What’s a jewelry trend you bought into and now regret? A seemingly innocent question which raised LOTS of response from my jewelry loving audience. It was so interesting to freely discuss this topic and also know that we are all on a similar wavelength when it comes to overly trendy jewelry. I loved hearing all of your opinions and sharing them as well (many of your responses are shown here in these photos). I thought it was important to pull some takeaways from it and also some general rules of thumb to help everyone be better at making purchases in the future!
General Takeaways:
1 – Brands like Kendra Scott, Alex and Ani, Pandora have an overwhelming amount of success but in the end, people want something more unique and not what everyone else is wearing.
2 – The big trends that have flooded our culture in the past 30-40 years are all things no one is wearing today. Some examples are Tiffany & Co silver heart toggle necklace/bracelet, Puka shell jewelry, fast fashion inspired pieces with trendy motifs, any “token” piece that was created by Kay Jewelers right before the holidays like a journey pendant, those stretchy silver bracelets that pinched your arm hairs…so many!
3 – Oddly enough, funky trends of the past can resurge and come back in style…which is what we are currently seeing with Y2K fashion. Things like name plate necklaces and herringbones have seen an uptick recently, to name a few.
4 – Gold colors, from yellow, white to rose, have often come in and out of trend. My advice is to wear what you love and what looks good on you when it comes to metals. Never take drastic measures by selling or resetting every piece you own of a certain metal just because another color is trending. Mixing metals gets a big thumbs up from me.
5 – Never invest in something super trendy, however on the flip side, if it is jewelry that is made up of real gold and real gemstones luckily there’s still value in that, so it can be sold secondhand or repurposed.
Rules of Thumb:
1 – Buy things that make YOU happy and that YOU love – not because someone else is wearing it or it is a current trend
2 – It is smarter in the long run to invest in real gold jewelry rather than cheaper alternatives like brass, anything plated, or costume jewelry
3 – We all fall for trends – don’t feel guilty or look back at old photos and feel bad. It is just a part of life!
4 – I suggest buying a combination of vintage pieces that speak to you, designer jewelry that speaks to you that is handmade and meaningful, collect certain motifs, opt for jewelry that is personalized or customized to you. Say no to mass produced pieces or jewelry that has no significance to you in both meaning and maker.
5 – Ask yourself, “how often will I wear this and how practical is it in terms of what I do on a daily basis” before buying. Splurging on impractical jewelry items is definitely not frowned upon in my book, because I do it all the time, but definitely ask yourself that question more often.
