Feathers and Things

My finds

           An Accessories How To: With so many options it can be hard to make a purchase that will be a great fit in with your wardrobe versus being a piece that just doesn't seem to match anything. The first thing to realize is that there are two types of jewelry needed in any woman's arsenal: costume jewelry that is obviously fake but beautiful, and fine jewelry for special occasions etc.  Costume jewelry is usually the harder of the two to purchase since its better not to invest to much in fads. The first place I like to start is the color of the metal; I usually stick to golds since I have a warmer complexion, but I like to have some silver in case I need to match a belt or cooler toned outfit. While I browse by metal color, thank god most stores sort by chain tone, I look for designs that stand out to me, don't look cheap, and match tones that I wear a lot.  When I work I wear black, but mostly I like to wear blues, browns, and creams with a few bright colors thrown in there. Figure out what colors you're drawn to in your own wardrobe and try to imagine a piece of jewelry your attracted to with a few of your own shirts, necklines, and/or dresses. Make sure its wearable!
           Lately, I've been really drawn to feathers (I don't know how I could avoid them since they're the staple of most jewelry right now). I try to stay away from brightly colored feathers mostly, but sometimes I cant resist. I know I will get sick of them faster, so I try to stick to the natural ones which also go better with a lot of my wardrobe.  A bright stoned cocktail ring is usually as far as I will go with a lot of color in my jewelry. However, a splash of color is fantastic in a neutral or monotone outfit - so if you know you usually wear all black, for instance, go for a statement piece!
           Today I went on some post-Christmas shopping and as I was gathering a handful of necklaces and earrings I realized that I was impulse shopping! So I stopped and thought, if I left without this, would I miss it? The answer was no, I wouldn't miss it, so I put a lot back and kept searching for something that I really loved and couldn't leave without.  I ended up with a lot less at the end, only a feather necklace with leather strips and gold chains and a white, geometrical, flower-esque cocktail ring, but I can tell already that they're going to be well worn.
How do you feel about shopping for Jewelry, what accessories do you struggle with?

The simpler the top, the bigger the necklace

A-symmetry! Downplay a bold set of earrings by
miss matching different sets of earrings too!