shape
carat
color
clarity

Do you wear necklaces?

Circe

Ideal_Rock
Trade
Joined
Apr 26, 2007
Messages
8,087
Not pendants: necklaces. I'm defining "pendant" as a simple chain with a thingy or three dangling from it: "necklace" as anything from a really thick chain (say ... 4 mm and up?) to pearls to more ornate full-fledged hey!-didn't-I-last-see-that-on-royalty-at-a-ball? pieces.

I ask because while I own pearls ... they're almost always special occasion pieces. And while I own a couple of thick chains and one chunky torc-like necklace, they almost always seem too fancy, not just for everyday, but even for special events! The torc-type has never even been worn! (I blame my father: he gave it to me when I was 16 and it was wildly inappropriate, and somehow, it's stayed in that category. Note to self, have a few inches taken off so I can maybe wear it as a choker ....) So I'm wondering ... are full-fledged necklaces going the way of the brooch and turning into items that are too "mature" or fancy for day-to-day life?
 

oneam

Shiny_Rock
Premium
Joined
Jul 25, 2008
Messages
147
I don't, just a couple of pendants. I do want a DBTY necklace. I've lusted after pearls, but I just don't think I'll wear them.
 

Circe

Ideal_Rock
Trade
Joined
Apr 26, 2007
Messages
8,087
Why do you think that is?
 

somethingshiny

Ideal_Rock
Joined
Jul 22, 2007
Messages
6,746
Yes, I wear necklaces all the time. I have chunky beads, chunky metals, huge pendants, big ol fake pearls, etc. I wear a simple pendant usually when I'm dressed up. Otherwise it's a big necklace. My clothes for the most part are traditional and simple so I like to accessorize with trendy pieces.
 

kenny

Super_Ideal_Rock
Premium
Joined
Apr 30, 2005
Messages
31,763
Circe|1314809387|3006465 said:
Why do you think that is?

So she can bake a pie.

june-cleaver-238x300.jpg
 

Circe

Ideal_Rock
Trade
Joined
Apr 26, 2007
Messages
8,087
kenny|1314809790|3006470 said:
Circe|1314809387|3006465 said:
Why do you think that is?

So she can bake a pie.

Hehehehe - but why? Why? Why?

Picture me as the terrible-two-year-old of PriceScope.

I am just fascinated by the ways in which certain pieces of jewelry - not just metals, or color combinations, but entire types of jewelry, a la the dear by departed brooch - just ... disappear. Like, okay, brooches: clothing got less formal, you're not going to stick a diamond pin on your tee-shirt, I get it. But if we'll wear expensive things with one focal point around our necks, why are expensive things with evenly distributed focal points less appealing suddenly? Does not compute!
 

Phoenix

Ideal_Rock
Premium
Joined
Oct 5, 2006
Messages
9,800
It's funny (as in strange) that I go through phases: I used to wear YG necklaces (I have this *adorable* elephant necklace that my colleagues gave me as a wedding present that I used to wear practically all the time and with anything) and platinum chains. Then I stopped all of a sudden. Then for the last two years, I've been wearing pearl necklaces, on and off. I agree that pearls can be very formal, stately. But if you have baroque pearl necklaces, esp smaller-sized ones of an unsual colour, like grey or blue or sea-foam, you can wear them practically with any outfit and for any occasion. I didn't really use to wear pendants but now I wear my BGD pendant almost everyday (DH even complimented on it recently, saying that it "completes my bling ensemble"! :tongue: ).

I recently saw a diamond necklace at a local store, made up 0.30ct stones and I tell you I could totally rock (pun fully intended :wink2: ) that (or maybe one of 0.20c'ts) on a daily basis. I mean it's beautiful but absolutely not OTT!! :lickout:
 

Kismet

Ideal_Rock
Joined
May 6, 2005
Messages
2,991
I wear my emerald beads quite a bit. I wear my rubellite necklace a lot too but that one looks more pendant like.
 

Circe

Ideal_Rock
Trade
Joined
Apr 26, 2007
Messages
8,087
Kismet|1314811731|3006509 said:
I wear my emerald beads quite a bit. I wear my rubellite necklace a lot too but that one looks more pendant like.

Ooo, do you have pics of these? Both sound fascinating ....
 

Kismet

Ideal_Rock
Joined
May 6, 2005
Messages
2,991
Here's the rubellite necklace. The thread on it is here.
kiz-rubelitenecklace3.jpg

I don't have pictures of the emerald beads but it's like the one listed here.
 

dragonfly411

Ideal_Rock
Joined
Jun 25, 2007
Messages
7,378
Circe|1314810288|3006477 said:
kenny|1314809790|3006470 said:
Circe|1314809387|3006465 said:
Why do you think that is?

So she can bake a pie.

Hehehehe - but why? Why? Why?

Picture me as the terrible-two-year-old of PriceScope.

I am just fascinated by the ways in which certain pieces of jewelry - not just metals, or color combinations, but entire types of jewelry, a la the dear by departed brooch - just ... disappear. Like, okay, brooches: clothing got less formal, you're not going to stick a diamond pin on your tee-shirt, I get it. But if we'll wear expensive things with one focal point around our necks, why are expensive things with evenly distributed focal points less appealing suddenly? Does not compute!

I have a strand of pearls I wear. I have a chain that I wear independently. I had a necklace that was hand made of multi colored silk that I loved but I broke it. I tend to wear more pendants though, and I think it's because they offer a wide array of variety without having to switch out the chain all the time.
 

Arkteia

Ideal_Rock
Premium
Joined
Nov 3, 2009
Messages
7,589
I like choker-type necklaces and necklaces that lie above the collarbone. They are not for short necks, but can be extremely flattering for long necks.
 

KittyGolightly

Brilliant_Rock
Joined
Mar 11, 2010
Messages
515
Circe|1314810288|3006477 said:
kenny|1314809790|3006470 said:
Circe|1314809387|3006465 said:
Why do you think that is?

So she can bake a pie.

Hehehehe - but why? Why? Why?

Picture me as the terrible-two-year-old of PriceScope.

I am just fascinated by the ways in which certain pieces of jewelry - not just metals, or color combinations, but entire types of jewelry, a la the dear by departed brooch - just ... disappear. Like, okay, brooches: clothing got less formal, you're not going to stick a diamond pin on your tee-shirt, I get it. But if we'll wear expensive things with one focal point around our necks, why are expensive things with evenly distributed focal points less appealing suddenly? Does not compute!

I remember reading many years ago in Vogue that jewelry worn on fabric (brooches, long necklaces) comes across as matronly, while jewelry worn on the skin comes across as young.

Also, necklaces can be memorable in a way that small pendants are not. While it's great to have some statement pieces in your wardrobe, not everyone wants to be known as, say, the woman with the gigantic amber necklace.

I have a small pearl strand that I wore to my wedding and sometimes wear to work. I always get compliments when I wear it, and it makes me feel like I look very professional. But you're right, I don't think I would throw it on with a t-shirt the way I would with my diamond pendant. So, the diamond ends up getting a lot more wear.
 

violet3

Ideal_Rock
Premium
Joined
Dec 18, 2007
Messages
3,793
I hate all necklaces - I can't stand having things around my neck. I don't really know why - it's something that has developed over time. I own a ton of necklaces because i used to love them about 10 years ago.
 

iheartscience

Super_Ideal_Rock
Joined
Jan 1, 2007
Messages
12,111
Almost never, although I have on occasion. I own a couple of cool necklaces I would wear more often if I weren't such a creature of habit. One is half chunky silver chain and half woven bead thingie...like those beaded friendship bracelets that have a Native American vibe, but there isn't a pattern like that, just different colored beads in an ombre pattern.

I tend to wear one of my diamond solitaire pendants for work and I have 2 different pendants I alternate when I wear my regular clothes. No pearls though-they're just not my style.
 

JewelFreak

Ideal_Rock
Joined
Sep 3, 2009
Messages
7,768
I have 2 I wore a lot for work, but now I hardly ever get dressed up so they don't see the light of day often. One is, not sure how to describe it, yg sort of latticework, about 1.5" wide with a concave curve, comes just above the collarbone. I love that, an estate piece I bought about 10 yrs ago.

The other was my grandmother's & is gorgeous -- a torsade, 22 rows of seed pearls. The clasp is around 2" x 1" jadeite carved w/ flowers & leaves & surrounded by a row of 3-ish mm pearls. The yellow gold backing of the clasp is as beautifully worked as the front. My uncle must have sent it to her from Asia; she could never have bought it for herself. I love to wear it with the pearl rows twisted, the clasp sometimes in front, sometimes in back. She gave it to me when I was in my 20s & I didn't wear it for years -- too old for me then, but I grew into it. :lickout:
 

Circe

Ideal_Rock
Trade
Joined
Apr 26, 2007
Messages
8,087
Kismet|1314812462|3006518 said:
Here's the rubellite necklace. The thread on it is here.
kiz-rubelitenecklace3.jpg

I don't have pictures of the emerald beads but it's like the one listed here.

Kismet - that is one gorgeous rubelite! I love the proportions and the hue ... and the emerald looks to be a stunner, too!

crasru said:
I like choker-type necklaces and necklaces that lie above the collarbone. They are not for short necks, but can be extremely flattering for long necks.

Heheheh - I find I'm an all-or-nothing at all kinda gal, which is to say, either I like my necklaces dog-collar tight, or I want them 20" to 80". Given that I still remember being compared to a Modigliani, but am neither asymmetrical nor a whote, I'm guessing that means I must be long-necked ....

KittyGolightly said:
I remember reading many years ago in Vogue that jewelry worn on fabric (brooches, long necklaces) comes across as matronly, while jewelry worn on the skin comes across as young.

Also, necklaces can be memorable in a way that small pendants are not. While it's great to have some statement pieces in your wardrobe, not everyone wants to be known as, say, the woman with the gigantic amber necklace.

I have a small pearl strand that I wore to my wedding and sometimes wear to work. I always get compliments when I wear it, and it makes me feel like I look very professional. But you're right, I don't think I would throw it on with a t-shirt the way I would with my diamond pendant. So, the diamond ends up getting a lot more wear.

This all makes a lot of sense to me, and meshes with the shift away from cocktail rings, parures, and other "statement" pieces. I take being "the woman with the gigantic ______" for granted, so it didn't occur to me avoiding that could be a motivation! (Um. That is not meant to sound dirty. I just appear to have a uniform taste for outsized accessories: if people aren't commenting on my heel-height, it's my earrings.) And it also makes sense that ladies would purchase the most practical pieces and leave the rest for luxuries. I also wonder how much the upgrade thing factors in, at least around here: I bet that for a lot of women, given the decision between getting a bigger diamond that gets a lot of wear and a second necklace that might get less, it's an easy decision ....

JewelFreak said:
I have 2 I wore a lot for work, but now I hardly ever get dressed up so they don't see the light of day often. One is, not sure how to describe it, yg sort of latticework, about 1.5" wide with a concave curve, comes just above the collarbone. I love that, an estate piece I bought about 10 yrs ago.

The other was my grandmother's & is gorgeous -- a torsade, 22 rows of seed pearls. The clasp is around 2" x 1" jadeite carved w/ flowers & leaves & surrounded by a row of 3-ish mm pearls. The yellow gold backing of the clasp is as beautifully worked as the front. My uncle must have sent it to her from Asia; she could never have bought it for herself. I love to wear it with the pearl rows twisted, the clasp sometimes in front, sometimes in back. She gave it to me when I was in my 20s & I didn't wear it for years -- too old for me then, but I grew into it. :lickout:

I would LOVE to see that torsade. LOVE. It sounds amazing.
 

luv2sparkle

Ideal_Rock
Premium
Joined
Feb 3, 2008
Messages
7,937
I wear necklaces most days. I have about 5 or 6 that I rotate, but probably have 50 more. Most of my collection is in yellow gold,
which I don't wear as much as I used to, with the exception of a yellow gold and yellow diamond pendant I bought over the summer. I have
been collecting pendants and necklaces for probably about 20 years. I tend to buy things that will stand the test of time, so I can still
wear what I have.

What I wear most.

.75 ideal cut diamond cross (small)
1 ct. princess invisible set heart
pink sapphire flower with little tiny bezel diamonds up the chain
Multi-color sapphire pendant (from costco)
.44 yellow diamond (bezel set) on 18k yellow chain
 

luv2sparkle

Ideal_Rock
Premium
Joined
Feb 3, 2008
Messages
7,937
What I really want: a AVC halo pendant like Lurkernomore's. That is my next project in a year or so.
 

AprilBaby

Super_Ideal_Rock
Premium
Joined
Jul 17, 2008
Messages
12,660
At my middle age point in life necklaces have become too hot to wear (if you get my drift). I never wore pearls because they always seemed really feminine to me and I am not in any way really feminine. I like them but on other people.
 

diamondringlover

Ideal_Rock
Premium
Joined
Dec 12, 2006
Messages
4,268
I use to wear them alot when I was younger, now not so much, I dont know I tend not to wear alot of jewerly any more...
 

JewelFreak

Ideal_Rock
Joined
Sep 3, 2009
Messages
7,768
I would LOVE to see that torsade. LOVE. It sounds amazing.
Circe, I've been intending to take some pics & just haven't gotten around to it. Will do, soon!
 

jstarfireb

Ideal_Rock
Joined
Mar 24, 2007
Messages
6,232
I define a pendant as one that's not attached to a chain but hangs from it by a bail, and a necklace as one where the focal point is attached to the chain and not removable (or where there's no single focal point but just a strand of beads or something). By that definition I do wear both pendants and necklaces, but I wear pendants more often. My most valuable non-bridal piece is a diamond necklace (the bezel is attached to the chain by those Mickey Mouse ears).
 

zoebartlett

Super_Ideal_Rock
Joined
Dec 29, 2006
Messages
12,461
I love necklaces on other people but not on me, so no, I don't wear them often.
 

monarch64

Super_Ideal_Rock
Premium
Joined
Aug 12, 2005
Messages
18,394
Yes, I wear them frequently. Usually to dress up an outfit when I'm feeling too lazy to put something awesome together. If I'm just wearing jeans, a tank, and a long cardigan, I like to throw on a long, beaded necklace to jazz it up. This summer I did a super long strand of wood beads with a white maxi skirt and a white tank with tiny wood bead embellishment.

When I was a kid I had about a hundred (ok, I might be exaggerating) plastic necklaces in different colors. I HAD to have a necklace that matched my outfit on to go anywhere, school included. I could not get enough Claire's in my life! :bigsmile:
 

missy

Super_Ideal_Rock
Premium
Joined
Jun 8, 2008
Messages
50,583
Depends on my mood. I have a number of necklaces that I really love and each piece is special to me. I don't care if some might think it too fancy to wear just whenever because I wear my jewelry because I love and enjoy it.

It just depends on how I feel on a particular day if I wear a necklace and which one I do wear. In the summer I am less likely to be sporting a necklace because of the heat but as the weather gets cooler I am more likely to be wearing one.

I do wear pearls just because no matter if I am also wearing jeans. I love my pearl choker which basically goes with anything. For me the choker is the most versatile length and most of my necklaces are that length.

One of my favorite necklaces my dh bought for me and it is a sapphire, aquamarine diamond choker and it makes me happy whenever I wear it and also goes with anything IMO. :bigsmile:
 

portia

Brilliant_Rock
Joined
Dec 21, 2004
Messages
1,190
I have a 3 chain gold necklace that has a scattering of tiny, bezel-set diamonds. It's very delicate and I wear it all the time along with my diamond studs. I pretty much live in those pieces and rarely take them off. However, I do switch it up with some statement necklaces and long, layered chains for going out so I guess I wear necklaces more days than not. I love pendants, too!
 

Black Jade

Brilliant_Rock
Joined
Aug 21, 2008
Messages
1,242
You should have asked us to put our age (at least in a general way) if you want to check if they are still in style, because what you really want to know is if younger women are wearing them.
I wear necklaces all the time--but I'm 54.
I love pearls particularly. I always did, even when they were really OUT in the seventies and eighties (at least until Princess Diana brought them back in, I still constantly wore pearls.
But then, I wear brooches, too. I am always going into antique shops and getting vintage brooches, and even dress clips (I bet no one on here knows what a dress clip is.)
I agree with the poster who said, jewelry depends on what we wear and goes really out of style when it doesn't go with the clothes of the moment. Think, flapper pearls and very low waisted dresses, 60's bellbottoms and love beads, etc. etc. Sometimes it goes out forever,w hich is why its good jewelry can be remade for different generations.
For the record, I don't wear the pearls that are stylish again nowadays, to some extent, usually among older women especially the very successful. The big South Seas and Tahitians. I wear the more traditional pearls, smaller and more discreet. I'm on the little side.
I do also wear pendants.
I'd love to see the torsade, it sounded wonderful.
 

Fly Girl

Ideal_Rock
Joined
Jan 9, 2007
Messages
7,312
I've recently acquired a few pearl necklaces that I enjoy wearing. I never wore my white akoya necklace because I'm not fond of the formal pearl look, but now I have discovered baroques and I love those. Otherwise, it is pendants on a gold chain. I always have a pretty around my neck.
 
Be a part of the community Get 3 HCA Results
Top