Violet Eyes by Sorrelli Jewelry

I love jewelry.

Specifically, I love costume jewelry (or “fashion jewelry”) because it’s a relatively inexpensive way to add versatility to your wardrobe.  The same basic black dress can be the start of dozens of different looks, depending on what jewelry you add to it.

But I struggle with necklaces.  I especially struggle with necklaces for the rare occasion that I’m “going out”.  You know what I mean.  Not just leaving the house – which I admittedly might not do for a few days in a row – but hitting the town.  Walking into a bar.  Ordering cocktails.  Putting on your pretty shoes.  Going out.

I’ve had a hard time finding jewelry that was the appropriate level of bling for my going out nights.  Everything I own is either too fancy – jewelry I received as a gift for being in a wedding that is a little too sparkly for the jeans I’m probably wearing out – or not quite nice enough for the momentous hiring of a babysitter.

A free product sample sent to me before BlogHer changed all that.

Last year, Sorrelli Jewelry mailed me a necklace and earring set from their peachy keen collection to wear sometime at BlogHer.  I liked the colors – which were just as versatile as I’d hoped they’d be – but the necklace was super long.  Too long to work with the majority of my V-neck wardrobe.  I wear the earrings often, but the necklace had not solved my Lack of Going Out Bling dilemma.

I was contacted again this year before BlogHer and asked if I’d be willing to wear more of their jewelry.  I agreed, having drooled over everyone else’s samples the year before, and put in a tiny request for a Not Awkwardly Long Necklace.

They mailed me the answer to my bling problem: the violet eyes collection.

I was actually shocked to receive these pieces because I had fallen in love with the Violet Eyes collection on the Sorrelli Jewelry website.  I assumed that whatever I was getting would be stuff that no one else wanted – and certainly not my absolute favorite pieces.  But fate and Lilly at Sorrelli smiled upon me, and I ended up with these beauties:

The Violet Eyes collection, as you would suspect, utilizes various shades of purple in an antique silver setting. From the website:

“Swarovski Crystals: Vitrial Light, Crystal with Aurora Borealis, Light Amethyst, Cyclamen Opal, Tanzanite, Violet, Light Amethyst with Aurora Borealis

Synthetic Stones: Light Amethyst Cats Eye, Pink Glass”

The end result is something that is shiny but not too shiny.  No glaring diamond-wanna-be white light here, ladies.  And purple?  Should basically be a neutral in my book because it goes with almost anything, at least when you’re talking purple gemstones.

At about $80 for the earrings and just over $120 for the necklace (unless you catch them on sale or have a Sorrelli discount), it’s a damn good thing this jewelry is so easy to match.  It falls outside of what I would normally consider “inexpensive fashion jewelry”, but it is also high quality – so it’s going to last forever, and it’s probably not going to break when you try that dance move you think you’re still capable of pulling off.

Affordable Fashion Trend: Statement Necklaces

I hate trends that require a total wardrobe overhaul.

As a rule, I tend to avoid any fashion trend that means throwing out the contents of my closet and starting from scratch.

One of my favorite trends right now is the rush towards “statement necklaces”.

What the hell is a statement necklace?

Simply, and redundantly, put – it’s a necklace that makes a statement.  In other words, it’s a large necklace that says “Hey!  Look at me!  I’m the focus of this outfit!”

But we’re not talking hanging expensive jewels around your neck.  No, what makes this trend so great – and accessible – is how affordable it is to follow.  Think costume jewelry.

Statement jewelry makes your existing wardrobe more versatile.  You can take neutral pieces and add color with a necklace – or change the entire feel of an outfit just by swapping out your jewelry.

You can find unique costume jewelry – including great necklaces – anywhere from flea markets to department stores.  I’ve actually found that plus sized women’s clothing stores tend to be the best places to find really great stand out necklaces, though I have no idea why.  (I suspect it’s because they’ve figured out before the rest of us that drawing attention towards a great neckline is an easy way to detract attention from other parts of our bodies.)

Follow me over the jump for a few examples of statement necklaces that are perfectly in line with today’s top fashion trends…

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