When selecting jewelry, several criteria must be considered: individual features, fashion trends, cultural preferences, and modern technologies. Let’s explore these in order.
A basic jewelry wardrobe is a collection that allows you to complete any look seamlessly. It’s not necessarily everyday jewelry—many items in this basic set are intended for special occasions. These highly versatile pieces complement any new clothing items and reflect your style.
Mandatory Collection, Our Top-10:
- Rings – wedding or engagement;
- Chain bracelet;
- Statement pieces;
- Cocktail ring;
- Basic chain;
- Jewelry with natural pearls;
- Boho-style jewelry;
- Stud earrings;
- Chunky earrings;
- Gold brooch-pin.
It’s best to choose your basic jewelry set independently, as each item should not only be 100% to your liking but also maximally comfortable. Earrings should be light and not cause discomfort during long wear, the chain should not catch hair or clothing, and the ring should not cut into your finger. If you have sensitive hands prone to swelling, opt for rings with a comfortable fit.
Characteristics of Basic Jewelry
An important quality of items from the basic wardrobe is that they must be genuinely high-quality, whether you choose a little black dress, a pencil skirt, or stud earrings. People will unmistakably use these elements of your look to judge your self-regard and will instantly emulate. Always select your basic collection with the principle of “less but better quality.”
Such a set serves for many years yet periodically needs updating. As a lady ages, she may opt for larger stones and more substantial jewelry pieces. For example, when comparing the jewelry of a 20-year-old lady to those of a 45-year-old, the diamonds in a 45-year-old woman’s studs should be noticeably larger, and the necklaces more weighty.
Statement Jewelry
Statement jewelry is a must-have in your wardrobe but is not categorized as an everyday item. These are the pieces by which you are remembered. Unlike a wedding ring or stud earrings, statement jewelry doesn’t have to be comfortable, but it definitely needs to impress and tell a story about you.
Types of Statement Jewelry:
- A large pendant;
- Long chandelier earrings, large diameter hoop earrings;
- Bracelet with personalized engraving;
- Bold brooch;
- Bright, asymmetrical necklace.
It is generally believed that an outfit should not have too many statement pieces. A foolproof formula is one statement item plus several basic ones for everyday wear. However, many women are willing to take risks and successfully combine several statement pieces in one look.
Materials
The material also conveys a mood and plays an important role in your look.
Do Not Chase the Purest Gold
24-karat gold is often considered the purest form of this precious metal. It is 99% pure, hypoallergenic, and resistant to tarnishing. However, it is soft and scratches easily.
On the other hand, 18-karat gold is less yellow but much more durable, making it better suited for everyday jewelry.
Consider the Coating
Vermeil is jewelry made of silver and coated with gold. Simply put, it is gold-plated silver.
For the gold plating to last as long as possible, the silver used should be at least 925 sterling, the gold applied should be at least 42%, and the metal thickness should be more than 2.5 microns. Such jewelry, with careful wear, can last more than two years. If you are not ready for the layer to wear off, choosing jewelry made entirely of silver, gold, or platinum is better.
Color Palette
The harmony of shades in jewelry plays an important role, especially when combined with clothing. Complementing bright, multicolored items with similar jewelry can create a noticeable dissonance even to the untrained eye.
As for the jewelry etiquette question, “Can red and yellow gold be worn together?” It is permissible if the pieces are of the same style. Consider choosing two-tone jewelry to avoid pondering whether white gold can be worn with yellow or red. It’s easy to pair, ensuring an elegant and harmonious look.
Artificial Intelligence as Your Personal Stylist
When buying jewelry online, you might wonder, “Will it suit my look?” It turns out AI (artificial intelligence or neural network) can be a helpful assistant in choosing jewelry. We conducted experiments with two well-known neural networks and want to share the results with you.
Midjourney
This neural network creates images based on text descriptions. The more precisely you describe your look, the better the image will be.
Pros:
- Photorealistic images;
- Large gallery of ready-made works;
- Ability to merge existing images (e.g., your photo and a jewelry photo).
Cons:
- There is a fee of about $10 per month;
- It can be complex for beginners;
- It’s difficult to achieve an exact result, even when working with ready-made images (for example, you might not look like yourself, and the jewelry may be altered).
Conclusion:
Midjourney is suitable for those who like to fantasize, find new ideas, and bring the most daring of them to life. However, its use requires technical proficiency, the ability to describe an image precisely, and… a subscription fee.
Runway
This is the most suitable neural network for these purposes. Unlike the previously described network, it does not create new images but edits existing ones.
For example: on a seller’s site, there is a photo of a girl with beautiful earrings but wearing a white t-shirt. How to know if the earrings will match a red dress? Upload the image to the Runway site, highlight the white t-shirt with a brush, type “Red dress” in the field below, wait about a minute, and get the desired result.
Pros:
- 105 free attempts are available. Each attempt gives you four options to choose from;
- Only changes the area you have selected.
Cons:
- No possibility to merge existing images (e.g., you can’t combine your photo with earrings from a website);
- The result may not always meet expectations.
Conclusion:
Runway is suitable for high-quality editing of already existing images. You can change the type of face, outfit, and hairstyle to see how the jewelry looks in combination with them. It is well-suited for questions about jewelry matching.
Which neural network to use for what purposes?
To sum up, Midjourney can create photorealistic images and merge existing ones to create high-quality images. However, it slightly alters products or faces during the process. Runway works with existing pictures and can change individual parts of an image. It is suitable for trying on jewelry with different models and types.
However, compare the results from the photos we obtained and draw your own conclusions.
We used photos of jewelry from the Vilavi online store to create the various looks.
Have fun experimenting!
Read more:
Essential Jewelry for Every Woman
