fashion accessories & custom jewelry

Jewelry Trends

How to Use Costume Jewelry with Style

We’ve all seen her. The over-accessorized woman. She’s the one with the big bangle bracelets, paired with layers of beads and big drop-earrings, and maybe a wide leather belt with a huge brass buckle. You’re not sure where to look first! When not properly coordinated, these items can look like cheap accessories, rather than carefully chosen pieces to complement your wardrobe and to make a style statement.

Costume jewelry is an affordable way to punctuate your outfit, provided you adhere to some basics. The golden rule: There are no rules! Find items that make you feel good when you wear them, and that add a little sizzle to whatever you’re wearing at the time. What you wear on your fingers, wrists, neck or waist will pull the eye to that area and grab the attention of others more than the shoes on your feet or the color of the dress you’re wearing.

Jewelry fashion can be timeless or temporary. And that’s why we love it. Strands of pearls, for example, dress up everything from jeans to a St. John Knits suit. But they’re not your mother’s pearls anymore. Far from the short strand of same-size pearls, today’s beads can reach to your belt and back again – several times over! And the colors can range from a subtle steel gray to neon pink. Have fun. Mix and match.

Fashionistas advise to stay away from sets. A matching set of earrings and a necklace, for example, can look contrived. Pick one item, they say, and make it the focal point of your look. Love that big heart-shaped gem on a chain? Wear it proudly, but skip the matching earrings. Let the necklace shine on its own and select a pair of more subtle earrings that complement the necklace, rather than compete with it.

Love those huge gemstone rings? Go for it. Consider wearing only one at a time, though, in order to allow it to really get noticed.

Use your clothing as the canvas on which your jewelry is displayed. A scoop-neck dress begs for a shorter necklace, while a high-neck top is the perfect frame for that long strand of beads.

We all have favorite items that are special to us, such as a silver wedding band or a charm bracelet. Don’t ditch them just because you’ve chosen a funky, chunky necklace or some gorgeous gold earrings. Mixing metals is fine, fashion experts say.

Your accessory choices are like the icing on the cake; a sweet addition to your look.