Is There a Formula?

Earlier this week I read a fashion blog entry that was touting what seemed to be the equivalent of the perfect mathematical formula for stacking bracelets. Being the fanatic that I am when it comes to details, I had a good chuckle over the fact that there was someone out there in the same fanatics unite club! However, I think they had a different membership than me!

You see, there are exceptions to my detail-oriented, everything must be in its place self. The stacking or styling of jewelry is one of those exceptions. Reading her article fueled my thinking about the way I style the jewelry I wear – is there a rhyme and reason for some looks and I just don’t know it?

The first pix above is what I thought I would wear today. Two bracelets that look like four. Plain and simple, right. (Well, plain and simple by my standards.) I have had this lovely bracelet made in Bali for many years. It has the most wonderful big amethyst and blue topaz faceted gemstones in it. Not only do I love the look of the piece, I also love its energy. But I never wear it alone…ever. Most times I layer it with other non-stone silver bracelets I have collected over the years. But this morning for some reason I thought I would mix it up with the multi-amethyst three-strand beauty from my own collection. I love the mix of bold chevron amethyst, also called dog-tooth amethyst) in coins and pillows with the large nuggets of faceted amethyst. The bracelet just feels good when I wear it. Styling it for the first time (at least I think it is the first time!) with the Bali bauble gave me a look that was fabulous. However, more important to me is that I love the way the combo feels on my wrist.

Happy with the outcome, I went into the studio to take care of business. Then, as usual about thirty minutes later, I had another styling bolt hit. How about wearing the aqua and black lampwork bead rope style bangle with the Bali beauty instead? So, that’s what I did. I removed the multi-row amethyst and rolled the aqua wonder on, letting the charm-like beads and gemstones fall down over my hand. While I wear the aqua lampwork glass bangle a lot, I know for certain that I have never ever styled these two together. It looked beautiful, bringing attention to the blue topaz gems in the Bali bracelet. Satisfied with the new look…I picked up where I left off in the studio.

Well, you guessed it! Thinking about the amethyst combo again I had the brilliant idea of wearing them all together. And, so I did – you see that in the final pix here. Personally I really love the combo. But it made me think about what the fashion blogger/mathematician would think about my stack. Let’s see was I supposed to measure each piece and determine its proportion in relationship to the others? Was I supposed to count the number of rows in total and not surpass a given number? Was I supposed to think about the mixing of unusual color ways? All I know is that by the time I went through that list of rules my head was spinning. Clearly, applying mathematics to the layering of jewelry just isn’t the way I do things. For those of you who do, I commend you. You have far greater patience and better brains than me! 

As I sit here writing, I do know that I love the way this jumble of Mother Nature’s gifts feels on my wrist. The color combo, while unexpected, is quite cheery and makes me happy. I absolutely love how the crystal quartz and Czech glass beads capture the light and throw it back out for me to see. My lesson today is that for me it just comes down to wearing jewelry that makes me happy. It is my hope that your jewelry, whatever you wear and however you style it, just makes you happy. Do you have a formula for styling your jewelry or do you too just toss it on willy-nilly? Tell me by clicking on the word “comment” following the dateline below. It will be fun to share your thoughts.