The syntheses, structural determinations, and magnetic studies of two trinuclear Ni-Gd-Ni complexes are described. The structural studies demonstrate that the two complexes present a linear arrangement of the Ni and Gd ions, with Ni ions in slightly distorted square-pyramidal or octahedral environments in complexes 1 and 2, respectively. The Ni and Gd ions are linked by two or three phenoxo bridges, so that complexes 1 and 2 present edge-sharing or face-sharing bridging cores. Ferromagnetic interactions operate in these complexes. While a unique J parameter is able to fit the magnetic data of complex 2, two very different J constants are needed for 1. This result is at first sight surprising, for the structural data of the two Ni-O-2-Gd cores in complex 1 are quite similar (similar Ni-O and Gd-O bond lengths, similar angles, and dihedral angles), the only difference coming from the angle between the planes defined by the Gd ion and the two bridging phenoxo oxygen atoms of each Ni-O-2-Gd half core. This latter magnetic behavior can be considered as a signature for the participation of 5d Gd-III orbitals in the exchange interaction mechanism and can explain why edge-sharing complexes have larger J parameters than face-sharing complexes.