, Duo Stone and Drusy collections.

8. Thank you
A piece of jewellery is a wonderful way to express your gratitude, and what better to do it with than a pendant, a bracelet or a pair of earrings. The Annoushka Love Diamonds and Amulets are very popular presents, or take a look at the earrings from the Eclipse Collection.

9. Christening
The Annoushka Love Diamonds were originally designed by Annoushka as a gift for her Goddaughter - their combination of youthful innocence and striking beauty will ensure they will be treasured by your Goddaughter for the rest of her life.
Alternatively, you could choose from one of our Engravable Disks, which we can have hand-engraved for you with the date of your Goddaughter’s birthday, or the date of the christening.

10. Just because
Sometimes, the best presents are the ones that come out of the blue, just to say ‘I love you’, or ‘I’m thinking of you’. A pair of earrings or a pendant would make lovely presents. Choose from our wide selection of diamond earrings from our Eclipse, Lily Pad and Daisy Collections, or a necklace or pendant from our Mythology or Love Diamond Collections.

Personalising Your Gift

At Annoushka we offer an hand engraving service. Hand engraving adds an element of individuality, and transforms your beautiful gift into something really unique and utterly personal.

To have your piece of jewellery engraved, please select “Engraving” in the shopping basket and one of our assistants will telephone you to discuss your needs. Alternatively you can call us on +44 (0)207 881 5810.

Engraving takes between 4-5 working days and prices are from £18.00 per word and £10.00 per initial.

Please note that we are unable to accept returns on an item that has been engraved.

Gift Wrapping

Whatever you choose from Annoushka, all of our pieces of jewellery come beautifully gift wrapped.

What if despite everything, it's not quite right?

In the event that the item isn’t quite right, or if it doesn’t fit, you can return it to us within 30 days of receipt of order and we will be happy to offer you either an exchange or a full refund minus any postage costs, providing the goods are returned in perfect condition and in their original packaging.

Note on earrings: for hygiene reasons, we are unable to accept returns on earrings.

Bespoke and engraved items: these pieces are Special Orders, which means that the item will be made or customised especially for you; because of this, these pieces of jewellery cannot be exchanged or returned under any circumstances.