I Want To Wear Jewellery But I Don't Know How

by Amie DiCarlo April 15, 2020

HOW TO START WEARING JEWELLERY WHEN YOU DON’T KNOW WHERE TO START

Prior to our quarantine, I had a friend come up to me and ask me a really interesting question. She said, "Amie, I see you wear all this jewellery and it looks so good. I want to wear it too, but I just don't know how. How do you start wearing jewellery if you are not used to wearing it?" I thought to myself, what an interesting question. I really had to break it down in my mind, using the experiences I've gathered from styling so many women. So here it is: follow these simple steps, even if it may feel a little strange at first. I promise you that in good time if you stick to this process you too will become a seasoned jewellery-wearing fashionista. And most importantly, remember to have fun with it.

Step 1. Find Your Comfort Zone

You're not used to wearing jewellery, so you will want to start with one category. Pick what you think you would feel most comfortable wearing, just to start: rings, earrings, bracelets, or necklaces. And begin with basic metals: gold, silver, rose gold, or gunmetal. These basic colours act as neutrals and work with virtually everything.

Step 2. Start Small

Whatever category you decide to start with, begin with small items in terms of scale. For example, if the category you've decided to start with is earrings, start by wearing either a pair of small studs or thin hoop earrings. Alternatively, if the category you've made up your mind to begin with is bracelets, try a thin pull-string bracelet or a stretch bracelet that is easy to put on and take off. If necklaces is the category that you've picked, try something small, like a chain pendant. And last but not least, if you've hand-picked the rings category (pun intended), try an adjustable thin ring so that you can play with wearing it on different fingers.

Step 3. Make It A Habit

Since wearing jewellery is not something you're used to, it may feel a little odd at first. You're exploring new territory so you may consciously pay more attention to it on your body than you should. You might feel the weight of the earrings, or you may find the ring to be cumbersome. The necklace might tangle with your hair a bit. The level of annoyance you may feel from your bracelet moving around your skin might be over the top. But you must understand that these feelings will go away. It's just your body adjusting to new things. What you have to do is make the unfamiliar become familiar. How you do this is wear the jewellery every day for 21 days, the minimum amount of days it is proven to break your habit. Behaviour changes through the repetition of an idea. I mean it, even if you’re going to the grocery store, put it on! Even if you’re at home all day, wear it. Now is a good time during quarantine to develop new habits.That might sound absurd but trust me this is one of the most important steps of the process.

Step 4. Gradually Add Layers

Now that you're accustomed to wearing jewellery on a certain part of your body, you're ready for the next step: layering categories. For example, if you've been experimenting with earrings in the last several weeks, keep those babies on and add a bracelet or two. If you've been sporting a cute necklace in the last little while, add some rings. Wear these added categorical layers for another 21 days. By then you will be start feeling a lot more comfortable. If you're ready to take it the next level after these 21 days, try moving to the next round adding a 3rd category, and so forth.

Step 5. Keep Your Jewellery Organized

The most challenging part about wearing jewellery is keeping it organized. If your jewellery is left unorganized, unable or difficult to find, you will not be inclined to wear it. You'll just fall back into the temptation of leaving home without it. But you've committed to wearing jewellery now since it's something you've always wanted to do, so why not make it easier for yourself by keeping it neatly organized and visible. There are many ways to organize your jewellery, and to be honest, I could write another blog about it which I probably will provided there's demand for it; but to start, and to keep it simple at the beginning, get yourself a medium size jewellery box with compartments and keep it on your dresser. If you don't want to purchase a jewellery box, use an empty shoe box or tray. Use plastic zip lock bags to separate your items so that they don't tangle or knock each other. The main thing is to remember to always put your jewellery back in the spot from which you took it.

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Things to Consider Before You Even Begin

Your Budget: You can buy stud earrings for $10 or $100. Regardless of price, you will want to ensure that the jewellery you're purchasing is nickel free. If you’re buying something cheap and chic, be open to the fact that it may (or may not) tarnish on you in time. You can still find cheap and chic jewellery that is longer lasting. Keep in mind that if you’re just playing with the idea of wearing jewellery right now, staying committed to see if it's something you want to marry for life, the option for cheap and chic might be okay before you decide to invest in something a little more expensive.

Mixing Metals: This was always considered taboo. Style has become a lot more eclectic than it used to be. A lot of women still like to keep the jewellery all in one tone: so, for example ,if they're wearing silver earrings, any other jewellery pieces they put on must be silver metal. That's a classic girl trait and it's perfectly okay. If you want to mix your metal colours that's okay too, but it still requires a certain type of story making. For example, if you're wearing silver earrings and a rose gold bracelet, add a silver ring to complete the story so that it all works. Or if you're wearing a gold necklace, wear earrings that have a mix of silver and gold so that they story line is continued.

Your Outfit Matters: At a more intermediate level, the jewellery you decide to wear will somewhat be determined by your outfit. The colour, neckline, length, cut, silhouette, texture, pattern, print, and other accessories in the mix such as shoes and handbags all determine what type of jewellery will look best. When wearing jewellery to match an outfit, you're in a sense painting a picture and therefore balance plays an integral part. For this reason, jewellery styling really requires a scenario by scenario vantage point. Having said that, I can here provide some basic rules of the game. Keep in mind however that while this is a start, these so called rules can be broken when necessary, and sometimes should be. But we can get into that in another blog post.

BASIC RULES OF THE JEWELLERY STYLING GAME

Here are some basic elements of jewellery styling.

NECKLINES

Collared shirts – Chunky statement necklaces or pendant chains are optimal. Short earrings are also a good option.

V necks – Short necklaces or long necklaces work really well as long as they sit either above or below the neckline. What you don't want is for them to sit right at the v. Long earrings are also a great alternative.

Crew neck – Short necklaces worn at the neckline or long necklaces work best here. In this case what you don't want is the necklace to sit above the neckline. In regards to earrings, a shorter length or static type button earring or stud is best.

Off The Shoulder – Statement short necklaces are best with this cut. Long necklaces can also work if the fabric you're wearing is smooth.

Cowl Neck – It's best to not wear a necklace with this neckline. Stick to earrings if possible.

One Shoulder – Chokers look great with this cut. You can wear a short or long necklace if you like to play with lines, but if you want to show off the cut, then don’t. Alternatively, any type of earring is a good option.

COLOURS AND PATTERNS

Basic Colour - If you're wearing an outfit that is basic black, white, or nude, any colourful jewellery works to add a pop of colour.

Patterns - If you're wearing an outfit with patterns, wear solid colour jewellery or a basic metal with no sparkle. Try to focus on silhouettes and pick up a shape in the pattern of your outfit to correspond with the piece of jewellery you wear. For example, if you're wearing polka-dots, try a pair of earrings that are rounded in some way.

RINGS

Consider the size of your hands. It’s about balance.

Small Hands / Long Nails - If you have small hands but long nails, don’t shy away from chunky rings. Thin rings are also a good option.

Small Hands / Short Nails - If you have small hands and short nails, thin rings and dainty rings look best.

Big Hands / Long Nails - If you have big hands and long nails, sport medium size rings or large chunky rings to make a statement. The choice is yours.

Big Hands / Short Nails - If you have big hands and short nails, opt for medium sized rings. Avoid chunky rings.

BRACELETS

Matchy-Matchy - Your earrings and necklaces must always match well. An identical match is great, but not necessary as long as the colour and style work well together. For example, if your necklace has floral rosettes, don't wear geometric earrings. Your bracelet however is situated lower and while it looks great for it to identically match your necklace and earrings as a set, it doesn’t have to be an exact match. As long as it ties in by colour or style that's perfectly fine. For example, if you're wearing a gold crystal necklace and matching earrings, don't wear a plain metal bracelet. Try to tie in something that has some gold crystal in it.

Large Wrist - If your wrist is large, you have the luxury of wearing wide bracelets and showing them off because you have enough scale. However you may find that they may make your wrist look even larger. If that bothers you, opt for thinner bracelets for a slimming effect.

Small Wrist - If your wrist is small, you may find that large thick bracelets look off balance. You can wear a wide cuff but as long as its flat as opposed to chunky, you'll be on point. Thin bangles or wire bracelets look best.

THE WHY - FIND YOUR PURPOSE

Now that you have some of the basics covered, I hope you feel ready and inspired to use this time to develop the new habit of wearing jewellery! It begs the question, why do women even want to wear jewellery? Why should we even bother wearing it? In order to stick with the commitment of wearing jewellery, it's important to find your purpose in wearing it.

In prehistoric times, once survival necessities like food and shelter were satisfied, our ancestors began to wear jewellery made of leather or reeds decorated with things like animal teeth, bones and feather. This represents humanity's tendency towards "higher needs". In this sense, wearing jewellery was a form of elevation and is still today.

Today with most of our survival needs being met for the most part, there are so many more reasons as to why we wear jewellery. For one, wearing jewellery is form of statement. It expresses who you are, what you feel and what you like. In this sense, it adds flavour to your life.

Wearing jewellery is also a visual indicator for some: it reveals wealth or a class you want to belong to or may belong to.

Some women wear jewellery because it symbolizes some kind of special meaning for them: a past or present love and connection to something or someone special. It can imbue a memory and in this way a feeling as if you're looking at an old photograph. It can capture a moment in time.

Some women wear jewellery consciously or unconsciously to enhance beautification and attract attention, and there's nothing wrong with that. Embrace it! You may even be a point of inspiration for someone else. After all the world needs more beauty.

Wearing jewellery is also a form of empowerment. It's like wearing armour: it becomes a part of your personality and builds personal confidence.

It's also interesting to note that the parts of the body where we typically wear jewellery is strongly sexual: necklaces may draw attention to the breasts, earrings direct the eyes to the erogenous zones of your ears, rings draw attention to the hands that can give pleasure. It's important to note that whatever you feel your reason to wearing jewellery, you identify with it and have fun with it.

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Stay tuned for more upcoming blog posts on jewellery styling. If you have a specific question, please don't hesitate to send me an email and I can offer my assistance!

Stay happy xo

Amie DiCarlo

info@artemistheboutique.com