Anna Villaruel, the 25-year-old certified image consultant who runs TheChicFashionista.com (featured previously in this blog), combines her own fashion background with knowledge of the field to provide women style advice online. Describing her personal approach as “classic, creative, and natural,” Anna suggests 11 jewelry items that offer versatility – potential pairing with many different types of outfits.
After all, developing a jewelry collection is not just about selecting beautiful pieces. It’s also about finding items that will go along well with your wardrobe. Rather than finding necklaces and earrings that are geared specifically to match each outfit, the easiest and most affordable way to achieve harmony between clothing and jewelry is focusing on versatility with several “core” pieces.
Seven of the items Anna lists are available on our site, so we will discuss those pieces in depth and provide links to the appropriate informational pages (although all 11 jewelry selections are mentioned below).
1. Stud earrings – diamond or cubic zirconia
Anna notes that stud earrings can be worn in just about any circumstances – daytime and evenings, for everyday work use or for just about any social event you can imagine.
If your goal is to have a pair of earrings with exquisite brilliance that allow day-to-day wear without the risk of overkill, Anna recommends small ones: 0.25ct. However, recognizing that not everyone has the same jewelry tastes, Anna suggests crystal studs measuring 1ct or 2ct for those wanting a bold and expressive appearance.
Like many women who care about fashion, Anna is a huge proponent of using high-end cubic zirconia (CZ) in place of diamonds, especially due to the way CZ catches the light: it actually has a higher light dispersion rate than diamonds (in part because its clarity scores “Flawless” on the Gemological Institute of America’s Diamond Clarity Chart, one of the “4 Cs” to determine diamond quality).
(Examples: see our stud earrings page.)
2. Pendant necklaces – diamond or cubic zirconia
The second item Anna lists is also a crystal piece: a pendant necklace. As with the earrings, she suggests being careful with the size if you want the piece to be relatively unassuming. The brilliance of hand-cut and hand-polished crystal, whether it is diamond or cubic zirconia, is recommended by Anna as one of the easiest ways to “put some glam” into your look.
Versatility should also be considered with the shape you choose, a point repeatedly made on The Chic Fashionista site. Classic shapes such as cube, marquise, or solitaire are preferable to hearts, stars, and other symbolic shapes that aren’t as useful in more professional or conservative environments.
(Examples: see our pendant necklaces page.)
3. Pearl studs
Anna also appreciates the extraordinary beauty of pearls, as do we. Pearls, like crystal, are imbued with almost infinite wardrobe compatibility.
Again, TheChicFashionista.com recommends simplicity with this item, so that you have basic “neutral” options in your collection to suit all general scenarios (office environments, dates, college classes, family gatherings, etc.). Specifically, you don’t want the pearls to hang lower than your earlobes if you are purchasing the studs as a staple.
Anna also suggests that it’s best to know your skin tone – warm versus cool – so you can find the pearls that are right for you.
As with diamonds, to allow you to expand your collection cost-effectively, Anna suggests simulated pearls instead of genuine ones harvested from mollusks (as with ours, which include real mother-of-pearl interiors, synthetically crafted into various sizes).
(Examples: see our pearl earrings page.)
4. Pearl necklace
Just as the crystal earrings and pendant necklace go well together (items 1 and 2 above), so do the pearl earrings (item 3) and a pearl string necklace. Anna argues that a pearl necklace not only increases the sophistication of anything you wear, but it can also serve as contrast for an outfit that is in a particularly romantic or urban style.
The best length for a pearl necklace is at about the level of your collarbone or just higher than your bust. Anna notes that a tight string of pearls, as with any “choker” style of necklace, can be a great way to optically shorten a long neck. However, that particularly short length of necklace does not possess the versatility characteristic that we want from these core pieces (since all the pieces in this list are selected for their appropriateness in any situation).
(Examples: see our pearl necklaces page.)
>>> Versatile Jewelry Pieces #5-11
About Birkat Elyon: We are trusted by our clientele because we offer a strong, credible alternative to real diamonds and real pearls:
• Our simulated diamond and pearl jewelry is hand-cut and hand-polished by master artisans using traditional techniques.
• We use pure platinum and solid gold (white/yellow, 14K/18K) settings.
• All of our cubic zirconia is of the highest grade, Russian Formula.
By Kent Roberts