Primadonna Style: Fine Jewelry vs Costume Jewelry

The accessories you choose can jazz up and complete an outfit. Jewelry that you use can be an easy way to set the tone for your outfit and make it more formal, classy, or casual. You’d be surprised at just what the jewelry you accessorize with says about you. One of the two different styles that you’d decide between for your jewelry are fine jewelry and costume jewelry, both with varying styles and varying uses. But if you’re not too sure about both, then here is a bit of a breakdown, and how it can amp up your outfit.

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Fine Jewelry

Fine jewelry is the more traditional jewelry that you might think about, much like these rings: https://www.whiteflash.com/engagement-rings/designer-rings.aspx. They are made from fine and precious metals, and there may be real diamonds or gemstones set in them; making them a more expensive option to wear.

Fine jewelry can be your go-to pieces, as they will be long lasting and durable. A pair of gold diamond stud earrings, for example, can be left in your ears for everyday wear. The same goes for necklaces or rings. They can be stored away, but don’t necessarily need to be. The care for them is pretty low, as the metals are real and genuine, unlike their costume jewelry counterparts that will need to be taken off each night (or you’ll get a nice green stain round your ears or fingers). So to style your outfits, these are great for a simple everyday look, depending on the piece as well as a for a fine and formal look, for something more sophisticated (again, depending on the pieces that you choose).

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Costume Jewelry

The idea behind costume jewelry came from the queen that is Coco Chanel, according to this article: http://www.susanjanejewels.com/costume-jewelry-pearls-history-coco-chanel/. She experimented with the idea of having specific pieces of jewelry for each outfit that would be pretty inexpensive. For instance, some faux pearls each time you wore a certain wool jacket. This trend then grew and grew. These will be the pieces of jewelry that are cheaper, and that you choose to wear with one-off outfits. They tend to be more statement pieces, that are bolder and brighter.

As they can be made from pretty much anything, including plastic, they aren’t the kind of things that can be worn as you shower or sleep. They would be uncomfortable to do so, and in some cases, will even leave marks or stains on you. They can add pops of color to an outfit, and are affordable so you can get new pieces for new outfits, as and when you want them.

Having a mix of the two in your closet is a good idea so that you can mix and match, and change the look of an outfit. A black dress with fine jewelry could look totally different when styled with more statement costume jewelry. Have you got a favorite to wear?

Thanks for reading!