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Must-Have Jewelry Pieces


You know that song Part of Your World from The Little Mermaid, and how she talks about having twenty thing-a-mabobs? Well, that is pretty much me when it comes to jewelry—which is why I’m about to help you non-jewelry wearers.

A little background…I worked in a boutique for two years while in high school. Every day at work, we had to wear at least three pieces of jewelry; we could even “rent” the pieces out for the day if we wanted/needed to. Because I never really like the idea of “renting” jewelry, I bought many—many—pieces and now I have my own collection.

While working in the boutique, I first started myself off with some basic pieces to get by and be able to create pretty every day looks. For those of you who don’t have a huge selection of jewelry, but would like to start wearing more pieces, I’ve put together a list of some of the basic pieces I started off my collection with. Keep reading to find out about my basic jewelry must-haves!

1. Simple Stud Earrings

You know when you got your ears pierced and they gave you a pair of stud earrings to wear, like, all the time? Well, this is going to be the same concept. Invest in one (or more than one) really nice pair of stud earrings. Gold, silver, pearl, diamond—it doesn’t matter. Just pick a pair that is comfortable, matches 90% of your closet, and are good quality.

The best quality earrings I recommend for every day wear are made from sterling silver, gold, stainless steel, a nickle-free metal, or earrings that are hypoallergenic. From my experience, these have been the best bet for preventing your skin turning green or irritation. Buying good quality earrings for your “every day” pair is so important. If they don’t irritate your skin, you’ll probably get in the habit of actually wearing them. When you keep them in all the time, you won’t forget to put them on in the morning.

2. Silver or Gold Simple Necklace

Usually necklaces like these have meaning behind them. For example, my every day silver necklace is a small silver oval with my grandpa’s ring finger etched into it. He passed away last June and my grandma, mom, aunt, cousin, sister, and I all have one of these necklaces. Some other examples of these kinds of simple necklaces are little crosses, a small heart, or even an initial.

If you don’t have anything that particularly has meaning to you, just select something tiny and simple that you think is cute—like a small pearl or a petite triangle.

3. Bracelet

I have my Tiffany and Co. charm bracelet that I wear just about every day. Once again, mine has meaning to me, but yours doesn’t have to. Picking up just a thin chain or even bangle-type bracelet can look really cute and pretty. Try to pick this in the same metal color as your stud earrings and necklace so it looks nice when you wear it all together.

4. Long Necklace or Statement Necklace

Usually I would recommend that you get both. However, I know that statement necklaces can frighten some ladies who are just starting to really wear jewelry every day. A long necklace, anywhere from 24”-33”, is really nice to wear with blazers, lower tops, more causal dresses, and even tank tops. Between the two, I would recommend the long necklace over the statement one. I feel like my long necklaces get more use personally. If you’re just getting one necklace, make sure it’s the same color metal as the rest of your jewelry basics; if it’s a statement piece, try to get it in a color that goes with majority of your wardrobe.

5. Drop Earrings

Drop earrings are what I tend to wear most. I love wearing chandelier earrings, ones with stones, shimmery ones—basically anything that hangs and just really catches someone’s eye. Most of my drop earrings are in more neutral colors and are very shiny. I actually get a lot of my drop earrings from Forever 21 because they’re cute, cheap, and by the time they break I want a new pair anyway. I think drop earrings look best when your hair is up just because it really draws attention to them and makes you look more put together.

There are more jewelry items I would recommend to all of you, but as far as basics go, these are them! Feel free to buy as much jewelry as you want—I’m the last person to stop you from doing so. I hope this entry helped you all and highlighted some pieces for you.

Here are a few of my favorite places to get some basic jewelry pieces:

Forever 21

Charming Charlie

Francesca’s Collections

Macy’s

Nordstrom

Tiffany & Co.

Etsy

Bauble Bar

TopShop

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