Category: Scale

Layering Necklaces: It’s all in the Mix

You may have noticed that one of the hot trends in the world of jewelry has been layering necklaces. But have you been afraid to try this out yourself? Don’t be, because there are no hard and fast rules. Instead, just play around a little and see what sparks your creative eye.

Start with one necklace that hits around your upper balance point. Then add another one that’s a bit longer, maybe even two more. You might try one of your longer necklaces and doubling it. The following picture demonstrates how a longer necklace was wrapped around twice and combined with a shorter necklace for a stunning effect.

jen layered necklaces
layering a short necklace with a doubled longer one

This photograph shows how a shorter necklace is layered with a doubled longer one. Then added to the mix is yet another one, worn long, for sort of a three-tiered effect. I’m just lovin’ it.

three-tiered layered necklaces
layering three necklaces

One more thing you may want to experiment with is the scale of the necklaces you’re layering. Sometimes a combination you may have never thought about just looks hot. I practically accosted this woman, Janet, in Neiman Marcus when her creative combination really got my attention.

Janet-layered necklaces

I just think the chunkiness of the carved wood necklace creates beautiful juxtaposition with the more delicate blue beaded strand with the gold medallion.

So here’s your mission, should you choose to accept it. Go to your jewelry box, haul out all your necklaces (even the ones that have been hiding in the deep recesses) and start playing around. I’m sure you’ll find some combinations that really resonate with your personal style.

Scale: How Big or How Small?

You may have noticed that over the years, the scale or size of jewelry goes up and down. I remember the huge plastic jewelry of the 1980’s and the petite chain and crystal necklaces from the 1990’s. (Think Monica and Rachel a la Friends) Currently, jewelry seems to be fairly large scale, though there are many choices when you go shopping. So how do you choose what to buy?

First of all, you need to get a basic understanding of what large, medium and small scale jewelry looks like. Here’s an example shown in necklaces.

large, medium, and small scale necklaces

This same guideline applies to all types of jewelry, from the thinnest of gold bands to the chunky cocktail ring…from simple diamond studs to shoulder-grazing chandelier earrings. Once you can identify the scale of a piece, you next need to decide what would work best on you.

Think about your physical being and how much “space” you occupy in the world. Are you tall? Short? Somewhere in between? And think about your skeletal frame. Just because I’m quite tall, I actually have very small bones, as shown in my tiny wrists and ankles.

Finally, think about the scale of your facial features. Do you have large eyes? A small button nose? A smile to rival Julia Roberts?

Knowing how you visually come across will help you in determining the most inherent jewelry scale for you. By inherent, I mean the scale that is most naturally pleasing and complimentary to you. For me, I can carry pretty large scale jewelry due to my height and the size of my facial features, but I need to mix it with some medium or small scale to balance out my small bones. Often, I can achieve this by layering necklaces and bracelets of different scales. (I will elaborate on how to do this in a future post.)

Now keep in mind that this is how to get an inherent look. You can also create drama by selecting a scale that you wouldn’t normally choose. For example, picture some five foot tall gal who constantly wears large, oversized necklaces–and she looks fabulous! This is because she’s making a dramatic statement with her necklaces. Plus, it may very well be part of her jewelry signature. Here’s a perfect example of creating drama with a large scale necklace:

creating drama with a large scale necklace

So take all this information and look at your jewelry with new eyes. You may get an “ah ha!” or two…