How to layer jewelry

Do you ever get sick of having to pick out one piece of jewelry just wishing that you could wear them all? Now you can – Whoever started this trend must have just said, to hell with it and threw every piece they had on their body, they must have looked amazingly cool- because now we’re all doing it. And it is cool, why limit yourself when you can spontaneously embrace all your jewelry pieces in one go. That being said there is a right way to do it and of course, like anything, it could also go disastrously wrong, so here are some tips on how to layer your jewelry

If you want to succeed in fitting into today’s most influential trend then you have to learn how to layer your jewelry. Layering is not just a seasonal idea that will pass, it is a development in fashion that is going to continue to flourish and stay as popular as it is today, tomorrow.

Today people are customizing and creating a personal, individual style for themselves, with layered jewelry. More often than not people have trouble picking out the right things and pairing items together correctly. There are a few points that need to be covered in order to get it right.

How to Layer Necklaces

First of all you must learn how to layer necklaces and consider some deal breaking factors. Just throwing any old thing on really doesn’t make the look (unless you get lucky – but in fashion we can’t rely on luck), the types of metals that you are mixing and the lengths that will suit your shape. There are a few different ways you can layer necklaces:

A graduated effect is accomplished by taking delicate, short necklaces and combining those with slightly heavier, longer necklaces. For example you could take a short, delicate diamond necklace with a slightly longer, small pendant necklace and finishing with an even longer, heavier, medallion type necklace to give this soft elegant look a little more edge.
A tailored look can be achieved by combining a custom made necklace with a couple of small charm necklaces and a longer pendant chain. Personalize your layering with a name necklace, initial charm or a meaningful date on a bar necklace. The pendant could be one of color to brighten up the look a little.
You can create a collar effect to add to your clothing style. Let’s say with a button up shirt and denim jacket you can layer chunky necklaces one resting on top of the next. There’s not much room for delicacy in this look so try not to get over excited and stick to the theme.

Remember that large necklaces layer well with other large necklaces and small ones with small. Medium pieces work well with both small and large.

Bracelets and watches

Whoever you are, whatever your style, there is a bracelet stacking look for you. Bracelets can be mix, matched and stacked but you have to take into account the range of metals, shapes, textures and tones. Here are some examples of how to stack bracelets to match your style:

Trendy Daytime
Begin with a colorful/multi colored bracelet, trimmed in gold. Add an eye-catching, colorful wrap bracelet. Then throw on a beaded bracelet right above a chunky bangle. Finish off with a simple yet colorful threaded bracelet – the kind you get at the market when you’re on vacation. To complete this look you should paint your nails to match one of the colors in the stack.

Boho
Start with a chunky cuff and work your way down to the hand adding beaded, patterned and wrapping bracelets until your arm can take no more. You can even add another smaller cuff in there to compliment the large cuff and even add a soft dreamcatcher pendant on a delicate chain.

Feminine Delicate
This is more of an intricate style so you have to take a little more time to choose which bracelets to wear. Remember it has to go with the outfit you are wearing. Elegance comes with being well put together so any old thing will not do. For instance chunky chain links do not blend well into this look. Small chains and subtle charms go well together, you can mix the colors but not too busy. It is imperative that you do not take the focus away from your outfit, that the bracelet stack only compliments it further.

Minimal
If you want to keep it low key and more reserved you will not want to wear too many bracelets or too much color, stick to the metals. Start at the top with a small silver cuff and complement it with a chunky, silver, chain link piece. Then add a bigger cuff, maybe of a different color like gold or rose gold. Finish the stack off with a dark, heavy metal either full circle or titan bracelet.

Rings

It may look easy but when you are mixing metals and different weights it does get more complex so there is definitely an art to stacking rings.

The key to wearing a ring on each finger is to play with different thicknesses and weights. You can also add a long ring to give the look some height making it a little more interesting.

If you double up you should do so only on one central finger with one ring on the fingers either side.

If you wear a hand piece you should definitely try to minimize the stacking – If the hand piece is thin and demure then play around with very dainty rings, adding at least one midi ring to the middle finger. If it is more of a statement handpiece then you can for sure feel free to play around or even just let it be to carry its own look.

Stack different colors of the same ring – it ends up looking like one ring. Mixing colors is super exciting which is why you can’t overdo it, two different matches in one look is enough - you could even throw in a combination piece.

One hand all gold and one hand all silver – Why not try this? It is fun and different - you can match the same design just in a different color giving the look a sense of symmetry.

Match your rings to your bracelets let the style flow through your jewelry stacking – don’t get lost in it and change the purpose of your stacking. You can even incorporate a matching set to the equation, there is something very elegant and chic about this.

What to avoid or common mistakes

When in doubt, absolutely do not! If it doesn’t look right leave it out, you can wear it another time – you don’t have to use every single last piece in your jewelry box. Remember you are not dressing a tree for Christmas but maybe something a notch down from that.
Try to stick to no more than two different metal textures - too many finishes can be distracting.
Make sure your midi rings fit so they don’t go flying into lost space – try to ensure it fits well before you buy it.
Consider if you are possibly overdoing it before you go anywhere. As famously quoted by Coco Chanel “Before you leave the house, a lady should stop, look in the mirror, and remove one piece of jewelry”. Yes times have changed and nowadays in general it seems we are trying to overdo it to a certain sense of the word, but the rule most definitely still stands – keep it chic and classy.