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--Editor's Note --------------------------------------------------------------
Never Be Overwhelmed or Frustrated with Jewelry Shopping Again
 Most women have had at least a few frustrating shopping experiences while trying to find the perfect jewelry to match a special outfit. Sometimes the jewelry store's zillion choices can be so overwhelming you don't know where to start. Or you had a budget in mind, but clearly the jewelry sales person didn't understand your idea of a "budget". In either case, there is now a much easier way to shop for jewelry and accessories. One online resource in particular lets you search by price, color, gemstone, jewelry style and several other jewelry descriptives. Showing you only the jewelry choices that fit your particular criteria and get the perfect jewelry item to compliment any outfit.
This time skip the nosey jewelry sales person and try searching for your favorite jewelry style using specific criteria. Never buy a piece of jewelry that isn't absolutely perfect again.
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What to consider when choosing jewelry to match an outfit:
What does it accessorize? A plain dress? A busy patterned top?
Usually jewelry has a
purpose. It can be playful and casual, or elegant
and very expensive. When I buy jewelry, I think
about what I would be wearing with it before
making my choice. If I’m wearing jeans and want
something to go with my new bathing suit because
I’m going on vacation, I’ll look for something in
the line of a choker, maybe with a carved stone or
something in leather and silver. Sterling silver most people can wear even if they have a nickel allergy affects about 15% of the population. Nickel is found in most golds and cheap metal jewelry. (Beware of
hemp-rope jewelry if you’re planning to wear it
swimming. I bought a great choker, but when the
water hit it, the hemp fibers shrank up and it
became a much-too-real choker. I practically had
to get cut out of it.)
What’s the occasion you will be wear the jewelry? Fancy? Casual?
Occasion-specific jewelry
should be tried on with the outfit before you make
a commitment. Dresses with sweetheart necklines
can do terrible things to the wrong necklace (if
you don’t believe me, look at Susan Lucci in the
old episodes of Dallas. Big, shiny, dangling
diamonds, a wide expanse of cleavage-lined
Hollywood skin and shoulder pads out to here.
Horrible). Now that I think of it, there’s only
one occasion to wear a sweetheart neckline, and
that’s if you’re in a wedding dress and the
neckline fits your bust perfectly. The danger in
the sweetheart is that if you have big breasts,
they can look unwieldy and even floppy; small
breasts just rattle around in there.
Where was I? Right, for big-deal dressing up,
either wear the dress to the store, or keep your
receipt until you know the dress and the necklace,
bracelet or earrings match it. If your top has
beading or embroidery, necklaces and earrings
should be kept simple –no gemstones, just gold,
silver or platinum. A rule of thumb; the simpler
the dress, the fancier >the jewelry can be. So if
your heart is set on the three-tiered, sapphire
and platinum job, find a plain black or white
frock for the backdrop.
All the fashionist as of yesteryear agreed that you
simply cannot go wrong with pearls. Throughout the
ages, these little blobs of oyster nacre have
graced the necks of royalty. Pearls come in a
variety of colors and shapes, the most well-known
being the perfectly round, white pearls coveted by
1950's college girls because they matched so
perfectly with cashmere twin sets. In the '20's,
the flappers wore large, elongated pearls, running
in gleaming ropes to waist-length or even longer.
Baroque pearls are stunning, their uneven surfaces
and their rectangular shapes catching the light
like no other pearl can.
Often ignored, freshwater pearls are oval, and can
be bought for a fraction of the cost of round
ones. An example of their cost--in San Francisco's
Chinatown shops, you can buy a 15-inch strand of
freshwater pearls for about the cost of an
ice-cream cone. Take them home, remove them from
the dental floss string, string them on fishing
line and add a clasp purchased from your local
crafts store for an easy, elegant necklace.
Tahitian or South Sea Pearls are black, with the
same opalescent gleam as their white cousins.
These can get expensive, and make lovely apology
gifts when men forget anniversaries, birthdays and
other important occasions like graduations.
About jewelry quantity - How much is okay?
As much as I like
hardware, I can’t think of an occasion to wear
earrings, a necklace and a bracelet all at the
same time. It comes out looking tacky. Two out of
three is fine, and rings on your fingers are fine
any time (not on every finger: two rings per hand
are sufficient). If you’re of the belly-ring
persuasion, toe-rings are cute too, but omit
either necklace or earrings to keep the focus
lower on the body. One exception to the two-item
rule may be stud earrings. If you wear studs of
gold, silver or platinum, or even small gemstones,
they won't compete uncomfortably with a necklace
and bracelet. In this case, two items may match,
but the third should be complimentary, or you'll
wind up looking like a little kid who bought the
entire plastic wedding-jewelry set at the
drugstore. For example, if you wear silver studs
with pink zircons and a silver necklace with the
same stones, your bracelet could be a plain silver
bangle.
I’m a big fan of gemstones. I love tashmarine,
wihich is a recently-discovered Asian stone that
comes in a most unusual variety of greens. Its
softness (5) prevents it from being the ideal ring
choice, but set in a necklace, bracelet, or
earrings, tashmarine is stunning. Check out
tashmarine My other favorite gem-of-the-moment is
tanzanite, available in a range of blues and
lavenders. A friend of mine needed a belated
birthday gift for his wife, and all was forgiven
when he presented her with a tanzanite and diamond
three-stone pendant. I’d have forgiven him too!
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Working out can sometimes feel like a daily chore that must be done to keep those extra pounds off and keep us healthy. Sometimes I need a little extra motivation to enjoy my gym workouts. I used to just throw on some grungy sweats and an old t-shirt, but now I find it much more exciting to go to the gym if I feel cute and stylish in my workout wear.
