Cynthia Sliwa is truly a jewelry and style expert. She is the co-author of the book Jewelry Savvy: What Every Jewelry Wearer Should Know. Also, for half a decade she wrote the Jewelry Fashion File blog for JCK Magazine, a highly respected source of information on the jewelry industry. Today she runs three websites: The Image Counselor (fashion consultation), Truly Becoming (style for women in their 40s and above) and Truly Jewelry (general jewelry advice).
Sometimes in her writing, Sliwa discusses information from other publications and provides her point of view. Her commentary is typically conscientious and educated. Rather than simply focusing on hot trends of the current season or year, she offers broadly applicable advice that is reasonably unaltered by the passage of time.
An example is a 2009 article that detailed a piece from InStyle magazine that focused on versatility as a cornerstone of value. The article was centered on clothing, but Sliwa was intrigued by the general thesis of the story: a fashion element that fits numerous purposes is attractive not just from a compatibility perspective, but from a financial perspective too. She took the basic ideas that had been applied to apparel and transposed them to the world of jewelry.
3 ways to achieve multi-use in jewelry style
Here are three basic tactics to infuse your look with versatility:
1. Reverse
InStyle featured a photo spread of various garments (such as a red and black tuxedo jacket) that had been turned inside-out, showing that they could display two completely different appearances. As Sliwa notes, reversing has been used in years with jewelry as well. The critical element for reversing in the case of jewelry – the same as with clothing, really – is that each side of the item should have an exquisite finish.
Sliwa suggests two particular methods to achieve reversibility with your accessories, assuming their design is well-suited for these tricks:
- showing off the different colors or adornments on each side of a necklace or bracelet
- rotating or flipping earring components so that the opposite side is presented.
2. Detach
The InStyle article showcases heavy winter coats that can be converted into light spring jackets by detaching a piece at the bottom. Truly Jewelry observes that jewelry is often capable of the same type of adjustment, as in the case of necklaces with more than one strand or any jewelry with removable elements. One specific jewelry piece that allows for the wearing of a “full” and “partial” version is detachable dangle earrings.
Sliwa points out that detachment is not the only option with multiple elements. Adding can become possible as well. Charms or other ornaments are sometimes designed to broaden the influence of a necklace or bracelet. Of course, not all jewelry has detachable components or can be outfitted with additional parts, but it’s a possibility in some cases to expand what you already own.
3. Convert
The above tactics are based on incredibly simple concepts: the first is essentially about flipping to the opposite inside, and the second is about adding or removing pieces. Clearly, creativity can be involved with those choices, but fashion flair and personality becomes especially evident with the notion of conversion – changing one piece of clothing or jewelry into numerous forms.
InStyle shows a dress that can be adjusted to achieve five looks. It also shows a top that can be worn as a skirt. For the most part, though, clothing cannot be converted as simply and effectively as jewelry can. Here are some examples:
- brooches that can also be worn as pendants
- brooches that can be split into a pair of dress clips
- matching bracelets that can be combined into a necklace
- necklaces long enough to be worn as one or multiple strands
- use of a necklace as a bracelet
- taking a jewelry item and pinning it within one’s hair.
Expanding rather than contracting options
Truly Jewelry notes that sometimes, in an effort to give outfits or jewelry multiple uses, we instead may limit our possibilities. In the case of jewelry, Sliwa references a creative item that was featured in Vogue magazine’s October 2009 issue. Vogue mentions that jewelers usually do not focus on the back of the hand, reporting that one designer – Alyssa Norton – was trying to popularize the panja, an Indian adornment that combines a bracelet and ring with jeweled chains.
Sliwa wisely suggests that this jewelry expansion does not make its components more versatile. However, a panja could work well if each of its parts could be detached for streamlining as needed.
Versatile jewelry for style with value
Any of the above techniques can provide ideas for how you can adjust necklaces, bracelets, and earrings for different situations. Versatility of jewelry pieces is also accomplished through quality (allowing use in casual and professional settings). Birkat Elyon’s Russian Formula cubic zirconia captures the light even more brilliantly than diamonds, as indicated by our strong customer testimonials.
By Kent Roberts