Help me find jewellry that will stand the test of time

[BuntyCollocks]

My lovely inlaws have given me a budget of £250, which I would be willing to add probably about another £100 to for something lovely, that is classic, and beautiful. This piece is to be handed down to my newborn dd on her 16th birthday, but I've to wear it until that point.

She was born at the very end of December, on a Saturday (so that birth month stone/birth day stone can be taken into account, potentially - birth month stone is taken as ruby or turquoise, and birth day as diamond, according to wiki).

I personally wear mostly platinum and white gold/silver, but for special pieces I do have some yellow gold (an Alex Monroe necklace DH got me for Christmas that makes reference to DD's middle name - thankfully she looked like the name we'd picked! And a ring from my grandmother).

I'm not fussed on what the jewellry is, ie, necklace, earrings etc - I want to steer clear of a ring, though, as she looks like she'll have lovely, skinny fingers, and mine are sausage like.

I would go for a necklace rather than earrings as you don't know whether she will have her ears pierced. If I'm being honest, I would choose something that you like as you are going to be wearing it for 16 years and you have no idea what her taste in jewellery will be like. My dd is 15 and we have completely different tastes - I like plain, classic things and she likes something a bit out of the ordinary.

I'd start a charm bracelet - either a traditional gold one with vintage hanging charms, or possibly a more robust and practical Trollbeads bracelet (with all silver/two-tone charms on it which are tasteful and won't date). You could get a 9ct gold bracelet and a few lovely vintage charms from ebay within your budget, or you could at present get this and some charms for 30% off (I've ordered from them before, they're trustworthy).

I personally prefer the Trollbeads option - it's much less fragile, and some of the sterling silver beads are wonderfully detailed. I don't use glass or huge charms on mine, and I have about 50/50 official and artisan charms which are all beautiful and mean something to me. Also, they've been around since the 70s and aren't as twee as Pandora etc IMO, so I don't think they're likely to date as long as the charms are carefully chosen.

Thanks for the suggestions :) I already have a charm bracelet which she'll be getting, so a great suggestion, but already taken care of! I think a necklace is a great idea ... Just need to find something, now.

A lovely locket?

I think personally I'd go for a plain diamond pendant, something like this as its timeless rather than fashionable.

Hm, in that case, have you thought about some really good quality pearls?

The Pearl Gallery in Birmingham is fantastic, and within your budget you could easily get her 2 lovely freshwater necklaces (one ivory, one peacock) that wouldn't date or look inappropriate in any environment.

e.g. ivory, double row

and peacock, single row

I bought myself a set of good freshwater peacock pearls once with some prize money I won during my degree, and I'm so glad I did. I wear them almost every day, they look more lovely as they get older, and I know they'll always look beautiful, tasteful and appropriate regardless of context.

I would buy something classic like a diamond solitaire pendant which could be melted down to make something else if she wanted to.

DH bought me a long string of freshwater pearls for my 30th 6 years ago and I love them. They are various shades and I get asked about them all the time. Something I will definitely pass onto DD.
My grandmother left me a sturdy silver locket when she died. Inside it has a picture of my grandfather and also a picture of me when I was a baby. It's lovely and of huge sentimental value to me.

I have a beautiful 3 diamond ring from my grandmother which I wear everyday - I had it altered to fit when I inherited it, so the size isn't necessarily the issue with a ring.
I also have a brooch, a plain gold line with a pearl in the middle which MIL gave me on my wedding day, it is handed to the wife of the eldest son when she marries into the family. Actually that should read as "The Family"
I almost never wear it though.
I like the idea of a diamond pendant, she could change the chain if she didn't like it and diamonds are timeless. You could then get her diamond earrings to go with it on her 21st
What about a classic bracelet but not a charm one?

Have a look at Astley Clarke, they have some really nice stuff on there.

Pearls may be a goer - I have lovely pearl earrings they could go with until she gets them.

I already have a diamond solitaire necklace dh bought me last year, which is more than I'd be spending now, so I likely wouldn't wear a smaller one, and DMIL wants me to have the use of this jewellery just now, otherwise that would be perfect.

I've seen a lovely rose gold bracelet here but not sure if it's 'classic' enough?

Also, this necklace, but again, I'm not sure if it would date (her middle name is daisy, so I like the idea of tying in with that, maybe).