Jewelry: Style Guide
Design by Rachel Liu
These jewelers are amazing and we were tempted to keep these unique pieces all to ourselves. But you’re in luck, because we wanted to share with you our current favorites, where to get them, and give some styling tips along the way. From funky-fresh small businesses to elegant international brands, we are giving you the inside scoop on how to get awe-inspired compliments on all your accessories!
Shop our picks below.
Bead Salad
Sustainable and AAPI-owned, Bead Salad was started by arts student Lauren Cramer. She hand makes one-of-a-kind necklaces and keychains, with her trademark charm being a beautifully repurposed fishing lure. She has done collaborations with accounts like @ap0cene. She uses materials like mah jong tiles in her coveted pieces. Stay up to date on her inventory drops through her Instagram (she sells out in minutes) and prepare to be dazzled!
HOW TO STYLE BEAD SALAD (statement necklaces):
Statement pieces work the best when they aren’t drowned out by lots of layers. Keep your outfit simple up top, so that the necklace stands out on its own against your skin. In the warmer months, these necklaces look lovely on top of a monochrome turtleneck, and elevate any simple tee or button up.
Brooke Callahan
Whimsical yet subdued, Brooke Callahan’s jewelry is made in Los Angeles and Italy. She uses eye-catching colors, but holds back on making her pieces busy or overwhelming. By doing so, Callahan’s collections walk the delicate line of playful and classy perfectly.
HOW TO STYLE BROOKE CALLAHAN (beaded necklaces):
Color, color, color! Bright colors are your best friend with these light-hearted necklaces. Vibrant beads add a lot to a simple dress or t-shirt, but my personal favorite pairing is to keep going crazy: wild patterns with these beaded pieces are sure to catch the world’s eye. A lot is never too much!
La Manso
A female designer from Barcelona decided to do what she loved: create. Her brand La Manso was born, and it awakened within us a love for rings we did not know we had. The lovely colors shine through these rings with the effect of stained glass, due to each and every one of them being hand-painted. These rings feel effervescent -- light and bubbly -- and are reminiscent of all moments carefree and sunny.
HOW TO STYLE LA MANSO (colorful rings):
The best part about the gorgeous rings is that these can be the only rings you wear daily, and that’s not a problem at all. They are large enough to work well on their own, no other hand jewelry required! If you want to combine them with more rings and jewelry, my rule of thumb (no pun intended) is to stick with either gold or silver for the rest of the look. Delicate bands and wires can go on your other fingers to complement any colorful ring, but especially these La Manso pieces! While they have color, the translucent quality of the glass give them the ability to go with any outfit without clashing.
Mondo Mondo
Mondo Mondo shows us that minimalism does not have to be boring, and that all-gold jewelry can take on a depth and shape that feels far from monochrome. On their website, a gaudy home page sets you up to expect equally wild pieces, but they love to stick with the elevated basics-- with a twist. A thin gold chain with a gem-encrusted heart pendant, a pearl choker, and a bangle that protrudes with sculpted cowboy hats. That is what Mondo Mondo has to offer: a sense of humor and the confidence of a brand that knows their stuff is jaw-droppingly gorgeous.
HOW TO STYLE MONDO MONDO (silver and gold jewelry):
With silver or gold jewelry, layering is the key to not letting it get lost in the rest of your outfit. Be careful not to do too much, though, lest the pieces get tangled in each other or cover up one beneath it. Doing one choker, one slightly lower hanging necklace with a charm, and then a looser necklace create the perfect depth of your accessories. Small details, like the ones that Mondo Mondo excels in, are what will make your pieces stand out. While I usually don’t mix silver with gold, it can look absurdly cool, especially with a neutral-toned outfit of white or black.
Yam
Black and female-owned, Yam was inspired by the founder’s mother, and has only continued to grow in terms of beauty and success. It is focused on “new nostalgia,” a term that we found captures their essence completely. Tiny, colorful glass baubles turn into the centerpieces in many necklaces, while earrings take on daring spiral shapes. Yam manages to be impossibly delicate and still stand out against the wearer. This feat is not one that comes easily, and is a testament to the jeweler’s fantastic eye and care for their work.
HOW TO STYLE YAM (elevated classics, earrings):
Especially with uniquely shaped earrings like Yam’s, pulling back your hair and letting the earrings fall to the forefront is key to making sure they got noticed. If there are pearls on your earrings, try to incorporate pearls into your necklaces and bracelets, and so on and so forth if it has gold, silver, etc. By doing so, it pulls your whole outfit together with minimal effort, and looks classy and timeless.
BPCR
Designer Blanca Pérez-Cabrero Riera used her initials to name her jewelry brand that combines vintage items with modern materials and quality to create her show stopping pieces. Working out of a studio in Barcelona, Riera’s goal is to give a second life to these antiques, and provide a timeless piece of jewelry for anybody to wear.
HOW TO STYLE BPCR (vintage and antique pieces):
Beyond treating them gently and with care, vintage pieces are meant to be spotlighted! Big, chunky pieces like this mini mosaic from BPCR look beautiful contrasted over a structured blouse and oversized blazer, or on top of a flowy dress to weigh it down for autumn and winter.
Edited by Kieryn Alexander