Years back a lot of cheap jewelry had nickel in it and a lot of people, including me, were allergic to it. Now nickel is almost gone, so more of us can wear it.

I make a lot of my jewelry. Have posted some on here. I always buy the best metal components in silver and gold plated. Since I am cautious of the weight of the jewelry I make, I have to use real stones, and semi precious stones sparingly as they are heavy,

Also have some vintage costume jewelry and some real pearls that I love to wear.

I wear my wedding and engagement ring daily. Otherwise, 90% of my stuff is junkier, and mostly from Loft. I do have a few other items that were gifts or things I inherited, including some black pearls. I also have some fairly nice pieces from crafts fairs. After years as a frugal grad student, I've only just learned how to start investing in better clothes. I suspect that will happen with jewelry eventually, but I'm also not good at taking care of stuff, so I probably won't go overboard.

I don't think I've ever bought jewelry for myself, so what I do own came to me as a gift at one time or another. Which means that my jewelry is either silver, platinum or gold or it includes semi-precious stones. It also means that there are quite a few pieces that aren't really to my taste.
I think my only "not real" jewelry pieces are a necklace and a bracelet made of Venetian Murano glass, and a baroque freshwater pearl necklace (or is that considered real jewelry?).

For some reason I never buy and wear custom jewelry, even when I like it. I think I'm afraid I would find it lacking compared to the real thing once I brought it home, and wouldn't wear it. Especially since I rarely wear pieces I already own.

Because I have a magpie attraction to shiny things which I then realize don't do much for me, I keep my jewelry expenditures low by finding stuff at auctions, thrift shops & rummage sales. By doing that, I can find junk that isn't junky, if you know what I mean. I look for aurora borealis crystal beads, Mexican silver or high quality vintage costume jewelry (some of which, especially signed pieces, can actually be valuable) and other unique pieces that I might actually wear. Like you, I'm interested in things which are interesting or classic enough to be beyond trends. My ears aren't pierced, so old clip or screw earrings are very welcome. My latest acquisition: a pair of round jawbreaker-sized lilac-pink "pearl" earrings from the '60s. So fab. Would love to see some of your collection!