Category Archives: jewellery

Spring/Summer 2020 jewellery style guide

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With the weather being unseasonably mild, its time to turn your attention to your spring/summer wardrobe. If you’re anything like me, it’s a big relief when you get to shed the frumpy knitwear and heavy overcoats and step out in something that doesn’t mean loads of layers. However, you don’t have to stop at clothes, and you can give any outfit that extra summery touch with the right jewellery. Here’s my rundown of the biggest jewellery trends of spring/summer 2020 to give you some ideas for your own wardrobe.

The statement earring

One of this season’s biggest trends is set to be the statement earring. Introduce a splash of vibrancy into your outfit with a delicate pair of dangly and colourful earrings, which can add equal amounts of elegance and playfulness to any summer outfit. Chose a style that suits your mood, from glamorous pearl designs from Uterque that are both elegant, but very fashion forward, to cameo styles that have a vintage feel and work well with a country heritage look.

A Smart Watch

Smart Watches have become an absolute wardrobe staple for both men and women, and are a real trend for teenagers, as they record their activity levels helping them to  to stay healthy and fit. They also look stylish, coming in a range of designs and colours, and are now as much a fashion accessory as they are a gadget.

If you are looking for smart watches for girls it could be worth checking out a website like Superwatches which is a website dedicated to professional reviews and smart watch comparisons. This should give you a good idea of which watch to buy according to your needs and budget requirements.

The pendant necklace

Another big trend this season is set to be the pendant necklace. The secret when wearing this elegant and timeless piece of jewellery is to make it the centre of attention by pairing it with an otherwise quite minimal outfit, such as a plain dress or top and stud earrings in a matching metal.

When choosing your pendant necklace, be sure to choose a chain length that suits your face shape and brings out your best features. If you’re unsure which is the most flattering length for you, try a few different ones for size to find your preference.

The sunglasses

One thing no summer wardrobe is complete without is a pair of sunglasses. Ditch the pair you bought in a rush at the airport last year and upgrade them with a pair of iconic Raybans, which simply exude effortless cool. Pick up a pair from the Rayban site before jetting off on your summer getaway to complete your holiday wardrobe.

Ring layering

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Another bang-on-trend statement piece to introduce into this season’s wardrobe is ring layering. Go for a unified look by drenching every digit in similar rings, or make an eye-catching statement by mixing it up with a totally mismatching designs and materials.

Introduce these pieces of jewellery into your spring/summer wardrobe this year and you’ll be right on trend all season.

Diamonds – No Longer A Girls Best Friend?

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A kiss on the hand may be quite continental, but diamonds are a girls best friend. So sang the glorious Marilyn Monroe in the classic film ‘Gentleman Prefer Blondes’. But is this still the case in the 21st century. Are we still as enamoured with real bling as we once were? We know there has been a rise in the cost of precious metals like gold and silver, but are the precious rocks still to our taste?

Well, the answer seems to depend on the age of the person asked. Insure4Retirement, a Home and Travel Insurance provider for the Over 50s found that 73% of people who completed a quote and listed jewellery as part of the cover required, owned over £5,000 worth of gems and precious metals. But they also found the figures are much lower as the age of the person asked drops, with young people being more likely to spend their money on travel, experiences and entertainment rather than on expensive pieces of jewellery – even as an investment,

I have to say this really doesn’t surprise me at all. My grandmother had a huge jewellery collection – not quite Elizabeth Taylor but getting there. She loved gem set pieces, the larger the stone the better, and I still wear her diamond engagement ring which is both beautiful and precious. My mother also loves fine jewellery, having inherited most of my nan’s pieces and having built up quite a collection herself from birthdays, Christmas’s and anniversaries. But my feeling towards diamonds is not so strong, I prefer costume pieces,  vintage paste jewels picked up from antique fairs and charity shops, and also more contemporary names like Thomas Sabo and Pandora, which, if they use diamonds at all, these are usually small pieces of adornment, rather than the whole pendant of bracelet.

So why are we moving away from that most iconic of stones. I think it is just a matter of times, and styles changing. We seem to like our jewels to be more tasteful, less ostentatious, and there is also an argument to say we want pieces to be subtle enough to wear everyday, without risk of attracting the wrong sort of attention. There is also an argument that the millennial generation has less disposable cash, and so there are more important things to spend it on than diamonds.

What are your thoughts – are diamonds still a girls best friend?

 

Iconic Jewellery Collectors

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This morning I was going through my jewellery to decide what pieces to wear, and once again I opted for a vintage paste brooch, an item that seems to be a bit of an obsession at the moment.

I love vintage jewellery, pieces that are not only pretty, but also have a story attached to them. I wear my nan’s diamond engagement ring, collect brooches from the 1940s and 50s, and have quite a collection of vintage strings of pearls. I love large statement earrings from the 1980s, and love the 60s style bangles that might have picked up on the Marrakesh trail. But my number one passion is for Art Deco jewellery with its beautiful geometric design, often in black and white diamonds.Genuine  Art Deco jewellery can be harder to source, so it is worth looking to vintage jewellery suppliers like Lillicoco when you want a real statement piece.

Jewellery is a passion shared by many famous women, and I am going to share a few of my favourite jewellery collectors, and some of their key pieces.

Wallis Simpson

Wallis Simpson’s jewellery collection may be the most famous of them all. The Duchess of Windsor may never have been a queen, but with her stunning collection of diamonds and jewels she certainly dressed like one. One of the most famous and iconic pieces was the leopard bracelet from Cartier, which along with the stunning flamingo brooch were offered for a million pound auction at Sotheby’s in 1987.

Elizabeth Taylor

Another star who amassed a stunning jewellery collection was Elizabeth Taylor, with the Taylor Burton diamond, a symbol of her famous love story with the actor Richard Burton, at the centre of the collection. Taylor was married a famous 8 times, and each love affair added to her jewellery collection, which included a tiara from Mike Todd, numerous pieces from Cartier and Bulgari, and the Krupp diamond.

Diana, Princess of Wales

Princess Diana already had her own Spencer tiara when she married into the royal family, but after joining the firm she gained lots of beautiful pieces, many of which she wore in an iconic way. A key point was a stunning emerald necklace which she famously wore has a headband.

But Diana was not just about priceless gems, she happily wore Butler and Wilson cocktails pieces and made them look like they had cost a million dollars too.