Her Campus Logo Her Campus Logo
placeholder article
placeholder article

A Collegiette’s Guide to Choosing Jewelry

This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at UVA chapter.

Unless you’re at a UVA football game where pearls are actually the only option, jewelry should be a tastefully chosen accessory, not a one-size fits all. So ignore what you read in magazines about jewelry trends because let’s face it – some of us will never look good in hoop earrings and if you put silver on the wrong skin tone, you’ll only succeed in looking gaunt. To ease your jewelry jitters, I’ve put together a jewelry cheat-sheet with three easy criteria that will make jewelry shopping a breeze this holiday season.
 

1) Does your skin have yellow or pink undertones?

If you don’t know for sure, look at one of your veins. If it appears green, you’re undertones are yellow. If it appears blue, they’re pink.
 
Yellow – Gold jewelry looks best on you. It brings out the warmth of your skin and enhances it. Silver, on the other hand, will dull your skin’s natural glow.
 
Pink – Silver jewelry looks best on you. Gold will clash with your skin’s rosy tint, but silver blends with it perfectly.
 
For colored jewelry, you should look for colors that fit with your season (take the seasonal color analysis quiz here.)

2) Are your bones delicate or sturdy?
If you can’t tell, just look at your wrists. If they’re small, you have a delicate bone structure. If they’re larger, you have a sturdy bone structure.
 
Delicate – The size of your jewelry should be just as delicate as you are. You have the perfect bone structure for slender bracelets, small watches with skinny bands, and rings with an elegant stone set along a slim band. No matter how popular it may be, do not wear chunky jewelry! You want your jewelry to complement you, not overwhelm your delicate frame. 
 
Sturdy – Now you can get away with the big watches, chunky bracelets, and wild rings. Wearing delicate jewelry will look disproportionately small on you, but big jewels will glitz up your look without overpowering you.
 

3) Do you have a long or short neck?
 
Long – You’re lucky in the earring department because you can pull off both dangling and stud earrings. As far as necklaces go, stay away from chokers because they will look disproportionately small compared with the length of your neck.
 
Short – You should stick to studs, small hoops, or earrings with minimal dangle so that your earrings don’t seem longer than your neck. With regards to necklaces, you should be good to go with almost any size – short or long.
 
Sources:
http://ezinearticles.com/?How-To-Find-The-Best-Fitting-Earrings&id=6483349
http://education.jewelry-discount-house.com/Necklace-Size-Guide.html
 
 

Francesca Lee is a fourth year majoring in sociology with a minor in media studies at the University of Virginia. This summer, she developed a passion for TV production after interning at WETA, the public television station for DC and the greater metro area.  Throughout the summer, Francesca researched, wrote and produced several WETA Around Town segments about the local arts programs and graffiti murals in DC.  As the new campus correspondent for Her Campus UVa, she is working to create video content for the UVa branch to supplement the written content.  This spring, she hopes to study abroad in Denmark and expand her knowledge of international broadcasting and advertising. Francesca also gives historical and admissions tours to visitors and prospective students at UVa and is a member of Alpha Chi Omega Sorority.