One of the most common dilemmas faced by most women when dressing up for work, an outing or a party, is not about what to wear, rather about how to match suitable jewellery with the outfit.

Some bold decisions, with regard to choosing the most apt jewellery for an outfit, instantly make heads turn and bring on an applause. A few others often invite chuckles or murmurings which, though inaudible, can do much to ruin your mood for the day.

So, wherever you’re going, be sure that what you’re wearing matches the occasion. You can avoid bracelets for work as they can get in the way while costly diamond earrings may not be a good choice for an evening at the pub as they can get lost or stolen.While diamonds go with all outfits for all occasions, mainly the colour and style of your outfit is what dictates what jewellery you need to wear to go with it.

Everyone likes to make a statement wherever they go and jewellery plays a big part in this. Remember, for glitzy occasions, your jewellery needs to be elegant, not loud. At the same time, if your outfit is loud and glamorous, you jewellery should be simple. 

Chandelier earrings or chunky necklaces can scream for attention, so they are best worn with simple outfits. But, if your earrings are the focal point of your ensemble, you may want to skip the necklace. Likewise, if your necklace is the centerpiece, pair it with simpler stud earrings. 

Marion Cage McCollam, a designer who works in New Orleans and has a passion for combining materials in unexpected ways, on her website, says earrings are very important to all women, but choosing from a lot of earrings can sometimes be very challenging. Most earrings do not require coordination, but if you really want to dress to impress, you must be pickier with your earrings, she says. Here are a few tips on how to coordinate earrings and outfit colours:

Contrasts

Wearing earrings in contrast with the colour of the dress can be great as each colour highlights the other. So, you could wear a black dress with white earrings or the opposite and they would look much better than black on black or white on white.

Golden earrings

Earrings that are gold make powerful statements themselves and can go well with simple attire. Hence, a nice, black cocktail dress will do well with bright gold earrings. Gold earrings go very well with black/white dresses. They alsolight up dresses in other colours provided the patterns do no quite clash with the prints or patterns of the outfit.

Cool colours

The bright airiness and freshness of spring and summer clothes look great with cool, natural colours. Try gemstones, like blue topaz or green peri dot against soft and neutral fabrics or patterns.

Diamonds

Diamonds have a top-tung position in jewelry ever since they were first discovered thousands of years ago. There’s one simple rule –  All outfits go well with diamonds!

 

Use the colour wheel

There’s a science behind matching up colours in fashion. The colour wheel will tell you that as warm and cool shades blend one way, they also blend in the opposite. Deep green and dark blue gemstones pop against a yellow or orange dress. Purple goes with citrine, gold-tone and even green emeralds. Rubies, canary diamonds, and amber gems make a statement by themselves. These warm colours are fiery and ambitious and look great over black and white. To use the colour wheel, find the colour of your outfit or jewellery and look directly across the colour wheel to find its complementary colour. Complementary colours create the most vibrant look, because they are in high contrast with one another.

For example, if you are wondering what jewellery to wear with a navy blue dress, find blue on the colour wheel and look across. Orange is its direct complement, so gold-toned jewellery would be a great choice. If you are dressing up for the holidays, you might be curious as to what jewelry matches a green dress. Look no further than rubies or spinels. For a red dress, emeralds are perfect!

 

Jewellery for a V-neck dress

A V-neck may be the most versatile neckline when it comes to necklace options. You can either mirror the V-shape with your necklace, or compliment it with a curve. For a short V-neck, a choker or short chain is the way to go. As the V-neck gets deeper, the options multiply. Chokers, chains, and short to medium pendant necklaces are all great for medium V-necks. Deep V-necks are great with a lariat or sautoir necklace, and also lend well to layers of necklaces. Above all, be sure to never choose a necklace that sinks below the V.