I may know a lot about some things (cultural history of monsters, the mastheads of all magazines ever, OK Go fan trivia — I’m a dork. Sue me) but if there’s something that I can claim ignorance about, it’s jewelry. I own a very sad and very confused collection of baubles that I never wear, but the Stylish Wanderer’s tips below might pull me into the pro-jewelry camp. Read on!
xoConnie
Hey Chictopians! I’m super excited to write this little article about jewelry for you all! Hope you enjoy!
Waaaay before my interest in clothes (imagine me in skorts and sparkly tank tops everyday—eek!), I was in love with jewelry. They were sparkly, precious, and just all around gorgeous. I received a bunch of costume jewelry from my grandmother when she passed away, and family members would routinely give me “jewels” for gifts. I’m here to teach you some tricks of the trade, and I hope you come out of this with a need for something shiny and precious.
You know the song, If You Seek Amy? Well, do not seek out jewelry! I really have this theory that jewelry comes to you, you do not come to jewelry. Basically, I’ve never woken up one morning and gone “I need a ring!” and then found it that day. It’s always when you least expect it. And ask everyone you know to give you jewelry as gifts, especially if you live in a small town and have family elsewhere because chances are that they’ll have different selections in their area and have access to pieces you wouldn’t be able to find.
Probably the most valuable thing I’ve learned is that flea markets and antique stores are goldmines for amazing jewelry! So grab a friend or your mother who will most likely agree to go along because of the furniture and household items that you can also find at the above mentioned places (*editor’s note: LOL. I like to look at antique furniture. Bah).
A few quick tips for you all,
1. Try to avoid plastic. Really, you wanna look like $1,000,000 not $1, and try to achieve that by giving the cheapy necklaces and bracelets the cold shoulder.
2. Layer the same colors! I haven’t really ever seen a situation where gold and silver go well together. Also, try to stick with the same finishes! It looks sort of weird to wear a really shiny silver bracelet with an old rough matte cuff.
3. Statement necklaces. Love ‘em! But try to avoid looking too busy by wearing it by itself. Also, pair it with basic clothing.
4. If it looks cheap to you, don’t buy it. If you think it looks like bad quality, what makes you think that other people will be fooled?
5. Simple thin silver chains are probably the easiest piece of jewelry to layer and wear. This is a fool proof way to look fantastic.
6. If you wanna be real, pure gold is expensive, sterling silver is not. Gold can sometimes be tacky, but I really think it can be hard to make silver look that way.
Most importantly, have fun with it and experiment! It’s not like clothes where if you wear it out of the house that’s it, its a done deal. If you don’t like a bracelet you put on in the morning you can easily take it off at lunch. Jewelry is my favorite part of an outfit, and I hope you think so too.
(All items in collage pictures from Forever 21, all Polaroids are my own jewelry)
