Series: A “Grownup” Jewelry Collection

First Up in Grownup Jewelry, The Everyday Dainty Necklace

High school and even junior high is a great time to begin building what we like to call a “grownup” jewelry collection. What does that mean? Grownup jewelry is made from real metals and stones. It consists of classic and stylish pieces that you can wear when you’re a teen into adulthood. These pieces never go out of style and work with almost every outfit.

Real jewelry can be pricey. It’s tempting to buy tons and tons of cute earrings and necklaces at Target or Claire’s. These things are fun, and work well with teen style. But these pieces don’t last very long. They tend to break or tarnish after a bit. We encourage you to think about saving for, or requesting a few lifetime, pieces as gifts for birthdays or graduations.

 

Here are some of the “grownup” jewelry pieces belonging to Kate and me.  I received some of them starting at about thirteen years old. Many years later, I still wear them! They’re a huge part of my jewelry wardrobe.

Here’s our list of grownup jewelry: 

1. Dainty Necklace
2. Stud Earrings
3. Dangle Earrings or hoop earrings
4. Simple bracelet or cuff
5. Stack ring(s)

Of course, we don’t advocate buying or asking for these all at once. Take your time and collect. And if you absolutely hate one type of jewelry (I know some friends who can’t stand bracelets,) then skip that item.  Also, if you notice, we didn’t include popular classics such as watches, pearl necklaces, or diamond earrings on this list. Why? These are very pricey and we recommend waiting a bit longer to acquire them. Our series will focus on pieces that can be found for less than $400. Most of them hang out in the $100-$200 range, and some are even less.

First up? Number one on our list – the dainty necklace. Out of all my jewelry, my dainty teeny diamond necklace is my most used and most loved item. I rarely, if ever, take it off. I wear it to workout, in the pool and ocean, and I even layer it with larger costume pieces or statement necklaces. It is a part of my daily wardrobe. If you’re going to have only one piece in a precious metal, we recommend this one! And speaking of metals, both Kate and I have dainty diamond necklaces in yellow gold. But white gold and rose gold are great, too. Look at different metals and decide which you’d like to collect. Mix metals in your collection, too.

Our mood board features some favorite, and reasonably priced, dainty necklaces:

 

 

1. This is a dainty diamond pendant, similar to mine, and less than $400. Designer Zoe Chicco makes some of the most beautiful and age-appropriate pieces for teens, (and everyone) that we’ve seen.

2. Another favorite designer, Hortense, makes this chic circle pendant. This one is in beautiful rose gold. The simple design will never go out of style and we love the circle motif.

3. You could wear this Dana Rebecca teeny diamond bar pendant with everything from a white tee and hoodie to your homecoming dress. We love the price point, too.

If you save for or receive one of these necklaces and you wear it all the time, be sure to remove it regularly to clean it and check the clasp.

Next time: stud earrings.