When you work at a fine jewelry store, you begin to learn what sells, what consumers are looking for, and what real people are wearing on a daily basis. Sometimes I get disappointed by the “safe” choices people make when buying fine gold jewelry. Often shoppers are searching for a piece they can wear 24/7. By now, as a reader of Gem Gossip, you probably know that I think differently than a novice jewelry buyer, and I am hoping my blog will help people take more risks when buying fine gold jewelry.
When I shop for gold jewelry, I try to look for things that are very unique–something I have never seen before. Bold, statement making pieces are definitely items you will want to have in your collection. Tinier, smaller pieces that you can wear together or stacked which can be collected over time are also necessary for your jewelry wardrobe.
I’ve highlighted several jewelry looks I’ve sported over the past couple of months. I never wear the same jewelry every single day–to me, that would be like someone wearing the same outfit everyday. Just doesn’t make sense! It is so much fun to mix and match every morning and create different, unexpected combinations.
Above looks: (left to right)
14k white gold diamond X earrings I designed using parts of a necklace
My ring choices span decades– like gold Victorian baby rings, my Victorian engagement ring, a contemporary gold ring design by Arosha Taglia, Victorian onyx flower and Art Deco filigree ring with an updated diamond
Here I layered different lengths of gold necklaces, with the mid-length dangling rings from, and a gold Victorian monogram choker
My earrings are all 14k gold with a theme in common: dangles & crosses
I collect gold Victorian bangles and sometimes stacking my entire collection works better than being choosey
An incredibly thick, twisted rope chain in 18k yellow gold would typically scream “Mr. T” but if you wrap it around your neck and wear the right outfit, it becomes a cool statement piece!
This post was brought to you in collaboration with LoveGold
ValC - MN April 21, 2013 at 7:30 am:
Hi,
I totally agree with you on customers playing it safe with smaller or more common pieces of jewelry. I worked part-time for 11 years for a popular retailer known for a variety of products but jewelry and beauty were the top sellers of our store. So, I would see that jewelry shopping trend in 2/3 of our customers. I would often hear "Oh, what can I wear this green gemstone ring with?" or "Oh, I don't know how often I would wear this red watch." or "What do you like?"
I can understand if people first want to collect their basics: studs, hoops, pearl strand necklace, simple metal bangle, regular rope, snake, box chains, regular rope/omega/snake bracelet, a leather watch, a panther/tank/bracelet style wactch, simple band ring, simple 3 stone or 5 stone band ring, etc.
However, there are a vast amount of options after the basics. People can collect gemstones, enamel pieces, fashion jewelry, variety of bracelet styles, a variety of metals (silver, stainless, gold, bronze, copper, 14K/18K clad, two-tone or tri-colored jewelry), different textured styles (hammered, filigree, braided/detailed scrollwork, satin-finish, high polished, beaded, etc.), faceted/checkerboard/cabachon/doublet/triplet,/different cut styles, etc. Also, there are the artisan hand crafted pieces, Italian, Etruscan, antique and other styles. So, a little for everyone to explore and find what they like and how they like to mix those different styles.
As you can probably tell, I am totally a jewelry girl. I have lots and still collect different styles. I prefer real metal or gemstone jewelry now since I have been collecting for so long. I try to wear 1 or 2 signature pieces each day but I mix those signature styles with different other pieces each day.