Metal Bookmarks & Clips

Short answer: buy a boxed paper set for variety and for giving away, a metal bookmark or clip when you want one object that stays with the book. Paper sets are $5.99 for 20 to 30 pieces; the 12-piece brass set is $8.99.

What is on the shelf

• Boxed paper sets. 30PCS Van Gogh Art Works Paper Bookmarks, 30PCS Vintage Mood Scene Theme and 30PCS Vintage Scenery Theme are all $5.99, in a keepsake box. 20PCS Nature Themed Paper Bookmarks at $5.99 trades quantity for larger artwork per bookmark.
• Brass. 12Pcs Brass Mini Bookmarks, Number 1-12 Planner Page Clips at $8.99 — numbered, so they double as page markers for a planner or a reference book.
• Clips. 20Pcs Book Shaped Paper Clips with Heart at $5.99, 30 x 20 mm, for marking a stack rather than a single page.
• Single metal bookmarks. Metal Ginkgo Leaf Bookmark at $5.99, vintage autumn leaves with a pendant cord.

How to choose

Paper if you lend books, mark many pages at once, or want a set to give away. Metal if the book stays with you and you want the marker to still be there in a year. The numbered brass set is the one to buy for a planner, since the number tells you which section you are in without opening it.

What we check

Paper bookmarks are checked at the edge: whether the artwork bleeds to the trim line, and whether the card stock holds a spot of gloss without curling after a week inside a closed book. Metal is checked for burrs — a stamped metal bookmark with a sharp edge is a scratch waiting to happen against a page — and for spring tension on clips, which should grip a thick paperback without denting the paper.

Using it well

Put a paper bookmark behind the page rather than on top of it: it protects the page and it will not fall out when the book is picked up. For a planner, number the sections with the brass clips once and leave them in place permanently. And if you write on the back of a paper bookmark, use pencil — most sets are printed on one side only, and gel ink will ghost onto the page above.