How To Add To
Your Jewelry Collection
Thinking about adding to your jewelry
collection?
Before you reach for the latest piece to catch your eye,
take a good look in your jewelry box to assess what you already
have. For just as you can get "stuck in a rut" with your
clothing, so, too, can your jewelry accessorizing suffer from
lack of creativity. Before you duplicate something you
already have, take a few minutes to survey your current
collection to see what you can REALLY use.
Let's start with some basics.
There are three categories of jewelry: fine, bridge,
and costume.
Fine jewelry consists of metals like
platinum, gold, and silver, and gems like diamonds, rubies,
sapphires and emeralds. Fine jewelry is the
level we often aspire to but can only afford in small
doses.
Bridge jewelry is better than costume
but not as good as fine, and is made from semi-precious
stones, natural woods, enamels, porcelains, and the
like. If you can't afford fine jewelry, bridge pieces
offer an excellent, long-lasting alternative.
Costume jewelry is gentle on the budget
and can add flair and fun to your casual looks. If
you're a devotee of following the latest fads, costume
jewelry is the way to go. You'll find it in a variety
of price ranges, and some even emulate fine and bridge
categories.
Once you've looked over your collection, you'll probably
notice that most of your pieces fall into one category.
These are the pieces you wear the most or used to wear a lot of
once upon a time (before babies, retirement, moving to a
tropical island, or whatever).
So now's the time to ask yourself some serious questions,
like:
* Which of my pieces need updating? Or replacing?
Or repair?
* Could I extend my current jewelry wardrobe by adding a
key piece like a long chain, a pendant, or diamond
studs?
* Is it time to upgrade a favorite costume piece with a
more durable bridge level look-a-like?
* Should I sell or give away some of my older, unworn
pieces to make way for newer selections I WILL wear?
* Would I wear what I have more often if the whole mess
were organized in a more user-friendly fashion...like in a
new, roomier jewelry box?
Now you've probably never given the matter this much thought
before, but perhaps it's time to do just that. Often,
we're given pieces that aren't "us" and that end up filling our
jewelry boxes, never to see the light of day. Why smile
through another monogrammed heart-shaped pendant when a
stunning pin you've wanted costs just the same? Or add
yet another gold chain when an onyx one would work with more
outfits?
If you really want to do justice to your jewelry collection,
take a few minutes to really go through what you have.
Pull the things you don't wear, inventory the things you do
wear, and make a list of what you need to round out your
jewelry wardrobe. You'll be able to look good, save
money, and invest wisely, all at the same time.
=======================================================
Diana Pemberton-Sikes is a
wardrobe and image consultant and author of
"Accessory Magic," an ebook that
shows women how to use their fashion accessories
to define their style and stretch their budgets.
Visit her online at www.fashionforrealwomen.com
.
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