How to Choose Your Jewellery

Two days ago, I was supposed to get married! For obvious reasons, this has been postponed, so I wanted to celebrate our original wedding date in a small but significant way by wearing my bridal jewellery: a beautiful Tiffany & Co necklace and a pair of gorgeous diamond earrings from Monica Vinader. (There is of course one more piece of jewellery that I'll wear on my wedding day but I obviously am saving that until I'm actually married!)

Photos taken from Tiffany & Co and Monica Vinader websites

Here's some tips on how to choose your wedding jewellery - or jewellery for any special occasion.

Compile a list of pieces you really want to buy. It's important to do everything you can to avoid impulse purchases because when I declutter, these are inevitably the ones that get taken to a charity shop. When I find something I love, like my Tiffany necklace, I never ‘add to basket’ right away - I always take a step back and wait to see if I keep thinking about it. It's always such a lovely feeling when you finally treat yourself to that item you've been thinking about for so long and you will definitely treasure more than any impulse buys.

Once you’ve found something you think you’ll eventually buy, you can use the Shoptagr app to keep an eye on it. This is a really useful tool for building your jewellery collection as it will alert you when something you love goes into the sale. Also, when Black Friday rolls around, consult your list before shopping - I bought my Monica Vinader earrings on Black Friday and got a good 20% off.

Hopefully you found those tips on how to save money on jewellery and build a capsule jewellery collection useful. Let's look more specifically at how to actually choose your jewellery.

I never pick jewellery before my outfit - jewellery is always my final finishing touch, the icing on the cake. Try your outfit on with no jewellery at all and have a good think about what styles would compliment it. The neckline is important - my wedding dress is a sweetheart neckline so I knew a necklace would compliment it well. I had already seen the Tiffany & Co necklace online and immediately thought of it because it mirrored the style of my dress (and is of course very apt for a wedding).

If I were to wear a higher neckline, I would likely forego the necklace and opt for drop earrings instead as this makes that area look less busy. It’s also a good idea to think about how you’ll have your hair. If I’m wearing dangly earrings I usually wear my hair up to show them off. For my wedding day, I chose diamond studs for an understated look as I knew I'd be wearing my hair down. I had also been looking at the waterfall studs from Monica Vinader's Riva collection for a while so decided to buy those once they went into the sale. (You see? No impulse purchases!) They are a unique design yet still classic enough that they should stand the test of time.

Think about the materials you like best and which colours you like to wear them with. On nights out, I usually go for a little black dress and I LOVE how silver/white gold jewellery looks with black. However I also adore rose gold with my white and blush pink outfits. Try your outfit on with your jewellery so you can see how well the colours compliment each other.

As you can see, I didn't choose traditional bridal jewellery for my wedding day. With any fashion purchase, I always aim for a capsule collection and so I never buy anything I'll wear just once (wedding dress notwithstanding). I chose these pieces of jewellery because i knew that I would be able to wear the earrings on other special occasions and the necklace would be perfect for everyday once the wedding was over.

Whether it's jewellery, clothes or shoes, if you can only think of one time you might wear it, don’t buy it. It’s bad for the environment and for your bank account.

Jewellery trends are a lot of fun and you should absolutely play with them! However, when choosing jewellery for a special event like a wedding, it’s advisable to go for something classic. If you really want to incorporate a trend, make it something that will stand the test of time - perhaps a particular material, like yellow gold, which has come back into fashion and will continue to do so time and time again. Some trends, like the current chain jewellery trend, can work if done properly. Just remember, the aim is for it to still look good in the photos 20 years later!