New Year, New Ways to Wear Jewelry

Happy New Year!

January is the perfect month for reviewing your jewelry wardrobe: assessing what to keep, what to sell or give away, what to buy, and new ways to wear jewelry you already own.

Here are some tips on how to wear innovative pieces in the winter months ahead, and how to pair them with new fashion trends for spring.

What a charming idea.

While home for the holidays, one of our editors came across her late mother’s 14K gold charm bracelet. After giving it a thorough cleaning, she wore it with her gold bangles and used a necklace extender to turn it into a charm necklace. Ask your local jeweler for help, or visit Amazon.com to buy the extension piece.

Wear a dazzling pin on a hat or in your hair.

Yes, you’ve heard that brooches are back, but perhaps you’re wondering how best to wear them. Whether new or vintage, bold pins look stunning on a velvet blazer lapel, a clutch, or a jaunty newsboy cap. Consider affixing one or two sparkling pins directly into your ponytail or up-do for a trendsetting style fresh from international runways.

Collector’s Tip: Look for vintage dress clips.

Here’s trend that has been sneaking up on jewelry collectors and fashionistas alike. Dress clips from the 1920s, ‘30s and ‘40s were bought in pairs and were traditionally worn on opposite sides of a neckline or on dress straps. Resembling clip-back earrings, they can be used in the hair (see above), on a handbag, or even as shoe jewelry.

You can find vintage dress clips, both Fine and Fashion/Costume pieces, on collectibles websites such as 1stDibs and RubyLane. The renowned jeweler Fred Leighton was known for turning pairs of dress clips into fabulous cuff bracelets…a good project to keep in mind when you’re shopping.

Invest in something tropical.

Get a jump-start on this delightful Spring/Summer 2018 trend. Parrots, flamingos, pineapples and other warm-weather motifs turned up in many of the best spring collections. They look chic and unexpected on tweeds and velvets, a whimsical nod to the season ahead.

Try a pearl or diamond ankle bracelet.

With the huge trend towards all things ‘90s, the comeback of the ankle bracelet continues. Some of the most fashionable women we know are wrapping a diamond tennis bracelet or pearls around one ankle (extenders are available if necessary).

Of course, while anklets only work when you’re going bootless, we’ve seen them worn over black tights as well as bare ankles. Chanel’s Karl Lagerfeld has been embracing pearls around the ankle since last year’s spring collection.