An anklet reads as a holiday purchase when it is loose, thin and slightly too long, which describes most of them. The version that reads as jewellery is fitted, in solid metal, and sits just above the ankle bone rather than hanging around the foot. Measure the ankle at its narrowest point and add roughly half an inch, which gives enough movement to be comfortable without the piece sliding down onto the foot. Too tight is uncomfortable when the ankle swells, which it does in heat and after walking, so an adjustable clasp with two or three settings is genuinely useful here rather than a compromise. Weight is the other variable. A very fine chain disappears against skin and reads as string, while a slightly heavier gauge holds a line and looks intentional. Flat chains such as curb and herringbone sit better against the ankle than round ones, which roll. And a single anklet reads more considered than a pair, on one ankle, worn consistently.

An anklet takes more physical abuse than any other piece of jewellery, because it is at the height of everything. Door frames, chair legs, the inside of a boot, another shoe. That argues for solid metal and a robust clasp, and against anything with a delicate charm or a claw-set stone. Plated pieces in this position wear through at the back where the chain rubs against a shoe, and they do it quickly. Gold, silver and stainless steel all work, with the practical note that an anklet worn under socks and shoes all winter will tarnish faster in silver because of trapped moisture. On footwear, an anklet reads best with something that leaves the ankle visible, which is most sandals, mules and lower shoes, and reads oddly under trousers where only a glint appears. That is a matter of taste rather than a rule. Clasp position matters too, since a clasp resting against a shoe is the part that fails first, so wear it with the clasp inward.

Buy one, in solid metal, fitted properly, and wear it constantly rather than seasonally. The reason anklets have a reputation is that most people own a loose plated one bought somewhere hot, and that is a different object from a well-made fitted chain. Skip charms. Skip anything with a set stone, which will not survive contact with the world at that height. Skip plated entirely, for the wear reason. And do not buy two. On sizing, err very slightly loose rather than tight, because ankles change size across a day more than fingers do. If you take one thing away, measure the ankle and buy to the measurement, because fit is the only thing standing between an anklet and looking like a souvenir.