Choosing Jewelry That Flatters You

Can’t find the right necklace to go with your outfit? Here are some tips I’ve learned over the course of making jewelry and experimenting with clothing and various lengths of necklaces that I hope you'll find helpful.

I've also included some tips on earring lengths and sizes toward the bottom.

Some general tips on necklace lengths:

• Shorter Necklaces draw attention up to the face.

• Long necklaces that extend below bust line can be flattering to a lot of women: it lengthens and adds to the impression of height.

• However, if you are chesty, try to keep necklaces shorter so that they sit well above your bust line to keep the attention up at your face.

Necklace Length Types: What Necklines Look Best with your Necklace?

Princess Length Necklace (20")

Have you ever bought a really super cute necklace that you love, but can’t seem to find a top you own that goes best with it? Hopefully these little tips and drawings I made will help!   

GENERAL BASIC PRINCIPLE FOR NECKLACES 
24" OR LESS IN LENGTH:

 Match the shape of the necklace to the shape of the neckline you're wearing.  

Example: A V-neck with a simple curved or U-shaped necklace just doesn't look right. This is because the "V" (made by the shirt) and the "U" (made by the necklace) are basically sitting on top of or very near to one another. This takes away from both the beauty of the neckline and the beauty of the necklace.  

• V-necks look great with "Y" or "V" shaped pendant necklaces.

• Scoop necklines go great with U-shaped necklaces

• The exception...Square necklines. They don't really follow this general rule. They look great with both square-bottomed pendants and shorter, curved necklaces. Square pendants make a statement, and curved necklaces help to "soften" the angles created by the neckline.   

Y-Pendant Necklace 
 Great with v-necks

U-Shaped Necklace
Great with scoop 
or square neckline

V-Shaped Necklace
Great with v-necks

 

Square Pendant
Great with square necklines

 Necklace Lengths Visual:

Collar Necklace (12-13”, fits around middle of your neck):

Looks good with v-necks, rounded (“boat”), or shoulder baring necklines. 

V-Neck

Boat

Shoulder Baring

Choker Necklace (14-16”, above collar bone): 
Any style except turtlenecks

 

Princess Necklace (around 18-20”, below collar bone):
This is the most common necklace length. It looks good with a lot of different styles of necklines, so I will name some of my favorites: Crew or round (think t-shirt), other higher neckline styles like turtlenecks and boat cut, as well as plunging neck styles.

Boat

Crew/Round

 

Turtleneck

Plunging

Matinee Necklace (20-24”, top of bust):

This length compliments boat cut or scoop necklines best.

Scoop

Boat

Opera Necklace (28-34”) or Rope Necklace (45”+): 

This is a versatile necklace that you can wrap once or twice around your neck, or leave it at it's full length. This length of necklace looks good on almost all neckline cuts.  



Necklines that go great with most necklace lengths:

Sweetheart

Boat

Square

Necklines that look better without a necklace:

• Tops that are asymmetrical (off one shoulder): It really depends on the type of asymmetrical top, but many of them in my opinion just look awkward with a necklace on, and take away from the beauty of the top.  

• Halter tops that don’t leave much room around your neck and bust area for a necklace to fit or look flattering. (It becomes more of a "cluttered" look rather than simple and classy)

How to Choose the Right Earring Length: 

• Long earrings with short, chunky necklaces tend to give the appearance of a short neck, especially if you already have a shorter neck

Chunky Necklace

• If wearing a bigger, chunky necklace that lies at the collarbone, try wearing no earrings or wear earrings that are simple and shorter 

• Short earrings guide attention to your face (studs)

•  Long earrings look best on people with average to long necks 

•  Wide earrings (one half inch or wider) flatter most face shapes (wide or long, narrow faces)

3/4" Wide & 2.5" Long Earrings

•  Earrings that end level with your chin are flattering on most women       (2-2.5" long).

These are just suggestions based on what I have found to work best, but feel free to try different things to see what works best for you.  I love making custom pieces, so if you have something in mind, I would be more than happy to come up with a design for you!

Check out my Etsy store and Facebook Page for more info!