The most important milestones in life are traditionally marked with the gift of jewellery – rings, in particular, are given to mark engagements, weddings and anniversaries.

Jewellery lasts forever, and one gift can soon become a family heirloom passed gently from generation to generation.

It provides future generations with a tangible link to the past.

Instead of losing value, jewellery will become only more precious as time goes on, making it the perfect way of marking a special occasion.

Here are some occasions on which you might give jewellery, as well as ideas on which pieces to gift.

Anniversary

Probably the most common occasion on which to give jewellery is an anniversary.

For every year a couple is married, there is a specific material associated – but what many people don’t know is that there are also gemstone and metal associations for each year, helping to spark inspiration as to what to get your significant other.

Even if a couple isn’t married, anniversaries should be celebrated in style.

The first anniversary in particular is a special time to celebrate, and a simple piece of gold jewellery should do the trick.

Something like this Victorian chain could be a minimalistic but beautiful gift.

Birthdays

Again, it won’t come as a surprise that jewellery is often gifted on birthdays.

Particularly for a milestone birthday like an 18th, 30th and so on, jewellery can help to commemorate a special day.

Birthday jewellery doesn’t have to be particularly extravagant – in fact, a good route to go down would be to gift something with their birthstone in it.

Each month has at least one birthstone and including their birthstone in a gift is personal and significant.

These ruby earrings, for example, could be a beautiful gift for someone with a July birthday.

Christmas

Again, this is an occasion synonymous with gift giving, and jewellery is the perfect Christmas gift

A beautiful bracelet or necklace is a gift that can be enjoyed far beyond Christmas Day and will forever commemorate the holiday season spent together.

There aren’t really any rules for Christmas jewellery, but if you wanted something thematic, you could choose a jewellery set with festive colours, such as emeralds and rubies.

This emerald ballerina ring is stunning, and is reminiscent of the festive period. Or, you could opt for an Art Deco gold ring.

Birth of a new baby

Perhaps the most joyful time in any family’s life is when a baby is born.

Celebrating an occasion such as this one with jewellery feels appropriate, whether you gift jewellery to the baby themselves or to a parent.

Baby bangles in gold or silver are a great gift, and can be engraved with the baby’s name, as well as the date and time they were born.

Whilst this can’t be handed down to the next generation, it can be a wonderful keepsake.

Push presents are a relatively new idea – the new parent is given a gift to appreciate the physical act of giving birth.

Something could be given with the baby’s name on it, or you could treat the new parent to something else altogether, like this beautiful diamond bracelet.

Whilst push parents are usually given to the parent who physically gave birth to the baby, there’s nothing to say that a gift can’t be given to the other parent, too!

Valentine’s Day

This is another stereotypical occasion to give jewellery – and for good reason.

Valentine’s Day is a celebration of love, and what better way to express your love than by giving your significant other a gift that will last forever?

Valentine’s jewellery doesn’t have to be over the top; just a little something to show them you care.

Something heart-shaped can be a great way to commemorate the occasion, such as these sapphire heart drop earrings.

Weddings

Whilst this might be an extravagant gift, it can be suitable to give a loved one the gift of jewellery on their wedding day.

Typically, jewellery is given from parents to their child on their wedding day, but anyone can give jewellery as a gift.

Something simple, such as this Art Deco ruby bangle, could be a beautiful gift for a wedding.

Graduations

Finishing university is a massive accomplishment, and one that should be marked appropriately.

Again, this is an occasion on which a parent could give their child a jewellery gift, or perhaps a partner to their significant other to congratulate them for their hard work and achievements.

A charm could be purchased for a charm bracelet, or for something even more special, a necklace featuring pearls would be a keepsake for life.

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