Style Guide: Tips and Tricks to Layering Your Jewellery Like a Pro
PUBLISHED March 29th, 2021 06:00 am | UPDATED July 22nd, 2024 03:09 pm
In any occasion, dangly earrings or a shiny necklace is always a safe choice to complement your outfit. But now, style is changing, and the more drip you have, the better. Layering necklaces and stacking rings gives you a chance to show off your bling while elevating your style.
Just like picking out your outfit of the day, your choice of jewellery makes or breaks the look. Stacking too much jewellery might look cluttered, and a single piece, although classy, seems a little too safe. Well, here are some tips and tricks to help you master the art of layering your pieces.
Must-Have Jewellery
Layering jewellery is an entire art. And you can’t just do it with a few eclectic pieces here and there. Some jewellery pieces remain classics for a reason. They’re great to wear alone, or to stack with other pieces of jewellery.
Solitaire Pieces
Simple studs, a single pendant or a solitaire stone, is essential to any jewellery collection. Once you have those, it’s easier to stack and layer around them. Solitaires are good for grabbing attention, so they can act as your statement piece. But they’re also a good go-to for a minimalist look, which you can still achieve even with wearing layers of jewellery.
Pearls
Pearls can be a little old-fashioned, but the vintage-look has never been more in than now. And even if you’re not the biggest fan of pearls, smaller-sized pearls are great for layering and stacking against bolder jewellery pieces, especially earrings. Their lustrous look adds a touch of femininity and elegance.
Hoop Earrings
A good staple to have as part of your ear candy arsenal, hoop earrings are great for stacking if you have multiple piercings. And with the number of sizes that hoop earrings come in today, they’re easy to style. Because of their versatility, owning both silver and gold-coloured hoops are good buys. An easy way to stack your earrings is to wear the biggest hoops on your first piercing, and smaller ones on your others. For a simpler look, wearing the same size hoops on all your piercings does the trick as well.
Plain Chains
A plain silver or gold chain necklace is your most valuable jewellery item when it comes to layering. The reason: they match with literally any other jewellery piece. The same applies to bracelets. A simple cuff, with minimal patterns or charms, pairs well with a much more elaborate bracelet. If you like stacking rings, a plain ring band helps separate your other more dazzling pieces from each other.
How To Style
By Motif
A good rule of thumb when stacking jewellery, is to stick to one theme. Pairing skull earrings with a dainty butterfly necklace is like layering polka dots over stripes. Instead, choose a single motif for your jewellery that day – it could be hearts, flowers, or even the uber-trendy gold coin necklaces we see now. In general, one recurring pattern centralises your look. And because you’re layering your jewellery, you don’t want too much going on.
Once you’ve chosen a theme, make sure that your motif is your statement piece. Think of it like a centrepiece, while your other layers of jewellery just help to accentuate it. If you’re absolutely dying to wear that big star-shaped necklace, make sure that the accompanying pieces of jewellery either have smaller stars, or none at all.
By Colour
Now, this might seem like a no-brainer, but choice of colour is where you can really push boundaries. Colour depends on the pendants and gemstones in your jewellery, and the colour of the metals. If the stone on your chosen bracelet is blue, go with cool-tones to complement your piece.
You can never go wrong with sticking to one metal tone. But why not try two-toned jewellery to elevate your look? Stacking and layering is the perfect way to do so, without looking like you mismatched your jewellery. Like clothes, it’s all about deciding on a colour palette. If your silver bracelet is adorned with a baby-pink charm, layer it with a rose-gold bracelet for some emphasis.
By Outfit
Clothing and jewellery are closely related. They can complete each other just as they can ruin each other. Knowing your occasion will help you choose the right outfit – as it will jewellery.
If the night calls for a floor-length Met Gala-esque gown, your jewellery should also be representative of that. While layering and stacking is fun, during formal occasions, less is more. Instead of layering several necklaces, go for a single beautiful bespoke necklace, or two at most. Stacking rings on multiple fingers is also not advised for fancy occasions. A large rock on a single finger catches more attention than smaller rings on each finger.
For casual daytime outfits, go crazy with your jewellery. Since everyday clothes are generally simpler, wearing multiple pieces of jewellery embellishes your look.
Top image: Photo courtesy of Kate Hliznitsova on Unsplash
