Guides
Choosing jewellery
Plain-English guides to diamonds, engagement rings, gold and platinum, and gifts, with every piece linked to its full details.
Gift guides
Jewellery for Christmas, birthdays and every budget.
Jewellery guideInitial necklaces UK (2026): the best gold letter necklaces, from £100An initial necklace is the easiest way to make jewellery personal: her letter, or the letter of someone she loves. These are the best gold initial necklaces at every budget, which letters each one comes in, and which come with a chain.Updated 28 October 2026
Jewellery guideJewellery gifts for mum UK (2026): the best for Christmas, birthdays and Mother's DayThe best jewellery gift for a mum says something about your family. These are the best at every budget, from a pendant made to symbolise the bond between mother and child to a birthstone or an initial for each of her children, all from a UK authorised retailer.Updated 28 October 2026
Jewellery guideBirthstone jewellery UK (2026): every month's birthstone, and the best necklace and earrings for eachA birthstone turns a necklace or a pair of earrings into a gift that's about her. This is every month's birthstone, from January's garnet to December's tanzanite, and the piece we'd buy for each, in real 9ct gold, plus what to do when a month has two stones.Updated 28 October 2026
Jewellery guideChristmas jewellery gifts for her 2026: the best at every budget, from under £50Jewellery is the Christmas gift that's worn long after the wrapping is gone. These are the best gifts for her at every budget, from a Thomas Sabo charm to a Chopard Happy Hearts pendant, all in stock at a UK authorised retailer, with tips for getting it right without asking.Updated 27 October 2026
Jewellery guideJewellery gifts for her under £100 (UK, 2026): real gold, silver and Swarovski£100 buys more than you'd think: real 9ct gold, sterling silver, or a name she'll know. These are the best jewellery gifts for her under £100, with what each one is actually made of, so you know whether it's real gold, solid silver or plated.Updated 27 October 2026
By type
Earrings, bracelets, rings and chains: the best of each, and what to look for.
Jewellery guideGold hoop earrings UK (2026): the best 9ct and 18ct gold hoops and huggiesGold hoops are the earrings people wear every day. This is the pair to buy at every size and budget, small, medium or large, plain or with diamonds, all in real 9ct or 18ct gold, and how to pick the size.Updated 27 October 2026
Jewellery guideMen's jewellery UK (2026): the best gold chains, bracelets and ringsA good chain, a bracelet and a signet ring: that's most of what men's jewellery is about. This is the one to buy in each, in gold and in silver, what hollow and solid mean on a gold chain, and the designer pieces worth the money.Updated 27 October 2026
Jewellery guidePearl earrings and necklaces UK (2026): Akoya vs freshwater, and the best at every budgetPearls are the classic that never dates. This is the difference between Akoya and freshwater pearls and why one costs more, how to look after them, and the pearl earrings, necklaces and bracelets we'd buy at every budget.Updated 27 October 2026
Jewellery guideDiamond necklaces and pendants UK (2026): the best at every budget, all with the chainA diamond pendant is the necklace that goes with everything. This is the one to buy at every budget, from a 9ct gold bezel pendant to a GIA-certified carat, every one sold with its chain, and whether to pay for a bigger diamond or a better one.Updated 27 October 2026
Jewellery guideDiamond stud earrings UK (2026): the best at every budget, and what the grades meanDiamond studs are the jewellery gift that never dates. This is which pair to buy at every budget, from a silver pair under £250 to a carat and more, and what the carat, colour and clarity grades on the label actually mean, so you know what you're paying for.Updated 27 October 2026
Jewellery guideThe best tennis bracelets in the UK (2026): diamond, gold and silver, at every budgetA tennis bracelet is one unbroken line of stones around the wrist, and one of the most-wanted pieces of jewellery there is. This is the one to buy at every budget, from Swarovski to two carats of diamonds in 18ct gold, and what you get for the extra money.Updated 27 October 2026
Jewellery guideEternity rings UK (2026): what they mean, full vs half, and the best at every budgetAn eternity ring traditionally marks the birth of a child or a big anniversary. This is what it means, the difference between a full and a half eternity ring, how to match it to her other rings, and the one we'd buy at every budget.Updated 27 October 2026
Brands
The jewellery houses Goldsmiths sells, compared.
Buying guides
Engagement rings, gold and platinum, explained.
Jewellery guideEngagement rings UK (2026): the best under £1,000, £2,000 and £5,000An engagement ring is the biggest jewellery decision most people make. This is the ring we'd choose at each budget, which ones come with a GIA diamond certificate, and what the shape, setting and grades mean, so you can compare rings properly.Updated 27 October 2026
Jewellery guide9ct vs 18ct gold, and white gold vs platinum: which should you buy? (2026)The metal changes the look, the wear and the price of a piece of jewellery as much as the stones do. This is what 9ct, 14ct and 18ct gold really mean, how white gold and platinum differ, and what you pay for each, using the UK's hallmarking standards and Goldsmiths' own prices for the same design in different metals.Updated 27 October 2026