Fit first. Wrap a strip of paper around the wrist where the bracelet will sit, mark where it meets and measure it flat, then add about half an inch for a bracelet that moves and closer to a quarter for one you want to sit snug. A tennis bracelet is best worn slightly loose so the line of stones rolls to the top of the wrist on its own.

Then the clasp, which is where bracelets are lost. A box clasp with a figure-eight safety catch is the standard on anything set with stones, and it is worth insisting on: a bracelet is the one piece of jewellery you cannot feel come loose. Check the catch each time you put it on, in the same way you would check a watch strap.

Wrists take more knocks than any other place jewellery is worn — desks, door handles, car doors. A bezel or channel setting protects the stones behind metal and suits constant wear; prongs let in more light and are better for a piece kept for occasions. Neither is more fragile than the other when made properly, but one forgives more.