7 Jewelry Tips Everyone Should Know - How To Build A Jewelry Collection

[Music] hi everybody welcome back to my channel in today's video i want to talk about jewelry and specifically i want to go over some of the things i think can be helpful to keep in mind when starting a jewelry collection these are the things that i've figured out over the last couple years that have helped me build my jewelry collection full of both costume and fine jewelry that i really enjoy wearing things that i know i'll continue to wear for many years if not forever hopefully and things that have really enhanced my personal style so my goal is that these tips can help point you in the right direction because i think jewelry is such a beautiful part of your wardrobe that can be really overwhelming because oftentimes pieces do come with a hefty price tag so let's get started my first tip is to experiment with lower end options and this is to kind of give you a feel for what you like to wear and to figure out whether or not something is even going to be worth investing in the finer version or if costume jewelry is perfectly fine for that piece so i recommend doing this a couple different ways you can of course buy lower end pieces at just about any store you can buy costume jewelry it even looks like fine jewelries you can really start to get a feel for it but my personal favorite way to do this is to experiment with vintage or secondhand jewelry i think it's a really good way to use what's already been made so you're not resorting to things that are in new production and then it's also a really good way to get things that may have been made a little bit better but still at a really really low price so you don't have a high entry barrier in order to participate so i love etsy for this i think you can't go wrong with etsy there's so much great vintage jewelry out there and i think that etsy gives you accessibility to pieces from all over the world but if you don't want to shop online you can of course check your local vintage or thrift store and find really nice pieces there as well now with that said i think it's also really important to be careful with costume jewelry and that's because they can look kind of cheap sometimes they can tarnish really easily and oftentimes just really not be worth even a couple dollar price point so i've had pieces in the past that i've bought thinking oh this is great because i'll experiment but then after like two or three times wearing it it's completely tarnished or it just just hasn't held up the luster of the piece so i really encourage you to be really mindful when you go to buy something to always really examine it look really carefully notice if there's anywhere that's already started to tarnish because then that's definitely a bad sign it will for sure just get worse the longer you wear it and then i also um along those same lines recommend being a little bit cautious about what pieces you get costume jewelry in so i know for me when i've practiced this over the years i've bought costume jewelry that has no metal on it at all so it's just beads maybe it's faux pearls or maybe it's a really cute beaded design and those always look better for longer because then there's nothing to tarnish so if there's no piece on it that can tarnish it can't look tarnished so that could be a really helpful thing to keep in mind as you're experimenting with costume jewelry and then of course like i said when you are looking at costume jewelry and specifically vintage costume jewelry make sure that no stones are missing make sure that the stones if there are some look a little bit realistic because i think that contributes to it all looking a lot better so speaking of costume jewelry versus fine jewelry another thing that's really important to keep in mind and to consider about not only your preferences but the price associated with each is going to be whether or not something is solid or plated so i've talked about this in a couple different past videos i'll try to link them here or down below for you but essentially a solid gold or solid silver solid whatever metal you're looking at is going to mean just that it's solid and then something plated is going to be a metal that's then been coated with something and that typically comes with a lower price point and the reason for that is because that can have a tendency to wear off a little bit it can be a little bit cheaper to manufacture so the price really comes into play there so it's really important that you pla you pay really close attention to whether something is solid or plated and then understand the levels of quality within the plated world there are things that are plated that are very high quality and have been plated really really well so that it won't wear off as easily it maybe has a couple coats of the plating and that's something that i really encourage you to look for because in my experience solid gold it tends to be or solid silver whatever metal tends to be better if you like to wear your pieces all the time you never want to take them off and you're maybe a little bit reckless with your jewelry so maybe you get it wet a lot maybe you live in a place that's really humid humidity can wear off plating but if you don't mind plating or you're able to find something that's really high quality and then you take care of it so you wipe it down and store it out of the sun when you're not wearing it i think plating can be a really good way to get pieces that will last forever and at a lower price point typically so all things to consider things that are important to understand about your preferences and i know for me personally i tend to gravitate predominantly towards solid gold simply because i like solid gold it tends to last a little bit longer for me in my experience i have kind of acidic skin so it wears off plating kind of quickly and then of course like i've mentioned in a ton of fast videos where i live now is very hot during the summer and very very humid and in my experience that does wear off plating a little bit faster so even if i do have plated pieces i wear them a little bit more sparingly during the summer time and then i'll swap out my solid pieces if i know i'm gonna be outside and it is a really hot day now as you can tell by what i'm wearing and as i've talked about in past videos i really really like yellow gold it's something that i've figured out over the years for a couple different things i've taken into consideration not only what i like because it goes well with my color palette in my wardrobe but also the metals that suit my complexion my hair color my eye color and then things that i just enjoy just because and so with all of that considered i've really settled on solid gold for the vast majority of my wardrobe i think solid yellow gold is beautiful it's something that works for me a lot of the pieces that i like to wear have been traditionally cast in solid yellow gold so i like that history and the kind of uh tradition that goes along with that so like my signet for example that's solid yellow gold and i like that for all of those reasons but given my complexion and my hair color my eye color i technically am better suited quote-unquote to silver or white gold or things that are more silver-toned and i've chosen to incorporate pieces like that into my wardrobe in the more expensive or more special things that i own and that is so that i know i'll love them as i get older maybe as the color starts to fade a little bit in my complexion i know i'll have something that makes me feel fantastic so i did a video about this a little bit ago talking about gold versus silver and why i choose to wear gold even though technically silver suits me and kind of the thought process behind that and what i did to arrive at that conclusion so i will link it here for you but i really recommend that you spend time figuring that out certainly before you go invest in something that's going to be very expensive because the last thing i think you want to do is buy something because someone else has worn it or you've seen someone wear it and you thought it looked great on them you see a lot of people gravitating towards those pieces but they just don't work for you your color palette or your preferences so definitely start there certainly before we move on to the next step i think that unless you have something really specific that you know okay i absolutely want this in my jewelry collection i think a really good place to start is with the basics so for me basic jewelry pieces that i think are really versatile always timeless and think look fantastic on everyone is basic earring studs i think hoops look wonderful on every single person because you can get them in different sizes and thickness to suit you i think a delicate necklace maybe with either a locket like i'm wearing today or just a delicate jewel gemstone some kind of emblem that means something to you i think is always beautiful i think delicate rings always fantastic and then also i think a simple bracelet whether that's a bangle or something with some gemstones or a little design i think always looks beautiful and you really can't go wrong in this preferences category where you're trying to figure out what you like to wear and why you like to wear it and the things that complement your style i think this is also a really good time to figure out the sizes that you like to wear so this can run the gamut from the necklace length to your ring size all the way down to your bracelet size and i think that this is all really helpful because it helps point you in the right direction and then again ensure that you're picking jewelry that is going to go very worn in your wardrobe and not be neglected so i think that this is something that's really easy to do because you can take a tape measure and actually measure the length of the necklace and see kind of where things lay on you or measure the length of a necklace that you already have that you love and then not be afraid to search indefinitely until you find something perfect because i know like for me for example i have a really small neck i'm small framed i've talked about this in the past and for example my pinky size is really tiny so i think i wear a two and a half or a three on my pinky and so that was really hard to find for most jewelry which is why i was so excited to find a jeweler that could make something custom for me so i recommend looking into that for you as well and then likewise with necklaces i think most necklaces tend to come in around 16 or 18 inch lengths i think the necklace that i'm wearing today is about 16 with an extension to 18 and i wear it at 16 because 18 is just a touch too long for me and then also with earring thickness i think when you're looking at things like studs or hoops the width of them is almost as important as the overall length of them so take time to figure all of this out and not be afraid to truly customize this for you because i think that's so fun it's something i've really enjoyed about my jewelry curation is i figured out different widths and lengths and things and how they all play together to make me feel really good in my jewelry next i really encourage you to look at heirloom jewelry or antique jewelry this kind of goes in line with vintage jewelry but i think it's a step up because you can find the most amazing pieces and i think that vintage jewelry and of course heirloom pieces maybe something that's been handed down to you is such a beautiful thing to have in your jewelry collection because it's unique and really sets your your collection apart from everyone else so i've recently gotten really into antique jewelry specifically these seal fobs and i think they are just the most amazing things you can find them engraved sometimes engraved with things that have meaning to you already and in the most beautiful stones and really intricate designs that i just love so i will link some of my favorite antique sources down below for you as well in case you want to take a peek and maybe consider adding something like that to your wardrobe and last but not least is to consider personalization when it comes to your jewelry so unsurprisingly i really like when things have been custom tailored and things that are chosen specifically for you and made to represent you you know that's my favorite part about personal style and expression and i think the jewelry is such a really beautiful way to do that because you can have things engraved to represent things that are important to you so using my signet for example i selected the engraving to represent me and things that are important to me in my locket i have a picture of my wedding day which i have holding close to my heart because it's so important to me and then for this piece of jewelry my antique necklace i found this engraved already with my husband's initials which i just love i think things like that just make things so unique and so special and i think you feel more special when you wear things like that and i think that always radiates for your personal style so definitely consider that for yourself and getting things customized and personalized even if it is an antique piece you can have things engraved maybe on the inside of your ring put something special a special date and i just love it i really encourage you to do that because i think that it was what makes jewelry so beautiful so those are my tips for building a jewelry collection those are things i think are really good to keep in mind when cultivating your jewelry so that you have something that you can enjoy for a really long time and really love wearing for as long as possible and of course fill your jewelry box with things that are really special so i hope that you liked this it gave you some direction and hopefully clarified it for you a little bit because jewelry can feel really daunting and i know it was for me at first but these tips have really helped me so i hope they help you and like always thank you so much for watching and i'll see you my next one have a great day [Music] you

Channel: Audrey Coyne

Views: 218,266

Keywords: 7 jewelry tips everyone should know, jewelry tips every woman should know, jewelry, jewelry tips, how to buy jewelry, audrey coyne jewelry, audrey coyne, audrey a la mode, Mejuri, How to buy jewelry, minimal style, gold jewelry, everyday style, how to buy jewelry online, how to layer, look expensive style, look luxury, what to wear, minimal style 2019, shopping tips for women, jewellery collection, how to buy jewelry for women, monica rich kosann

Id: 21mt2roPawk

Length: 13min 59sec (839 seconds)

Published: Wed Jul 29 2020