Wardrobe Staple: Pearls

A pearl necklace really can be one of the most versatile accessories in your jewelry box. You can wear pearls to dress up a casual outfit - think jeans and a tee - or to spice up a fancier ensemble - trousers and a silk blouse or a flirty cocktail dress.

I've seen so many different takes on pearls lately, everything from the classic single strand to a wonderful mess of jumbled peals.

Here are a few fun options that are bound to suit any style.

Top Row:
J.Crew Lady four-strand pearl necklace / J.Crew Girls' apple pearl necklace / Stella & Dot Isadora Peal Bib / Lauren Elan Elena
Second Row:
Anthropologie Rubis Bib Pealr Necklace / Lauren Elan Abagail / Banana Republic Genuine freshwater pearl choker necklace / Stella & Dot Astor Five Strand Necklace 

Which one is your favorite?!

Celebrity Jewelry Style: Rachel Bilson

Here's to a girl who doesn't go overboard on jewelry. I am a huge fan of layering but sometimes one stand-alone piece can really speak for itself.  If you feel the same way, your celebrity jewelry guru might be jewelry minimalist, Rachel Bilson.

Rachel has impeccable style and really tends to wear one piece of jewelry at a time.  She'll either wear a statement necklace or a pair of eye-catching earrings.  Sometimes she'll choose to leave the top half jewelry-free and will instead go for a stack of bracelets. Whatever she's doing, it's working.

Take a page of out Rachel Bilson's style book and focus on one type of jewelry at a time.

theinsidesource.com / fabsugar.com / inthenameofbeauty.tumblr.com / justjared.com / prettystuff.tumblr.com / brooklynballerina.tumblr.com / wornontv.net /

Style tips:
#1: Wear a statement necklace...and no other jewelry.
#2: Don some dangly earrings...and no other jewelry.
#3: Wear an eye catching bracelet...and no other jewelry. You get the picture.

As a bonus, I managed to find some jewelry shots from the Hart of Dixie set thanks stylewithbenefits.com!

Mother's Day Gift Guide

Ding, ding! Reminder: Mother's Day is next Sunday, May 13th.  If you're still searching for that perfect gift for Mom, look no further. I've compiled a group of jewelry perfect for Mom. I've found pieces in different price ranges to hopefully meet every need.
And yes, jewelry really is the gift that every Mom wants.

1. Jennifer Meyer loveyou bracelet / 2. Madewell Colorblock necklace / 3. Forever 21 Dome ring /
4. BaubleBar Large Monogram necklace / 5. Gorjana Hammered Heart necklace / 6. Forever 21 Rhinestone necklace / 7. Gorjana Alphabet Charm necklace / 8. Forever 21 Glistening Leaves Studs / 9. Jennifer Meyer Mom necklace / 10. Anthropology Wee Heart ring /  

Shopping tips:
1) You really can't go wrong with anything that says "Mom," "I love you," or is monogrammed for Mother's Day. These personal touches will melt any heart.

2) Speaking of hearts, hearts are also winners on this special day. Giving your mom a heart lets her know that you love her.  I guarantee that she'll proudly wear that little symbol and think of you.

3) Pink is also a safe bet on this holiday celebrating the fairer sex. Spoil your Mom with a pretty gift that she might not buy herself!

This or That: Long vs. Short

What kind of necklace do you gravitate towards? Do you prefer your necklaces long and loose or short and cute? Does this sound like a cheesy children's poem all of a sudden?

Long: Atlantic-Pacific Short: Miroslava Duma via Pinterest

Let me know where you stand in the comments below!

Lately

Currently lying here feeling and looking nothing like these recent photos. Yesterday afternoon I paid a trip to the dentist and had some teeth pulled...yowzah! Praise the Lord for laughing gas! Hopefully by tomorrow I'll be feeling better and more creative.

Without further ado, a few snaps of the jewelry I've been wearing lately.

Lauren Elan Lucas Necklace (by request, older item)

Arrow and Squiggle bracelet made by me (!), Mr. Kate twig bracelet, Lauren Elan Pastel Misel Bracelet, Rings are random.

Necklaces and arrow bracelet were made by me! Lauren Elan, Lily bracelet with silver hardware (by request).

Long beaded necklace, The Bay.

Do or Don't: Ear Cuffs

Where do you stand on the ear cuff trend?

 PC: FashionToast wearing Dannijo/Tobi Trinity earcuff

Is it too 90's for you or are you all about an interesting and unexpected ear piece? Let me know in the comments below!

Ps - If you dig it, Mr. Kate has some pretty cool ones!

Trend Spotting: Lucky Horseshoes

I've been loving on this lucky horseshoe shape for months. I've seen tons of these cute symbols online, but haven't had very much luck seeing horseshoe jewelry in store.  To remedy the lack of horseshoes in my jewelry collection, I made my own lucky charm out of sterling silver and put it on a necklace. (That's me in the first picture!) For those of you interested in getting your own good luck charm, and don't have the means to make one yourself, see below for a group of pretty options!

1) Horseshoe Disc Pendant Necklace
2) Ettika Horseshoe Necklace
3) Tiffany Horseshoe Pendant
4) LORD & TAYLOR White Gold Diamond Horseshoe Pendant
5) House of Harlow 1960 Gold-plated Horseshoe Bangle
6) Ettika Small Lucky Horseshoe Leather Bracelet
7) Elizabeth and James Horseshoes Stud Earrings
8) Alex Woo Little Luck Horseshoe Necklace

Green Machine

How pretty are theses green and turquoise bracelets from Purple Paparazzi? Turquoise jewelry is one of my all time favorites, and to me, it just screams summer. I love wearing turquoise jewelry with white sundresses or jeans and white tank. It's so simple and you can let the jewelry really have the spotlight.

That being said, I didn't follow this simple rule of dress today.  I am actually wearing a bright Spring dress from Zara. But it all still works together.  I call this type of dressing, "willing the weather to change." It's been dreadfully cool and rainy here for days.

Dress: Zara, Cardigan: The Bay, Green Bracelets: c/o Purple Paparazzi, Spike bracelet: Stella & Dot Renegade Cluster Necklace (worn as a bracelet), Purse: Marc by Marc Jacobs Petal to the Metal Flap Pouchette, Nails: Essie Mod Square & Sally Hansen Smooth and Perfect Air.

Trend Spotting: Pastel Jewelry

There is no doubt in my mind that neon is the shade du jour. But I think that a close runner up this season would have to be pastel shades. Pastel nails, pastel colored jeans, and pretty pastel blazers are all finding a place in the chicest closets this season.  But perhaps most successfully, pastels are showing up in jewelry for Spring.

If you're looking to wear the pastel trend this spring and summer, take a look at this styling board for ideas.

Lauren Elan, Misel Pastel Friendship Bracelet, OOZOO Pastel Watches, Bauble Bar Rosebud Necklace, ASOS Pastel Rainbow Friendship Bracelet, ModCloth, Spike Things Up Bracelet, ASOS Zig Zag Rings, ASOS 50 Pastel Gummies 

First image c/o Atlantic-Pacific.

Steal Her Look: Blake Lively

Yesterday's post was all about Blake Lively's killer jewelry style. But kind of left you hanging in the "how to" department. So today's post will show you how you can get her look!

Suggested Necklaces:
Serena Necklace, Gemma Redux, Scatter Necklace, Gemma Redux
Suggested Bracelets:
Love Me Knot Bangle Set, CC SKYE, Stripe crystal stretch bracelet, J.Crew, Classic pavé link bracelet, J.Crew
Suggested Earrings:

Flightless Bird, Purple Paparazzi, Satvi Earrings, DANNIJO 
Suggested Rings:
Organic Stacking Ring, Bauble Bar, Mermaid Cocktail, Bauble Bar, Narrow Gold Tiles Ring, Bauble Bar