Archive for September, 2011

4 Must Have Jewelry Trends

Jewelry trends typically take their cues from the red carpet, and fashions for 2011 are no exception. This season’s jewelry is big, bold, and beautiful, making a statement that demands attention in any setting. If you’re looking to add some Hollywood glam to your jewelry box, consider these popular choices for fall.

Cuff Bracelet

A cuff bracelet works well with a variety of styles, from chic and casual to evening glamour. Choose your bracelet based on the setting in which it will be worn. For an evening of cocktails and romance, choose a flirty piece in gold or silver with an intricate design. If you’re looking for a bracelet to wear at the office, a more structured piece may fit the bill. Cuff bracelets come in a wide variety of styles and textures, so start shopping to find one that complements your style. You can also stack cuff bracelets with bangles, making an even more personalized statement.

Cocktail Ring

Large gold or silver cocktail rings with flower and animal designs add a bit of bling to a night on the town. Choose rings that include semi-precious or precious stones if your budget allows, since these color options can really make your ring stand out. For a less expensive alternative, copper and bronze rings can also make a beautiful statement.

Statement Necklace

The right necklace can eliminate the need for other jewelry altogether. You can also complement your statement necklace with an understated pair of stud earrings. Necklaces for this season showcase intricate designs, chunky styling, and multiple layers. Another way to achieve this beautiful effect is to layer several smaller necklaces together, creating your own unique look.

Chandelier Earrings

If you like long dangly earrings, this trend will be the perfect choice for your jewelry statement. Jewelry trends this season include chandelier earrings that just graze the shoulder. Choose from rounded shapes or hoops as well as a variety of styles including gold and silver, gemstones, beads, and feathers.

If there’s anything worse than wearing the wrong trend at the wrong time, it’s wearing too many trends together. Remember that each of these options will make a beautiful statement on its own, but piling on too many can look vastly overdone. If you want to wear additional jewelry, keep it small and understated, seeking to complement the statement piece you’ve chosen rather than competing with it.

Starting Your Personal Jewelry Collection


Jewelry has the power to make a woman feel glamorous regardless of its size, cost, or design. From the simplest earrings to the most elaborate necklaces, each jewelry piece communicates something about the personal style of the wearer and lends an added touch of elegance to any outfit. And unlike clothing or handbags, jewelry will appreciate in value over time, making it a worthwhile addition to any wardrobe. Starting your personal jewelry collection doesn’t have to be difficult or expensive. Let’s take a look at some tips for choosing jewelry pieces you’ll cherish for years to come.

  1. Determine your personal sense of style. Do you prefer classic, contemporary, or vintage styles? You can start by looking at the outfits in your wardrobe that you wear most often and that make you feel your best. Your jewelry will probably reflect this style.
  2. Decide whether you’re a white gold or a yellow gold person. Yellow gold has been gaining in popularity over the last few years, so don’t feel like a slave to current trends or other people’s opinions. In addition, remember that mixing and matching is no longer considered a fashion faux pas. You can wear a yellow gold bracelet with a white gold necklace and still look fantastic.
  3. Look for pieces your love. Every piece you buy should complement your personal sense of style and make you feel like a million bucks. Don’t buy a piece just because it’s trendy or just because it’s on sale if it doesn’t really speak to you.
  4. Begin with classic pieces that won’t go out of style. Style experts recommend starting your collection with foundational pieces such as a pearl necklace, diamond stud earrings, a gold chain, and a tasteful watch.
  5. Choose a favorite gemstone and begin filling out your collection with pieces built around that stone. It may be your birthstone or another stone that you’ve always loved, but once you have a nice collection of classic pieces, you can move on to this next level of jewelry collecting.
  6. Consider adding some trendy pieces that reflect your personality. These don’t have to be expensive, but they can make a fun statement as they complement your wardrobe and style choices.

Many women spend decades building their personal jewelry collections and then have the pleasure of handing them down to family members to become heirlooms. Each piece you purchase will not only establish your style and help secure your financial future, but will also provide a lasting memory for your loved ones to cherish.

 

Investing in Jewelry

No one knows for sure when the first human created the first piece of jewelry, but we do know that once we got the jewelry bug, we never lost it! Jewelry has been an essential part of human history for millennia and was traditionally worn by the wealthy as a symbol of money and power. Today, fine jewelry has become much more accessible to the average person. Because it is one of the few commodities that has never gone out of style and that continues to increase in value over time, jewelry can be a good investment choice in an unstable market. The key is to know what you’re buying and how to choose pieces that will provide a good return.

Investing in Gold

Gold is a popular investment during economic downturns because unlike the stock market, gold does not lose its value during a crisis. While the price may fluctuate slightly, overall gold prices have remained stable and have never experience a serious downfall. When buying gold jewelry, remember that the design of the piece doesn’t really matter; what you’re looking at is its weight in grams. Because many gold pieces have been stamped with inaccurate karat weights, it’s important to purchase your gold jewelry from a reputable jeweler you trust.

Platinum

Platinum is much more rare than gold and reflects that rarity in its price. Buyers like platinum for its strength and low propensity toward metal loss, even when scratched. Unlike gold, scratching platinum merely displaces the metal rather than losing it altogether, meaning that a jeweler can repair the piece without adding additional metal. Because platinum has entered the jewelry market relatively recently, no one can be sure how it will perform over time. However, most jewelry experts expect the metal to retain its value much like gold, making it an investment worth consideration.

Diamonds

While it’s true that diamonds will appreciate in value over time, they rarely make a good investment for the average buyer. Diamond value can be affected by many factors including the cut, clarity, color, carat, and rarity. Investment diamonds typically should be large, rare, and of the highest quality, meaning that the best ones will be out of financial reach for the average investor.

At the end of the day, jewelry investments should be both financial and emotional. While precious metal prices are expected to remain stable and to appreciate in the future, it’s important to enjoy the pieces you have since it’s never possible to predict with 100% accuracy what the market will look like down the road.

 

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