I woke up very early because my phone was ringing off the hook. When I finally answered it half asleep I was met with a very distraught sounding David, my old school friend. He had forgotten his fifth wedding anniversary to his gorgeous wife Lucy...

I nearly bashed the phone against my head then and there. Instead, I took a deep breath and asked what the current situation was. Apparently she had stormed out of the house in tears and turned her mobile off. I gently told him what a screw up he was and that he immediately needed to implement damage limitation tactics and to go on the charm offensive - quite literally. He needed to invest in lashings and lashings of bling.

Nothing says "I've forgotten our anniversary like the idiot that I am" more than delicious, sweetie-sized stones and charms.

The equation for how much money he needed to spend, we decided, should be based on how many hours she ignored him for. This was our plan:

1 hour - Laura Lee Nameplate Coin Necklace

Long fine chains with cute pendants are all the rage, especially ones from achingly hip jewellery designer Laura Lee. You even get to engrave it with your own personal inscription. I suggested that David might want to get one too, engraved with 'prize fool'.

Up to 5 hours - Zoe and Morgan Blue Sapphire Solitaire Ring

Zoe and Morgan is the jewellery brand of choice for fashion editors and their designs have been worn by some of the fashion world's most elite figures. This delicate ring is brushed gold, which can be stacked with the star, or with just the emerald, ruby and diamond.

Up to 10 hours - Neo Deco Rhodium Large Pearl Necklace

Alexis Bittar is the go-to-guy for brilliantly bright, tongue-in-cheek costume jewellery whose creations have graced the outfits of famous personalities worldwide. All women are utterly smitten with his blinged-up Lucite look, which he won designer of the year for. 

Up to 15 hours - Susan Caplin Vintage Chanel Logo Shield Pendent

One sure way of getting it right is the vintage option. Whispering chic rather than screaming 'look at me', the old stuff just looks more stylish. And you don't need to trawl the markets to find it. The Susan Caplin Vintage collection delivers immaculately restored designer stuff including Chanel. And as Coco Chanel said herself, "fashion fades, only style remains". Just like this necklace.

24 hours - David Morris bracelet

As the man who provided jewellery for no less than four James Bond films, David Morris is world renowned for his handcrafted pieces. This 18ct white gold bangle, which contains Burma rubies and 10.59cts of white diamonds, is typical of his reassuringly expensive designs. This piece is for the man who has a lot to say sorry for...

For David's sake I hope she gets back to him rather quickly...