The Wonders of Jewellery Layering with Fi
Coco Chanel famously said, “Before you leave the house, look in the mirror and take one thing off.” Well, I hate to disagree with a style icon, but I say, “wear it all.”
One of the many beautiful things about human beings is that we are all different and one of the ways in which we express ourselves and our individuality, is in our outfits and accessories. Since the beginnings of humanity, we have adorned ourselves in treasures and the things we love and that are of significance, just go to any museum and you will find archaeological jewellery treasures from around the world; from African Tribes to Ancient Egyptians, from Ancient Greeks to Romans, from the Vikings to the Celts, to name but a few.
From Royalty and Nobles to everyday folks, jewellery has always been important as decoration, expression and show of our status and culture. For many peoples, jewellery wasn’t and isn’t merely decoration, it has greater symbolic meaning and can be very significant in religion, ceremonies and rituals. Fashions and trends have always come and gone and, while many of us now wear our jewels for no other reason than we love them and they help us express ourselves, jewellery is just as important now to us as it was to our ancestors.
One of the big trends now is Jewellery Layering and the Silver Scene family have long embraced this look; when you visit our stores, you will usually see us decked out in our favourite pieces and layering our jewellery …. A few rings here, a stack of bangles there and a necklace or two to finish off.
As an avid jewellery layerer, I thought I’d share a few of my thoughts and tips on how I wear and stack my jewellery.
- No matter what type of jewellery, I like to mix different textures and weights; to mix daintier pieces with chunkier, statement items.
- Oftentimes, I like to mix semi-precious stone pieces with plain silver pieces too. I’ll often choose a stone where the colour complements and outfit, but I do also love to use a contrasting colour. For example, if I’m wearing a top with a turquoise or dark blue in it, I like to wear the stone Rhodochrosite, as the vibrant Salmon Pink contrasts well with the blue. And if I have on a monochrome look, I contrast that with a vibrant stone like Citrine.
- By mixing in a colour, you create a focus, and it can give the look more cohesion. Also mixing metals can create a great look too if you are a lover of both silver and gold.
- The main things I layer are Necklaces and Bracelets. With Necklaces, it looks best if you create spacing between each chain/necklace. Play around with combining different lengths and textures and see what works for you. Personally, I start with my shortest chain being the finest and having the smallest pendant on it and the longest chain I wear being the thickest, with the statement piece on it. Longer chains can have more pressure put on them as they swing and move around more and can get caught and pulled easier, so this is as much a practical idea as a better look for me.
- By varying length, texture and weight in chains, it can help in stopping them from getting tangled. And make them easier to untangle if this does happen. Have you ever tried to untangle two fine curb chains? There lie hours of your life you can never reclaim.
- I also like to add a ‘cluster’ necklace from time to time; a long chain with a few complimenting pendants clustered on it.
- Chain wise, I usually wear three at most. The amount is often dependant on the neckline of the top I’m wearing. For example, if I wear a blouse or V neck, it is harder to make longer chains work, so I’ll stick with one or two short chains, like 16-inch length, but if I wear a round neck or t shirt, anything goes as they’ll sit on top of it. Be aware of the focal point of the chains and where you feel comfortable drawing people’s eyes to.
- Regarding Bracelets, I always had ‘Bangle envy’ when I saw people with stacks of bangles jingling on their arm. I have a wide hand but a tiny wrist, so bangles don’t work on me, no matter how much I love them. But I adjusted my thinking and, to get that stacked look, I mix a cuff bangle with several bracelets.
- Again, I mix textures and thicknesses and I mostly do plain silver so my chosen stack will go with everything. I do also add a stone bracelet to the mix from time to time if I have one that goes great with an outfit.
- Bracelets and Bangles are great for your summer wardrobe. Those short and sleeveless looks really show them off.
- With rings, again anything goes but I tend to mix a chunky ring with one or two dainty rings. I like a focal, stone ring and the rest plain silver usually, but my colleagues wear several stone rings with plain ones, and it looks amazing.
The main thing is to experiment, find what works for you, and have fun finding new ways to wear your beautiful jewellery. There are infinite possibilities, and the rule is…. there are no rules! Wear what makes you happy. And share your looks with us on our Instagram and Facebook pages, we love to see how you style your lovely Silver Scene Ltd Jewellery and you inspire us too.
Fiona
