Jewelry is a must for many fashionistas, but almost every girl likes to accessorize their clothes with a touch of precious metals and gemstones. When picking out the perfect jewelry to accent your beautiful outfits, make sure you keep color, scale, style, and the occasion in mind. Check out some great tips and tricks to make sure you look great while accessorizing!
The Perfect Color
Black, white, and other neutral colors can be matched with any color jewelry. However, colored clothing is a different story, as you don’t want jewelry and clothes to clash. Take some time to figure out which clothes are contrasting or complementary to your jewelry, so you immediately know which pieces are an option for each outfit.
While many people prefer to wear the same metal for all their pieces, don’t be afraid of a mixed up, boho look that meshes silver, gold, and other metals together. It’s also fun to play with different gemstone colors the contrast and complement each other and your clothing.
Designing for Scale
The size of your fashion accessories is very important. If you wear lots of bold patterns, then you may want to stick to simple accessories, like gold bangles, a small necklace, and stud earrings. Jewelry that is too busy will fight for attention, and with no focal point to your outfit, the entire ensemble may look tacky.
When it comes to solid color outfits, you can have a little more fun playing with bulky necklace styles and layered chains.
Styled for the Occasion
There are several jewelry styles you can choose from to create a look. Whether you’re dressed for a night at a gala or a day at work, consider where you’re going and how you’re dressing before choosing one of these to accessorize with.
- A classic look consists of pearls or diamonds for formal occasions. You can mix diamonds and pearls together for a fashion forward ensemble.
- A glamorous look for cocktail parties and social events includes more dramatic pieces, like chandelier earrings, bib necklaces, or large cocktail rings.
- Playful, chunky jewelry is perfect for more casual occasions like a night out with your girls.
- For an edgy look, you may want to choose from thick cuff bracelets, choker necklaces, and bold, colored necklaces.
- At a formal workplace, appropriate jewelry consists of delicate necklaces, small, simple earrings, or a classic watch.
- Casual style jewelry is full of candy-colored bracelets, earrings, and necklaces. Casual is a good look for family gatherings or a girl’s night out.
While there are tons of styles to choose from, these categories should provide you with some guidelines as you’re getting dressed to go out. There are no strict requirements when applying these styles, so it’s good to experiment with them to find the perfect look for your closet.
Must Haves
Every woman should build a collection of jewelry that can help her accessorize for a number of occasions. Having a few custom fine jewelry pieces, along with a few statements pieces and some classic items can help you with the basics of your collection. Some specific pieces that fit a number of style trends to include in the core of your collection are:
- A classic watch
- A long chain necklace
- A pair of diamond style stud earrings
- A pair of large metallic hoops
- A pearl necklace
- A bold bracelet
- A bright gemstone set
- A gold locket
Whether you wear just a single pair of earrings or you’re always decked out with multiple pieces, these pieces should make up the basics of your collection. They’re versatile enough for most outfits and occasions, and many of them can be mixed together to create different sets.
For the Married Ladies
Some women have pieces that they wear every single day, like ladies who are married or engaged. Sometimes, the pieces that you never take off have a very specific stylistic look and it’s hard to mix other jewelry styles and still look good. If this is a concern for you, make sure a piece looks good with your current collection before you buy it. If it totally clashes, but you still must have it, consider removing your everyday wear for special occasions.
Build Your Collection to Match Any Outfit
Having a versatile jewelry collection can help extend your wardrobe, as you can achieve multiple looks with one outfit just by changing your jewelry and accessories. Knowing the color wheel and investing in some basic pieces will prepare you for any situation or event that may arise. Check out your current collection and discover whether it’s well rounded enough to include something from each jewelry style.
Author Bio: Lynn Lewis is a freelance writer and personal stylist based in Los Angeles, CA. She has clients throughout LA, Beverly Hills, and Hollywood. She loves writing about fashion and in her free time spends her days roaming boutiques to find the newest trends to bring to her clients.
