On our last buying trip, we took a few hours to visit the Paul Klee exhibit at Milan’s Museum of Culture. Klee was an artist and art theorist who studied how primitive peoples adorned their bodies with jewellery.
This got us thinking about the timelessness of jewellery, and the beautiful, unique journey every piece of jewellery takes from the moment it leaves our store. How many outfits will it improve? How many generations will it pass through? And what will it mean to the person wearing it?
Now that you’re starting to put our winter hats, gloves and jackets away, and you’re more able to show off the jewellery you wear, we thought we’d take a break from talking about our clothes and focus on the accoutrements that tie a look together.
Here are a few thoughts we have about jewellery:
Jewellery doesn’t have to be expensive to be precious
Coco Chanel understood this all too well. She made a habit of mixing her fine jewellery pieces with costume jewellery. According to her, modest materials could please her as much as silver and gold. Think about that as you build your collection. Sometimes, a $100 piece can complete a high-end look better than a $5,000 one.
You can plan an outfit to match the jewellery
The default order is to put a look together and then accentuate it with jewellery. But sometimes, it’s worth it to go the other way. If a piece in your drawer is calling out to you on a particular day, start there. You might find yourself putting different clothing combinations together and coming up with looks you might not have otherwise.
Make room for contemporary and timeless pieces
Just like with clothes, jewellery trends come and go. For example, a few years ago light blue stones were all the rage. Many of our customers jumped on this and picked up some magnificent pieces. But they didn’t get rid of their classic pieces. You can never go wrong with a pair of diamond earrings or a simple silver necklace.
The rules of jewellery are made to be broken
Unlike clothes, which are made to be worn a certain way, you have full creative freedom when it comes to jewellery. Feel like wearing a pinky ring around a neck chain? Go for it. If it makes you feel good, then it’s right for you.
Remember the reasons you bought your jewellery
You’re probably not going to pass your clothes down to your heirs. But you will pass on your jewellery. It’d be nice to pass it down with the stories behind the pieces. They’ll mean so much more.
Next time you’re here, take a moment to look at the jewellery we have in our display case at the front of the store by the cash desk. And if you have questions about how to buy, how to wear and what to consider, we’re here to help.