Managing your Bling

When it comes to bling (aka jewelry) management, it's all a matter of personal taste according to the beauty and fashion consultants that I am closest to. (my daughters) My involvement in the jewelry and fashion business has caused me to do a little bling wearing exploration over the years so the following is a list of suggested jewelry wearing rules and regulations. In my conversations with those involved in the fashion and jewelry industry, these are the bling-wearing tips I have come away with.


Let me start by saying that when I was growing up the media message that made its way to me about jewelry was that Diamonds are a Girls Best Friend. Based on the way the women in my life talk about their jewelry bobbles and bangles if diamonds are really a girl's best friend the to me that would make jewelry a girl's soul-sister. In fact, jewelry is such an influential accessory that the women I know will sometimes choose one fabulous looking piece jewelry and then proceed to build an outfit around it. According to them, you can positively ruin a perfectly great outfit by wearing the wrong bling.

So before I get into the suggestions I've picked up, from the unofficial jewelry experts around me, let me mention some no-nos that you should be aware of.

Keep it simple, don’t overdo it with jewelry. Wear no more than one big piece such as a necklace or earrings.

Avoid wearing an ankle bracelet or toe ring with a dressy outfit. Word is to do so can look trashy.

If you have chunky rings wear them alone also limit the number of rings.

For after-hours occasions, replace your basic day jewelry with more festive pieces.

Now for the good stuff. Here’s what you can do with jewelry.

It takes a confident person to wear bold jewelry. Going bold is great and screams “I’m okay with standing out in the crowd and I want everyone to know it!” What it shouldn’t do is over-accessorize the wrong outfit. Don’t wear prints with big and bold jewelry. Sleek all black or all white wardrobe fashion item pieces are perfect with colorful jewelry.

Get used to mixed metals because it’s not taboo to mix gold and silver. Just remember to keep the style of jewelry the same. Stacking square or round bangles in different shades of gold and silver is fine. You can even layer gold and silver necklaces for a modern look.

Wear the right length necklace, because wearing the wrong length necklace can throw any outfit out of balance. Here are some easy guidelines to help avoid that situation. V-neck, boat-neck and off the shoulder tops look great with collar necklaces. Chokers are great with strapless or plunging necklines. The most common length is between 17-19 inches that can be worn with most necklines except high ones. Plunging necklines look great with a necklace length of 20-24 inches. Very high necklines are perfect for 28-34 inch necklace. This length can also be doubled for a multi-strand look.