What Jewelry Should I Wear?

Picking out clothes, accessorizing, doing hair and makeup can be frustrating.  It’s great to have a lot of choices, but too many can often be distracting and lead to indecision. If you think that you are alone, don’t worry, you are not.  Women spend an average of 90 minutes a week stressing out about choosing what to wear.

Jewelry and accessories are the keys to your success!  Here are some helpful tips on how to coordinate your jewelry with your outfit:

1.    Take inventory – This will remind you what jewelry you have.  You may be surprised to see pieces you haven’t worn in some time.  Your jewelry collection should at least contain some of the basics.  At the very least, every woman should have one of the following jewelry items:

·        A gold chain

·         Diamond bracelet

·         Pearl earrings

·         Pearl necklace

·         A cocktail ring

·         Stacking rings

·         A silver or gold watch

·         Diamond stud earrings

·         Gold or Silver Bangle bracelet(s)

·         A charm bracelet

·         Gold or Silver hoop earrings

·         A pendant necklace

·         A Statement piece

·         A long layered necklace

2.    Consider your outfit.  Are you wearing a busy outfit? What colors are you wearing? Whatever you are wearing, your jewelry needs to compliment it. So a busy outfit will require subdued jewelry, such as stud earrings, a short diamond pendant necklace.  Colorful clothing will require less colorful jewelry.  White or gray pearls and silver jewelry.  Conversely, simple outfits with basic colors will allow you to wear bigger hoops, and more colorful jewelry. 

3.    Dress for the occasion.  I am not an advocate for conformity but simply good style sense.  And you really don’t want to feel uncomfortable in your surroundings but even so you still want to feel comfortable in your own skin.  So my advice is simple.  For formal occasions scale it back and tone it down.  For casual occasions let it all hang out.  Be brave and bold just remember rule #2 above.  If you are wearing jewelry at work then usually less is more.  You don’t want jewelry that is going to get in the way of your work nor do you want to appear unprofessional.  Not to be a conformist but if you aren’t sure what jewelry to wear at work then simply observe what others are wearing as a guide.

4.    Mix it up!  Don’t worry about mixing your metals.  You can wear gold, silver, gunmetal, brass etc.  Also consider mixing different textures, widths or sizes.  Stack rings, stack cuffs, bangles, watches, and necklaces.

5.    Don’t match your jewelry color to your clothing color.  You need to wear complimentary colors.  Complimentary colors are those colors that are on the opposite side of the color wheel.  To be on the safe side, silver, diamonds and pearls usually go with anything.  Just remember to dress for the occasion.

6.    Choosing the right necklace can be frustrating especially if you have a limited selection.  Your necklace should complement the neckline of your clothing.  For crew neck cuts wear longer layered necklaces or a statement necklace.  For V neckline cuts wear the length of the necklace should be set so the necklace V is parallel to the clothing neckline V.

7.  Choose a focal point.  One piece of jewelry should be the focus or the centerpiece of your outfit.  The remaining pieces should not compete with the centerpiece.

Follow these tips and you will beam brightly, feel confident and look amazing!  -  Trish