Creating a cohesive jewelry look is very near and dear to my heart. Jewelry can truly make or break an outfit; too much of it can be overpowering, while too little of it doesn't really give you the intended effect that you're aiming for. In the fashion world, we focus a lot on how to create a great clothing look and how to make your outfits pop or stand out or look good together, but we don’t hear as much about how to style jewelry effectively. So, I wanted to go through some of my favorite tips on how I style my jewelry to always look put-together, yet still stylish and on-trend.
jewelry styling

Balance Your Rings

My first tip is how to stack rings so that they look balanced. As the photo shows, there are five rings on my hands: a chunky heirloom ring, a more understated swirl design, a tiny stacker, a cigar band, and a screw-style diamond ring. I have the two chunkier rings on each pointer finger, and as the stack progresses, the rings become thinner. So I place the cigar band in the middle and the two dainty ones on either side. This works because the weights are evenly balanced.
ring styling
If I were to wear these five rings in a different order, it wouldn't look as good because having three chunky rings on one hand and the two dainty rings on the other would create an imbalance. Of course, if you're going for an unbalanced look, it can work, but I believe having balanced weights on each hand really makes a difference.
ring styling
I also don't love putting things on my pinky or my thumb; I don't think it looks classic or elegant. So, I prefer to stick to these three fingers on each hand. You also don't want to have too many rings on one hand and not enough on the other. It’s important to balance the number of rings and their weight so that they’re evenly distributed across both hands.

Layering Necklaces

My next tip is how to properly layer and stack necklaces. The biggest tip I have is not to overdo it and to mix the weights so that there's not too many dainty pieces stacked together or too many chunky ones on top of each other. Here’s how I like to wear my stacked necklaces: to have a thin one, a thicker one, and then another thin one. They all work well together without competing for attention. The middle one is definitely the show-stopping piece, while the other two are more subtle.
layered necklace styling
One important thing to note when stacking necklaces is that you should make sure they’re different lengths so they won't fall on top of each other and create a mess look. There are different necklace lengths, and the standard lengths are 16-inch chain, 18-inch, and 20-inch chains. If you're wearing a 16-inch chain, try pairing it with an 18-inch or a 20-inch length chain, instead of having two or three 16-inch chains stacked on top of each other. The reason this combination works is, number one, the different weights, and number two, the different chain lengths.
layered necklace with different length
But if you were to add something like the chain below, all of a sudden, it feels like there’s a lot going on. I know that the "more is more" trend is really big right now, and we're seeing a lot of chunky pieces and a lot of maximalism, which is super cool and very on-trend. However, if you're aiming for a more understated and elegant look, I would recommend sticking with simpler pieces when you're layering. That's not to say that a chain like this wouldn't be amazing on its own — it makes a great statement piece, and I would love to wear it by itself. But stacked with three other necklaces? I think I will stay away from that.
necklace styling

One Statement Piece Per Look

And it leads me to my next point: having one statement piece as the shining star of your look and making it the focal point. As seen below, if I wear a pair of chunky statement earrings and a necklace which I don't necessarily need to wear, the earrings still stand out. I would probably wear them without a necklace, but even with a dainty simple chain like this, the earrings remain the focal point.
one statement per look
The same applies if I were wearing bold rings or bracelets — it would just be a lot of a look. So, if you want to make an earring, a ring, or a necklace shine, you really need to pare down everything else you're wearing, unless you're going for that maximalist look.

Creating Earring Stacks

The next tip is for all my ladies with multiple piercings. If you have a few piercings on each lobe, like two or three, I recommend always putting the chunkiest or biggest hoop in your first hole and then gradually moving upwards. You will never want to have a small hoop in the first hole and then go crazier and bigger in the next one. As seen below, I would bring the size of the earring down as I move up the ear.
earrings styling
If you're wearing bold clothing with lots of colors and patterns, it's best to keep your jewelry simple and understated so that your clothes do the talking.
earring styling 2
Vice versa, if you're wearing a simple outfit like a black blazer and a white shirt, you can definitely play around with more elaborate jewelry looks and styles.
earrings styling 3
So, as an example, if I wear the necklace mentioned above with this look, it works perfectly and doesn’t cheapen the outfit. However, if I wore this with a green turtleneck, it would probably make the whole look way cheaper. In that case, I would probably stick with a simple pair of earrings. The rule of thumb here is: crazy outfit, understated jewelry; crazy jewelry, understated outfit.
jewelry and outfit

Dainty Jewelry For Fancy Occasions, Chunky For Casual

A rule of thumb that I also like to follow is to keep my jewelry dainty and elegant for more formal occasions, like weddings or events where I want to look really polished. Then, for more fun occasions, like going out with friends or something more festive, I'll go for more elaborate jewelry.
dainty necklace

Gold At The Beach & Silver In The City

The last rule of thumb I go by is that I tend to wear gold jewelry most of the time. But if I were packing jewelry for a city vacation versus a beach vacation, I would pack my silver jewelry for the city and gold for the beach. I just feel like those are the vibes for each occasion.
gold at beach
Of course, these are not hard-and-fast rules. I love how fashion has evolved to be more about personal expression, with no strict guidelines — everyone wears what they want, matches and pairs everything together in all different sorts of ways. These are just a few tips that have helped me put together some jewelry looks, and I hope they can do the same for you. Thank you for following our blog!