Five top tips to choosing everyday jewellery

By Livia Primo Lack

Wearing jewellery is one of the greatest forms of self-adornment. It enables us to beautifully express our sense of style and say something about who we are and what we want to represent. With all the options there are on types of jewellery, styles and materials, choosing what pieces to invest in can be a daunting task. Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered with our top 5 tips on how to build your perfect everyday jewellery look. 

Consider your profession

We all have some form of 9 to 5. Whether it’s staying at home taking care of our loved ones or commuting to an office, we have a purpose that gets us out of bed in the morning and the jewellery pieces we wear must complement our level of activity throughout the day. If your job involves a lot of outdoor physical activity, you might want to avoid larger pieces of jewellery that could get caught in whatever you’re doing or slow you down as you race from task to task.

Wearing jewellery should never be a hindrance, so for those of you with more physical jobs, we recommend you focus on smaller pieces like stud earrings or small hoops, dainty chain necklaces and bracelets. If you have a bold sense of style and worry that smaller pieces will prevent you from making a statement, remember that size isn’t the only way to draw attention to your jewels. Brands like Annoushka, Chaumet and Repossi have wearable pieces full of fine jewellery personality thanks to brightly coloured gemstones and eye-catching geometric designs.

Take climate into account

Just like when you pack for going on holiday, planning your jewels around the weather is key, especially if you are wearing them every day. If it often rains where you live, you should avoid wearing soft stones like pearls, opals and turquoise. Perhaps opt for a mixed metal look? Wearing yellow, white and rose gold all together is a great way of making a jewellery statement without having to worry about gemstones. Try stacking the same bracelets in different metal hues, like the Gem Dior angles or the thin iconic Cartier Love bracelets.

Think about your wardrobe

At the end of the day, jewellery is an accessory so it should compliment your overall look, especially for everyday wear. Before deciding on what pieces to buy, look through your wardrobe and see what are your key pieces of clothing. Do you wear a lot of colour? If the answer is yes, you might want to invest in jewels that can work with any colour. In this case, stick to classic gold and diamond pieces. These are not only easy to wear but the diamonds will highlight whatever colour you’re wearing.

If you are more of a black, beige and white kind of dresser, coloured gemstones are a great way to inject that missing dose of colour into your outfit. London-based designer Alice Van Cal is the rainbow queen of sapphires and creates earrings, rings, bracelets and necklaces in a variety of stand-out hues. What’s more, most of her creations are transformable, allowing you to wear them in a myriad of ways. 

Prioritise quality

Whichever pieces you decide to buy, make sure they are of good quality. Any plated or vermeil gold pieces will need to be redipped over time, which is quite costly. Buy 18-karat gold and platinum pieces as they will last a lifetime. For gemstones, pick durable ones. Diamonds are the toughest precious gems and are virtually indestructible, making them perfect for everyday wear. For coloured stones, rubies and sapphires make great choices as they are also relatively hard gemstones. Pay close attention to how they are set as well. You want your precious gems set flush against your skin as much as possible to prevent them from getting in the way and being knocked against things. Gems set in bezel, channel and pavé settings are fully surrounded by metal and are therefore well protected against any knocks and shocks. Contemporary designer Emily P. Wheeler works with all three of these settings when creating her colourful and fun collections. 

Stay true to your style

Once you’ve taken all those things into account, you can start to build your jewellery collection by focusing on pieces that suit your unique sense of style. Edgy or classic, modern or vintage, if you follow the above guidelines, we guarantee that you will find an amazing selection of pieces to wear regularly and your jewellery box will prove to be one of your best investments.

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