As the daughter of a Southern woman, putting on earrings any time I stepped foot outside of my home was a habit as ingrained in me as saying grace before eating and never using the word “lie” for some reason. But, while I stopped praising Jesus for my Fruit Gushers and say much worse words than “lie” on an hourly basis, now, my jewelry-everyday requirement has only expanded beyond just earrings, to earrings, a necklace and two hands full of rings even for a morning coffee run. And it pays off in the form of daily compliments, which I run on like gasoline.
Now, as someone who champions personal style, I don’t think everyone needs to pile on every shiny thing they own just to walk their dog, but, I can’t help but take note of how many of my clients complain that even their best outfits feel blah and how often it’s revealed that they own a single sad pair of studs or, worse, one of those terrible 2011 statement necklaces that doesn’t actually match anything…and nothing else in the way of jewelry.
Sometimes, it’s tough for me to remedy this when shopping for specific items for said clients because, to me, jewelry is incredibly personal: it would be like picking your underwear. I can tell you how to accessorize, though—
—and, I can arm you with the tools to build a fabulous jewelry collection on your own.
How I Shop
One thing about me: I don’t like leaving the house. While most of my wardrobe is secondhand, I’m just not big on thrifting in person because I don’t like the idea of sitting in LA traffic just to go somewhere and potentially not find anything. Call me a pessimist.
Luckily, I shop online for a living, so, I have a few tricks.
Never leave a site (or store) without checking the accessories section. You truly never know what you’ll find.
Utilize saved searches! As a lover of Gem (read my interview with the founder here), being able to search the entire internet for secondhand/vintage on one site is only made better by the fact that I can search once and get updated anytime something new comes up. I currently have saved searches for Dylan Lex jewelry, for gold bracelet watches, for size 8 gold rings, and for wooden bangles.
Stick to vintage! There are only a handful of brands I shop for new things, especially jewelry, which means roughly 80% of what I own is vintage. Vintage is especially great because you can already see how something has held up over time. When searching on Gem, I add “vintage” to the beginning of my search terms, every time.
Know your measurements! Yes, this applies to jewelry, too. I know that the base of all my fingers are a size 8, but for midi rings, my sizes vary between 4.5 and 6. I know how long a necklace can be before it gets lost in my cleavage, as well as how small a choker can get before it starts literally choking me.
Where I Shop
Of course, I constantly get asked where I find my jewelry. And, as much as I’d love to gatekeep, supporting small businesses this season (and always) is more important than making sure I get all the good stuff. So, here are my personal favorite Etsy shops for vintage and handmade jewelry (based in the US):
How 2 Build Your Collection
It’s no secret: I love a No Buy. And what I love even more is a qualifier: Consider a No Buy of everything except accessories. Ideally, this will force you to focus and give you the opportunity to really invest in some great stuff with the money you save not buying clothes. Another option is to make it a rule to always buy at least one accessory when you’re already shopping for clothes until you’ve built up your collection. But, how will you know what to buy?
Well, I wrote a book about it!
How 2 Adorn is a 15-page PDF e-book designed and written by me(!) with tips on how to figure out your jewelry and adornment style, the types of silver and gold to look out for (and avoid), how to layer necklaces and with which necklines, and more. Click here for more info and to purchase! Or, if you’re a paid subscriber, download How 2 Adorn for FREE at the link below!