A fresh study of the available documentation enables us to identify between thirty-five and forty-one gems that initially belonged to Peter Paul Rubens and, later on, to the 1st Duke of Buckingham and to Gaston, Duke of Orléans. This paper thus argues that Gaston acquired about a fourth of the Duke of Buckingham’s collection of ancient gems and that he did so in Paris, during the Fronde. It also appears that Gaston selected the gems according to topics of interest. Many of the gems he acquired pertain (or could pertain) to political iconography (e.g. royal and imperial portraits, featuring, in particular, Alexander the Great, but also mythological scenes involving Hercules and Apollo). Such scenes are often engraved on prestigious and sizeable cameos. These images of power are a possible testimony to Gaston’s political ambitions at the time he bought his collection. Other gems selected by the Duke include “erotic” scenes and references to the pleasures of wine (e.g. depictions of nude females, children’s bacchanalia…). Finally, a third group of scenes show an interest in pagan religions (e.g. representations of Egyptian gods and scenes of sacrifice).