Explaining Jewelry: What/Where/When

My daughter and I came down with the flu on Monday, so we've been hanging out in bed and watching Netflix all day while my poor husband shops for crackers and gingerale. Therefore, I've had plenty of time to do some navelgazing and think deep thoughts on important stuff like feminism and jewelry, in that order.

I was thinking about how so much of personal style comes down to the ability to edit. You know, the ability to look in the mirror objectively and be able to see where you're going right or wrong. And jewelry and accessories are probably your greatest chance to edit your look into something more than just "I put on this T-shirt because it has the smallest patch of baby barf."

Knowing where to invest your money in jewelry and when to edit your overall look can make you look like you actually know what you're doing.

I've said it before: I have some hard and fast rules when it comes to jewelry. IN GENERAL, I

• Keep jewelry spaced out -- no big necklaces next to chunky earrings.
• Wear it sparingly.
• Don't compete with my clothes with jewelry.
• Will splurge on lasting fine jewelry.
• Will save on trendy stuff. 

Within those rules are knowing the difference between the various types of jewelry and how/when/where to wear each. Let's break it down, 80s hip hop breakdance-style. Cue the Tone Loc.

Fine Jewelry

Fine jewelry refers to the real stuff, folks. Real gold, real diamonds, real gems, etc, etc. It's the kind of stuff your husband gets you for Valentine's Day if you're lucky or that you buy yourself because you're an independent woman who don't need no man to buy you jewels. Your diamond wedding ring, for example, would qualify as fine jewelry.

And yeah, you're gonna pay for it, which is why you should buy judiciously. These are my "must have" fine jewelry pieces. Of course, these are only must haves if you're in a position to actually purchase fine jewelry. Otherwise, you can feed your kids and skip to the next section.

• A pair of diamond studs. I like round or square, but it's up to you. They will ALWAYS look good and clean and classic, even if they're teeny. 
• A wedding ring set OR if you're not married, a right-hand ring. I have both. I have an engagement ring and three wedding bands, and then Anjolee sent me this crazy gorgeous band that I wear on my right hand. It's original but understated, which means I can wear it every day. Love. 
• A tennis bracelet. It will ALWAYS look elegant. ALWAYS. You could be wearing body glitter and a pink cowboy hat and a shimmery romper and if you had on a pretty bracelet, I can respect that. Mine looks a lot like this, which I think is interesting and graphic without being crazy. 

That's it! I don't even include necklaces on here, because while I have fine jewelry necklaces, I don't think I'd die without them. I think necklaces are the easiest to change out and make a statement with, so I prefer to buy trendy necklaces and spend money on pretty rings instead.

 Heirloom Jewelry

I am the least sentimental person on the planet. But I do get a little tender about jewelry because I really like a visual reminder of a person. Here's where it's tricky: There are guides on the Internet that tell you what color of jewelry you're supposed to wear based on your skin tone and I think it's a load of crap. It's jewelry. Wear what you want. According to my cool skin tone, I should be wearing only silver, but if I stuck with that, I'd miss out on some of my favorite jewelry pieces passed down to me.

My Nanny (very Canadian name for Grandma) was very into jewelry and when she passed, I inherited some seriously cool pieces from her. She also left me a bunch of books that she knew I'd love, but I feel like I get to wear and use the jewelry so much more often.

The other day, I was wearing my RCAF WWII Sweetheart's locket (seen here). My Grandad gave it to my Nanny when he was stationed overseas and their very young pictures are inside. Anyway, I was at a bakery and the cashier was like "OMG I love your locket, where did you get it?" And telling her that it was my grandmother's was awesome. It's big and gold and it's one of the best pieces I own (she also gave me an AMAZING garnet bracelet).

What I'm saying is that the best way to own heirloom jewelry is to actually wear it. Unless it's incredibly fragile, I think that whoever left you the piece would want you to enjoy it, even if it doesn't match your skin tone or it's technically out of fashion.

One of the main reasons I thoughtfully buy fine jewelry is that I want to have pieces to pass down to my own kids one day. It's important that they have useable reminder, not just something sits on a shelf, you know?

Costume Jewelry

Finally, here's where it gets fun. Costume jewelry is cheap, trendy and not built to last. While I don't mind spending $$ on fine jewelry, I am the cheapest sonofagun when it comes to buying trendy pieces for a season.


And, since jewelry tastes vary, I'll show you some of my favorite places to shop for trendy costume jewels -- page through and see what you like:

Forever 21: Tons of selection and WAY cheap, but the stuff falls apart pretty quick. I hit here when I need a statement piece for like, a night or a specific outfit and I won't be wearing it every day.

forever 21 jewelry

Kohls: Slightly better quality than Forever 21 and they have a decent fine jewelry department too. I like buying jewelry here as gifts.

kohls jewelry

H&M: I like H&M for gold pieces. They actually do a pretty good job. I buy a lot of pretty hair pins, etc. there.

h&m jewelry

Macys: I like department stores because they have a HUGE selection and usually have some type of sale. While they will have lots of fine jewelry, searching "fashion jewelry" yields the good stuff on the cheap.

macys fashion jewelry

I mean, we're talking basically throwaway stuff that won't last more than a season or two. Costume jewelry is also a great way to try out a trend to decide if you'd like to spend more money on the real deal, ie: I really liked bow earrings so I bought a cheap pair from F21. When I found that I was wearing them on the reg, I bought a nice pair.

Seriously, I wouldn't spend more than like $20 on a trendy necklace or bracelet and cap it around $10 for earrings and rings.


And that, my friends, is what happens when you have the flu and nothing to do all day. I think I'm on the mend... I don't feel as sick, just weak and tired. Sooo basically look forward to an en-depth post on parting your hair or something.

For now, I'm wondering about your favorite type of jewelry. Are you a minimal girl or are you all about the stacks on stacks on stacks?