Everybody does it. You get up in the morning, open the closet and decide what to wear. The decision will be based on what you’re doing that day or evening, or what you’re in the mood to wear. But everyone has a personal style preference that can always be enhanced by the jewelry that is worn. And no matter what your style is, there’s always the perfect piece of vintage jewelry waiting for you. Most likely, you’re a combination of styles, but lean more towards one. Let’s take a look at four style categories and the jewelry that goes with it.
Glamour Girl
If you love dressing up to go out, you’re up on all the latest couture designers and you adore anything with sequins, sparkle and luxe fabrics, such as rich velvets and fluid satiny silks you’re glamorous. It’s all about sophisticated luxury. When it comes to jewelry, diamonds are a glamour girl’s best friend. Whether it’s a big, bodacious, necklace, cluster earrings or a wide bracelet, diamonds amp up the glam quotient. You may also wear a lot of black, which is the perfect backdrop for the sparkle of diamonds. To create a glamorous look with jewelry, go all out and wear a fantastic diamond bar brooch from the Art Deco era, or a pair of diamond earrings, or wide bracelet from the 1950s.
Vintage Lover
If you enjoy thrift shopping and finding fabulous apparel from another era and making it your own, then your style is vintage. The fun thing about having vintage style is that you can mix and match your decades. So if you pull a 1990s minimalist dress, you can most certainly pair it with a dainty diamond solitaire necklace and diamond line bracelet that was trending in that decade, or you can take style inspiration from another era, such as adding a 1940s brooch, or 1950s cocktail ring to complement the minimalism of the clothes with some maximalist jewelry. Try pairing a skirt from the 1950s with a cardigan and pearl earrings from the 1930s. Vintage clothes paired with vintage jewelry creates a unique look that is all your own.
The Lady
If you like tailored clothes and basics in fine fabrics such as cashmere, leather and silk, then you are attracted to a ladylike look. The look is defined by neutral shades of camel, cream, white, gray or black – colors that are always in style. If you lean towards ladylike, these are clothes that can be worn everyday throughout the year, clothes that can be re-worn season after season. It’s about understated elegance and elevated basics. Vintage jewelry is perfect if this is your style. The 1950s were filled with ladylike jewelry. From gold bangles with diamond accents to gold button earrings, or a gold pinky ring, simple, elegant gold pieces will define the ladylike look. This is a look of restraint, so while wearing jewelry is important, it is meant to be subtle.
Goth: The Dark Side
The drama of goth and the Victorian dress codes that are part of its vibe are appealing if you enjoy dressing with an edge. Goth style is edgy, dark and sometimes filled with symbolic jewelry — crosses are a favorite. Heavy black eyeliner, nail polish and lipstick are all part of the “mourning” look that goth favors. When it comes to jewelry, look back to the Victorian era for inspiration. Large lockets, silver topped gold and diamond pieces as well as gemstones such as garnet and amethyst set in brooches are important to the look that is filled with ripped fishnets and black lace. Goth is a constantly evolving style that never goes out of style and it is highly influenced by art and literature, adapting to cultural changes as they come about, which keeps the style relevant.
Your style is most likely a combination of looks, for example you may define your style as glamourous, with a touch of ladylike chic and a goth edge. But whatever dress code you relate to, it’s always fun to personalize it further by adding those special jewels that elevate your style to the next level of cool.
Top of Page: Vinicius “Amnx” Amano, courtesy Unsplash.
Antique silver topped gold and rose cut and old mine diamond necklace; Diamond and 18-karat gold cocktail ring, French, circa 1950s; Knot earrings in 18-karat gold, signed Boucheron; Victorian silver topped gold, enamel and rose cut diamond brooch.
Authored by Amber Michelle