Do you match your jewelry? - YouLookFab Forum

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Dressing

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Do you match your jewelry?

catgirl

Veteran

Not to your clothes, but in sets? Like earrings and necklace and bracelet from the same set? I have a friend who will only wear jewelry in sets. I find that way too matchy matchy but often have a hard time figuring out how to wear two or more non-matched items, which is why I usually have on either earrings OR a necklace, rarely both.

Any guidelines on this? I don't mix gold and silver. I'm just figuring out necklines/necklaces and other accessorizing - finding lots of holes (like I have no long necklaces!)....

Dressing

33 replies

Latest reply was from catgirl

Kari

Veteran

I don't. Actually, I almost always break up my sets and wear them with other pieces! The one exception is that I have some stone & metal jewelry gifted from my aunt that is very earthy and beautiful - they are not technically a set, but are made by the same artist & work well together. In that case, even though the style is the same, the colors & shapes are different enough that I don't feel too "matchy."

Anonymous

Good question. After watching Mad Men, my eye is adjusting to the jewelry sets. I'm starting to like the look after considering it a taboo for many years. Ofcourse I remember the days of the Mad Men era, when women who were well dressed did match jewelry in sets. At least the women around me were considered well dressed with a set of jewelry.
I also like to mismatch metals, to me it adds extra spark.
And I love long necklaces!

Maya

Veteran

These are the guidelines I know of:

If you're a little old lady who stuffs tissues in her sleeves and has lots of cats (not that there is anything wrong with that...), wear the matchy sets.

If you're anything else, avoid them.

Anonymous

I know you weren't speaking of me Maya.

Queen Mum

Veteran

I prefer to wear either necklace or earrings.. not both. If I'm wearing a bracelet, I might wear earrings also, but the whole matchy matchy thing is just to twee IMO. I think your jewelry should make a statement and we all learned in school that only one person should be talking at a time.

Kari

Veteran

San - that's a good point about Mad Men. I've also adjusted my eye to gigantic earrings, like Faye's pearls on the most recent season.
However, I just feel too costume-y when I try to wear matched sets in real life. I get teased for being more dressed up than my family or friends anyway...

RoseandJoan

Veteran

I only wear one piece of jewellery at any one time so its not an issue for me.

shana

Veteran

Nope, unless I'm wearing Indian garb in which case I go full blown with the jewelry

Lori

(website)

I often wear matching earrings and necklace sets, but never include a matching bracelet. I prefer "coordinating" pieces rather than matching pieces.

Anonymous

Right Kari, I would not go so far as to feel costumey. I don't wear earrings well, but wish I could because some of them are so beautiful.
I will wear a necklace and bracelet that match. I love that they are not too close together.

Mo

(website)

Veteran

I will wear silver that matches - like small earrings and a pendant necklace or maybe a bracelet and earrings that are the same design in silver. But I don't match colored pieces together. I did, years back, but I do not anymore

annagybe

(website)

Veteran

No, most of my jewelry is statement pieces, so I only wear one at a time.

Marley

Veteran

No - I don't match. When I wear jewelry - it is usually a necklace of mixed metals - and I just pop a small stud earring in my ears. If I wear a bracelet, I usually don't wear a necklace, but wear earrings - however, they don't match, just coordinate with my entire outfit. I wear a lot more necklaces in the summer than I do in the winter, because I usually have a scarf on in the winter and so there is no need for a necklace!

taylor

Veteran

I wear alot of jewelry and it is usually the same theme..not matched perfectly:) Depending on the outfit..chunky, delicate, statement necklace or lots of bracelets..all gold or all sterling all crystal etc...

Kari

Veteran

I also pair a lot of my necklaces with silver hoop earrings, which "play" well with nearly all of my jewelry.

Beth

Veteran

No matching jewelry here. No tissues in sleeves, either.

Do four cats count as "lots of cats"? Uh-oh.

Kristen

(website)

Veteran

I have a coworker who has the most stunning sets of jewelry, and always wears them together. It took a while getting used to it, and it was a little old-school matchy-matchy, but that's also how she is and so it worked. Plus, OMG, she had some unbelievable sets! Powder-puff pink diamond earring, necklace and tennis bracelet, a similar one in rich green emerald-like stones, canary yellows and purples and blues, every color pearls you can imagine, and the necklaces were always unique and not a simple strand. I never asked her for sure, but I don't think any of it was costume. She worked and traveled to Hong Kong for years, and she would splurge over there a lot.

Unless you can do that, I say stick with mixing it up.

chewyspaghetti

Veteran

I only buy costume or vintage jewelery- so it doesn't even come in sets (Thank Goodness!!)

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

I think that fine jewelry (the real and expensive stuff - not necessarily dainty) can be worn in sets. My Mum did this till the day she died and rocked the look.

MsMary

Veteran

I have a few sets of the real stuff and I wear it together. None of it was massively expensive, but I'm not going to leave it in the drawer and not wear it just because it's not considered stylish to wear together.

Kate

Veteran

nope, but then again I can only think of one set that I bought as a set

ticksgirl

I don't even own any jewelry sets, which from the sound of things might be because I don't own any fine jewelry. I'm a costume jewelry girl through and through. And like others, I tend to wear either a necklace or earrings, never both, though I have recently started considering wearing smaller hoop earrings with some of my necklaces. BIG step for me.

And is it wrong that stuffing tissues in one's sleeve actually sounds like a great idea to me? My toddler has his first cold of the season and it's a doozy...

Tanya

Veteran

Hmm, I don't own any matching jewelry sets, but even if I did I wouldn't wear them together. The exception being ballroom dance competitions, where the jewelry is usually worn in a set that matches the dress AND make up

MsMaven

Veteran

You mean like this? My Jr. High graduation outfit, pink dress with gold threads, large fake pearl pink "dangly" earrings and matching necklace. 1957.

Lots of crinolines too.

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Lisa

Veteran

I'll mix everything, no matching required. I used to try, but it was too hard, earrings just started to pile up.

MsMary

Veteran

OMG, MsMaven! I LOVE THAT!!! I would totally wear that jewelry right now!!! And I can only imagine how fab the pink dress was!!

Marley

Veteran

MsMaven! LOVE your Jr. High grad outfit - now that is FAB!

Scarlet

Veteran

I do sometimes for more formal occasions (fine jewelry). I think this is one of those things where the bias against it has become irrationally outsized and divorced from the actual aesthetics in question.

Kristine

Veteran

I actually love the look of a matched set in certain situations. It's probably because I like 40s-50s style. With a simple neutral top it's a statement in itself. I spent time trolling on Ebay for a set and learned there's a term for it, a "parure" (a demi parure is a partial set). I'd like to find one but I'd probably go with no more than two pieces at a time.

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