How to Choose a Gemstone That Truly Feels Right for You

When we buy jewellery, we all hope we won't regret our choice. But perhaps, rather than looking for a gemstone we won't regret, it is more important to find one that genuinely feels right for us.

Regret is one of the quieter emotions in jewellery.

It usually doesn't happen when you first buy a piece. At the time, everything may feel right - the stone is beautiful, the craftsmanship is good, and the choice makes sense.

It is often much later, when the excitement has settled and life has changed, that you start to wonder why you don't wear it as much as you thought you would.

At PICS, we don't think this necessarily means you chose the “wrong” gemstone. Sometimes, the decision was simply made before you had enough time to understand what you were really responding to.

When Familiar Choices Feel Safer

Some gemstones and jewellery styles feel like safe choices simply because we have seen them so many times. They are familiar and easily recognised. Over time, the market has also built strong ideas around what makes a gemstone desirable, valuable or appropriate for a particular occasion.

That familiarity can be reassuring, especially when buying a significant piece of jewellery.

It makes questions like these easier to answer:

Is this a good choice?

Will other people understand why I chose it?

Will I still like it years from now?

But familiarity and personal preference are not always the same thing.

There is nothing wrong with choosing something classic. The important thing is knowing whether you chose it because you genuinely wanted it, or because it was simply easier to feel confident about.

Impulse and Intuition Are Different

When choosing jewellery, we often talk about “following your intuition”. But intuition isn't quite the same as impulse.

Impulse wants an answer quickly. It can come from excitement, comparison, reassurance from other people, or simply wanting to stop feeling uncertain.

Intuition tends to be quieter. You may find yourself looking at the same gemstone again and again without quite knowing why. Perhaps there is something about its colour, inclusions, shape or character that keeps catching your attention. You may even find yourself drawn to a stone you never expected to like. That is worth noticing. Not because every first reaction is meaningful, but because curiosity can sometimes reveal something that a checklist cannot.

A Good Gemstone Can Still Be the Wrong Choice for You

A gemstone can be rare, beautifully coloured, well cut and highly regarded and still not be the stone you reach for years later.

This is one of the things I find fascinating about jewellery. “Good” and “right for you” are not always the same thing.

Sometimes regret doesn't look like disappointment at all. It looks like a beautiful piece that simply stays in the jewellery box, or in the safe. You may still admire the stone. You may still appreciate the craftsmanship. You just don't feel like wearing it.

That can happen when a gemstone is chosen because it represents an idea of value, rather than because something about the stone genuinely appeals to you.

Give Yourself Time to Choose

This is why we encourage a slower approach to choosing jewellery at PICS.

If a gemstone catches your attention, give yourself time to really look at it. See how its colour changes in different light. Turn it around and notice what you see from different angles.Look closely at its inclusions, texture and small details. Compare it with other stones, and notice which one you keep coming back to. There is no need to rush towards an answer.

Sometimes, the more you look, the more you discover. Sometimes, the initial attraction starts to fade. Both are useful answers. Most importantly, give yourself enough time to understand what is drawing you to the stone before deciding whether it is truly the one for you.

Jewellery That Still Feels Like You

It is natural to feel excited when you find a piece of jewellery you love. That excitement is part of the joy of choosing something special. But once the excitement of the moment settles, what remains?

Our tastes evolve. Our priorities change. We become different versions of ourselves. The jewellery that stays meaningful is often the jewellery that continues to feel like you through those changes.

Maybe it is the colour you still love years later.

Maybe it is an unusual inclusion that makes the stone unlike anything else you own.

Maybe it simply carries a feeling or memory that becomes more personal with time.

There may not be one clear reason.

And that's okay.

Perhaps the best question is not simply:

“Is this the right gemstone?”

but:

“What is it about this gemstone that keeps making me look again?”

Sometimes, that answer is what makes a piece feel truly your own.

Discover the Hidden Beauty – Coloured Stones – Exclusive Private Viewing Session 7

Our seventh Private Viewing Session is an invitation to slow down before making a decision. To look beyond familiar ideas of what a gemstone should be. To explore colour, character, inclusions, craftsmanship and the small details that make each stone different.

Most importantly, it is a chance to discover what you are actually responding to.

Some choices lose their appeal quickly.

Others quietly become part of your life, so naturally that, years later, you never feel the need to explain why you chose them.

Session 7 will be held on 23–25 October 2026.

To register your interest, please complete the form.