The second grid is the mix most people picture when they hear the name: sterling silver Cable with a touch of gold. The Classic Cable bracelet with 18K gold end caps at 4mm is the version I see most, and the Buckle Classic Cable adds a gold buckle at the centre. The Cable Collectibles heart bracelet has a small 18K gold heart, and the Cable Flex comes in 4mm with 14K gold, plus a Flex Buckle version.

The Micro Cable Flex pieces are the finest in the grid, with a Petite X station and a heart station, both with 14K gold. The Cable Classic with black onyx and 18K gold is the boldest, the onyx end caps reading almost graphic against the silver.

Mixed metal is the easiest way to wear a David Yurman bracelet with jewellery you already own. The silver body goes with a steel watch, and the gold accent lets you add a yellow gold ring or hoops without anything clashing. A pairing tip: stack a mixed-metal Cable with a plain gold chain bracelet, so the twisted texture and the smooth links play against each other. What I would skip is stacking three or more mixed-metal pieces with gold accents together. The end caps start to compete, and the stack loses the clean line that makes Cable work in the first place.

This is where the original fifty feet of gold wire comes back. The third grid is all 18K gold, starting with the Cable Collectibles buckle bracelet, which is a fine, wearable way into gold Cable. The Cablespira at 3mm adds diamonds, the Micro Cablespira Flex carries an amethyst, and the Cablespira Flex has a pearl and diamonds. The Sculpted Cable Flex at 5mm is the fullest gold Cable here, with the twisted texture at its most sculptural.

Then there are two pieces that move away from the twist. The DY Madison chain bracelet, in 4mm and 3mm, is a smooth link chain rather than a cable, and it shows the cleaner, more modern side of the house. The Stax chain link bracelet with diamonds is the one I would choose for evenings.

A practical test for gold: hold it next to the inside of your wrist in daylight. Yellow gold looks warmest on skin with golden or olive undertones, so if you usually wear silver, start with a slim piece like the 3mm Madison or the Cable Collectibles buckle before going bigger. What I would skip is pairing a solid gold David Yurman bracelet with a heavy silver watch. Choose one metal to lead, and let the other stay small.

The last grid is chains, and the DY Madison leads. It comes here in sterling silver at 3mm, 5.5mm and as the larger 8.5mm small chain bracelet, plus a version in sterling silver with 18K gold. Where Cable is twisted and textured, Madison is smooth and polished, which makes it the easiest David Yurman bracelet to wear with a watch.

Next to it are three other chains with very different moods. The Oval Link chain at 12mm is bold, almost industrial, and the Multi-Row chain layers several fine silver strands into one piece, so it looks like a stack on its own. The Sculpted Cable Center Station chain brings the Cable back as a small diamond station in the middle of a chain. The Bel Aire box chain in 18K gold is the finest of all, a delicate gold line for anyone who prefers barely-there jewellery.

A practical tip: measure your wrist with a strip of paper before you choose a size, then add a little room for a chain to move. Chains look best when they fall slightly toward the hand. What I would skip is wearing a 12mm Oval Link next to a fine Micro Cable. The difference in scale is so big that the fine piece disappears completely.

If I were buying my first David Yurman bracelet, I would choose the Classic Cable in sterling silver with 18K gold at 4mm. It is the design the house was built on, it mixes with silver and gold, and it looks just as right with a T-shirt as with a silk blouse. After that, a DY Madison chain in silver to stack next to it, and gold only once I knew I loved wearing the Cable every day.

Care is easy. Sterling silver darkens a little over time, so wipe it with a soft polishing cloth, store each piece in its own pouch, and take bracelets off before swimming, showering or applying hand cream.

What stays with me about this house is the story of the first Cable bracelet. Sybil gave it away on the street, sure that David would make more, and more than forty years later the twisted wire is still at the centre of everything the house makes. A small act of generosity at the very start feels exactly right for a piece of jewellery so many people now give as a gift. If you want to keep browsing, I also put together The Secondhand Hermes Clic Clac Bracelet, Color by Color and A Lacoste Bracelet.