Jewelry has been a form of adornment since ancient times. It has evolved from simple functionality to symbolism to self-expression. Anyone can wear jewelry, however some items, materials, and styles that are flattering to some, might not be advantageous for others. 

Some general rules are that you would wear the most eye-catching jewelry on the part of your body that you usually get the most compliments on. Eye-catching does not necessarily mean big. Petite people would be overpowered by large, chunky pieces. Smaller and daintier pieces would get lost on a person that has a larger frame and build. 

Shapes need to compliment each other. For example, if you have a round face, hoop earrings would not be a good idea. Try a long, dangling earring instead. Nevertheless, those hoop earrings would look good on someone with a long shaped face. 

 

However, the most important feature that jewelry accents is your skin. Therefore, emphasize it the best you can. This seems to be the biggest challenge. Not only do a lot of us get darker in the summer, we also have either cool or warm undertones. While the shade of our skin tone changes with the season, the undertones don’t. You have either a cool or a warm undertone, no matter what the season is. People can have blue, pink/red, yellow or olive undertones. The first two are cool colors, the latter are warm shades. 

A good idea would be to complement your overall coloring with the color of the metal, while choosing your gem stone color according to your undertone. Silver, white gold , and platinum work well for lighter skin tones. If you prefer yellow gold, even though you have lighter skin, all is not lost. A popular trend is jewelry made with both materials. Or, you could wear the yellow gold jewelry in the summer. The same goes for dark skin. Just because you have dark skin, does not necessarily mean you can’t wear silvery pieces. In that case, you could choose a warm colored gemstone in a white metal setting. 

Choosing gemstones is the fun part. There are so many different ones out there, you are sure to find the ones that please your style and personality, as well as suit your physical aspects. The most popular ones seem to be diamonds of course. They are so versatile that they can be worn by anyone. If you don’t like diamonds, but a clear and neutral color appeals to you, how about wearing white sapphires? Some other versatile gems are pearls and opals. They are of timeless elegance and would work with just about any outfit or coloring. 

 

 

If you like blue and have cool undertones to your skin, a sapphire or blue topaz would be a good choice. For warm undertones a turquoise stone would work well. 

If you like red, rubies would set off a skin color with cool undertones, while garnets would complement warm skin tones. 

These concepts can be applied to any color gems. If in doubt, take someone with you or ask the sales person. Most of all: have fun selecting and wearing jewelry and be yourself.