Jewelry can be the perfect accessory for taking an outfit to the next level. But how you wear jewelry is important when it comes to having the right impact. There are a few common mistakes that people make when choosing jewelry to wear. Here are a few of the biggest blunders to avoid.
Overloading your outfit
Wearing too many different pieces of jewelry can take away the focus from each individual item. It can make it hard to know where to look and give your outfit a cluttered appearance. If you want people to notice a certain item of jewelry, make that the main attraction by only choosing a few other minimal items of jewelry. When layering necklaces or bracelets, similarly try to stick to simple designs of a similar style. This will stop items from clashing.
Ignoring necklace length
Necklaces are a great accessory for drawing attention to the neckline of a top or dress. However, you need to make sure that you choose the right length. Aim to contrast the necklace length with the openness of the neckline to make them stand out more. Choker necklaces are likely to be more noticeable if you pair them with a more open neckline such as a v-neck, u-neck or shoulderless dress. Long opera necklaces can meanwhile look more effective when worn with a crew neck or turtleneck. With mid-length necklaces, try to make sure they hang either a little higher or a little lower than your neckline – try not to let the pendant sit on the neckline.
Mismatching the occasion
Some jewelry is best reserved for formal occasions, while other items should only be worn in casual settings. Elegant pearls and diamonds for example should only be worn at classy events. Rope, bead and leather jewelry meanwhile work better in casual settings. When it comes to wearing jewelry to work, you may want to consider minimal formal items of jewelry – anything too casual or showy might be distracting and could reduce your professionalism. This guide offers more tips on what types of jewelry you should wear (and not wear) to work.
Neglecting earring shape
When exploring drop earrings, a lot of people overlook the shape of earrings. Certain shapes of earrings may accentuate parts of your face that you don’t want to accentuate. Quite often it’s better to contrast the shape of your face. For example, if you want your face to not look so round, avoid earrings with circular pendants or hoop earrings and consider thin tassel earrings or thin pensants instead. If you don’t want your forehead to look as large, consider teardrop earrings or tassel earrings that fan out at the bottom to balance things out.
Overlooking skin tone
Certain metals can look better against certain tones of skin. Gold typically looks better when worn by people with a warm skin tone. Silver contrastingly is better suited to those with a cool skin tone. Your skin tone depends on how much orange or blue is in your skin. This guide offers some tips to help you identify your skin tone. Knowing your skin tone could also help when choosing certain colors of clothing and make-up.
Mixing metals carelessly
It was once a hard fashion rule that you could not mix metals. However, this rule has been broken in recent decades, and more people are wearing silver and gold together. That said, pairing gold and silver can still look off if you don’t mix them the right way. Instead of trying to pair a gold necklace with a silver bracelet, aim to layer gold and silver items in the same place. Two gold and one silver necklace paired with two silver and one gold bracelet could be one way to do this.
Wearing dirty jewelry
Wearing dirty jewelry defeats the point of jewelry. It’s supposed to be elegant and pretty. Dirt and grime will immediately make your jewelry look attractive. This is why it’s so important to keep your jewelry clean. Just be wary that there are also incorrect ways to clean jewelry and you can make certain items worse by washing them with water or using certain soaps. Look online to find out the best way to clean your jewelry. Many forms of metal jewelry have to be dried immediately to prevent them corroding. Leather jewelry meanwhile needs to be cleaned gently with a damp cloth and should never be soaked (you can also buy products like saddle soap to help prevent damage while cleaning).