Layering Jewelry: A How-To Guide

Layering necklaces is fun, and it can quickly and easily turn a basic outfit fabulous. But it's tricky if you're not sure how to choose pieces that work together and don't make you look like you dumped out your whole jewelry box and randomly threw everything on at once. Here are a few tips that can help.

1.When layering necklaces, keep the rest of your jewelry simple. For example, don't also wear big earrings, a stack of bracelets, and several rings. Unless you closely resemble Kate Moss, that's likely to just look frumpy.

2. When choosing necklaces to layer, pick ones that are sufficiently different from each other but also have common elements. For example, the three necklaces in the photo above work well together because there are some unifying elements (like the teardrop shapes and complementary cool colors) but each necklace is quite different from the others.

3. Layer necklaces of different lengths, Again, the necklaces above are good choices because the white turquoise pendant is short (16"), the mixed pearl cluster pendant is a medium length (25"), and the large blue quartz pendant is long (approx. 30"). (Other photos of these pieces in my shop show how the necklaces hang on a model or manikin).

4. When it comes to kids' playdates, my husband always used to say "three is a bad number." Oftentimes, two of the kids end up leaving out kid #3, which causes problems. But with jewelry the opposite is true. Three is a good number. I can't explain exactly why, but trust me. Layering three necklaces just works. Two is fine also, if you want to keep things simpler, but wearing more than three is likely to look messy and overdone. This is also true for bracelets and stacked rings, for some reason. (Disclaimer: If you're 25 or under, you can wear as many bracelets as you like and it will probably look fantastic.)

5. Mixing silver and gold is definitely okay (if you have any rose gold to throw into the mix, even better). But mixing metals needs to be done thoughtfully to work. For example, wearing a gold watch, gold rings, a gold bracelet, gold earrings, two gold necklaces, and one silver necklace isn't going to look very good. You need to replace a couple of those gold items with silver ones so that your decision to mix the two metal colors looks intentional and not just like you got dressed in the dark. Switch the gold earrings for silver ones and add a silver ring, and—problem solved.

6. Finally, don't be afraid to mix high and low. Go ahead and layer that little diamond pendant your husband gave you for your anniversary, the cheap necklace you scored for $8.99 on sale at a chain store and secretly adore even though it was made in a factory in China and will probably break soon, and a cool, one-of-a-kind handmade piece. This is where the fun really starts. Just follow the guidelines outlined above, and you'll look great. (Hint: Don't have a diamond pendant? This little crystal one from fellow Etsy seller Petit Or is a the perfect substitute for a fantastic price. I have two of them, myself—one silver and one gold, and I love mixing them with my own pieces.)

So, with these tips in mind, go forth and layer. And have a blast doing it!

Jeans That Fit for Girls with Hips: The Straight Skinny

If you happen, like me, to be blessed (or cursed, depending on how you look at it) with "womanly" hips AND to love wearing jeans as much as I do, you already know that finding stylish, flattering jeans that really fit can be the equivalent of a part-time job, if not a full-time obsession. After much experimentation, though, I finally feel happy that in my closet are several pairs of jeans of different types that all fit really well and won't require you to tell your children that if they want to go to college, well, they'd better start putting money in their piggy banks ASAP.

Here are three pairs of jeans that I highly recommend:

Gap Real Straight. These jeans are so flattering, and I love the "dark" wash. It's not super dark (there's a darker one in this style that I haven't tried), and the denim is very soft and doesn't stretch out too much. For me, the petites are just right (I'm five three and a half); the length is perfect (I'm often too short for regulars and too tall for petites—so annoying!). The petite sizes run smaller than the regulars. So, if the 8 regulars are a little big, the 8 petites will be perfect. Gap is always offering specials; if you're patient you can probably get these for 30% off or more.

Lucky Brand Charlie Baby Boot. What I like about these, in addition to the fit and the super-soft denim (mine are the "Ol Ranchito" wash), is that the part of the leg that's right below the knee is nice and slim.   Because my legs are short, I find that jeans that are too wide in that area make them look stumpy. Not so with this pair! Also, there is a wide selection of lengths. For me, the 32" is just right—a teensy bit long with flats, but I can still get away with it, and long enough so I can wear them with a small heel, too. Although these jeans never seem to go on sale, in my opinion they're well worth the price.

Loft's Super Skinny. This is a new style for Loft, and I love them! Like leggings, but they're jeans, so you feel more like you have actual clothes on. The petites are the perfect cropped length. But be warned, they run small! The greatest thing about these jeans is that they are high-waisted enough that they don't slip down as you move around, resulting in the all-too-common "muffin top," the bane of women with hips who want to wear skinny jeans (which, contrary to popular belief, I believe can be flattering on any body type as long as they fit well, are made of the right kind of fabric, and are worn with the right type of top). One word of warning: you really need to go into the store and try these on, because the fit can be very different depending on the wash. I have the Storm Blue wash, which I adore, but the same jeans, same size, in the black wash fit horribly. Like Gap, Loft seems to have a sale every other day, so wait for one and you can get a sweet deal on these.

Good luck, and have fun shopping!

Elusive Inspiration

People sometimes ask me where I get my inspiration, and I never have a good response. I keep meaning to memorize a stock answer, something like, "I'm always most inspired when I'm surrounded by nature" (which is a lie, but sounds more plausible than the truth and is also a lot shorter). Here's an example of the type of hard-to-describe incident that inspires me. In fact, this particular one resulted in the extra-long blue quartz pendant photographed here that's now available in my Etsy shop, as well as a few similar necklaces with different stones that will be in the shop soon.

I recently spent a week in Seattle visiting friends and family. While there, I found myself at a mall with a Tory Burch Boutique. I adore Tory Burch flats and a few of her accessories and am a huge admirer (read, jealous!) of her business success, but most of her products don't speak to me. But I'd never been in one of her boutiques and thought I might as well take a peek.

The shop's ambience didn't do much for me, and nothing on the shelves or racks insisted that it had to be mine. I didn't spend more than a few minutes in the store before I was ready to leave. On my way out, I stopped to glance in the jewelry case. One of the pieces in it was a long, brightly colored enamel pendant; I think it was pink and orange. I didn't like it; it was too garish for my taste. But, as I looked at it, something in my mind clicked into place. I envisioned one of my standard necklace styles (a blue quartz pendant, similar to the one in these photos, but shorter and more understated) changed—just a bit. I'd use the same stone but put it on a longer, heavier, antique-plated brass chain instead of the delicate double gold-filled ones. It would be similar, but a completely different look. And I knew instantly that I would make it and that I would love it. (That others will love it I can only hope.)

How a too-bright hot pink and orange Tory Burch pendant I didn't even like caused this small movement in my mind that eventually ended up resulting in a new design, I have no idea. I do know that this meandering explanation doesn't make a very good sound bite. The necklace, though, is cool. I promise.

Warm-Weather Chic

It's a little early for me to be thinking about what we'll be wearing this spring, considering that there are several months of scarf and sweater weather still ahead here in the DC area. But I'm so excited about this new abalone necklace that's part of my spring/summer 2013 collection that I couldn't wait to share it. If you're wondering how to wear it, I think it would be perfect for a bride planning a beach wedding, with the bridesmaids wearing my starfish charm pendants custom made with cubic zirconia to match the wedding colors. Or, it would be just as great worn with a simple tee shirt or tank dress while you're out enjoying a sunny day. One especially nice thing about this necklace is that even though it's substantial, it's very light,  so it will be comfortable to wear even when temperatures rise. The necklace is available in both my Etsy wedding shop and my regular Etsy shop. Matching earrings will be available in early February. If you need the earrings earlier, please contact me to order.

Emerald Green for 2013

Happy new year, everyone! Since emerald green has been declared THE color of 2013, I thought it fitting to unveil my new emerald quartz "Knockout" pendant on this first day of our brand new year. The pendant is available from my Etsy shop. If you're feeling green, you might also like these emerald quartz earrings. And stay tuned for a new delicate bracelet with emerald cubic zirconia, which will be available in early February (perfect timing for Valentine's Day!).