Fashion Jewelry Spot

You don’t need to go to art school to successfully design your own fashion jewelry. Some of my readers have no interest in making their own jewelry design, but I use this definition to include selection of jewelry pieces as well. Every time you put on earrings in the morning, either by themselves or with a matching necklace, you use your jewelry design skills. Art schools teach extensive design theories simply because schools are meant to teach theory. Some people specialize in learning theories while never applying them to real life. Here, I will give you a few quick jewelry design ideas, that you can start using right away. Experience and practice will ultimately be the best teachers.

Principle number one is to select a central piece and build around it. For example, a single strand of beads might be boring and uninspiring, but if you add a pendant to it, it adds a visual interest. You might have a somewhat busy design with different beads and charms added all throughout, but as a rule, you want to give one central focus point. I often see people wearing lots of different jewelry pieces, and it simply starts to look cluttered, when there isn’t one central design element, that attracts attention.

Second principle of aesthetic jewelry design is to stick to pieces that have symmetry to them. Our mind likes to see things that are balanced an even. For example, there was a study done on who people find to be the most beautiful, and the conclusion researchers came to is that people with very symmetrical features were found to be beautiful. It is possible to create balance without keeping to perfect symmetry. If you look at artistic jewelry out there, shape of it can vary widely, and, in fact,  a bit of deviation from symmetry here and there can add visual interest, but in the majority of the cases, especially for a beginner, it’ll be more effective to stick with symmetrical design.

Third principle is it has to look great on you and coordinate well with your outfit. There are all kinds of beautiful jewelry designs out there, but some look better on the picture, than when you put it on. One obvious way to match a jewelry piece to yourself and your outfit is to use color. For example, some people look better in warmer tones and some people look better in colder tones. Those are called color seasons and they depend on your skin tone, your eye color and your hair color. To simplify for yourself, see if warmer colors look better on you or cold ones. Is blue your color? Or does orange or yellow suit you better? If in doubt, you can ask a friend or a beauty consultant, for example, your hair stylist. It’s also a great idea to wear warmer tones of jewelry, if your outfit is in warm colors.

These are three basic principles you can you to select or design your jewelry: picking a central piece, making your design symmetrical, and coordinating with your overall look. While these can guide you in your selection, remember that fashion is art, and therefore subjective. Experiment and have a blast playing with jewelry design!