Losing a loved one is an experience that profoundly shapes our lives. As we navigate the journey of grief, finding ways to honour and remember those we have lost becomes essential to the healing process. Memorial jewellery, particularly memorial necklaces, has emerged as a cherished way to keep our loved ones close while finding solace in their memory. In this guide, we will explore the therapeutic benefits of memorial necklaces and provide insights into choosing the best type to suit your style. Continue reading The Therapeutic Benefits of Memorial Necklaces: Healing Through Remembrance
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Top Jewelry Trends of 2024 Every Woman Needs in Her Collection
The world of jewelry is continuously evolving, and no matter how much everyone preaches about having a collection of classy pieces, it is always exciting to try new trends and complement your outfits with a shiny new thing. When it comes to trends, 2024 is a year of contrasts, ranging from minimalist bracelets to eccentric necklaces that are waiting for you to add them to your collection. Here are the hottest jewelry trends of this year that you need to know about.
Sleek Jewelry Minimalism
If you’re new to the realm of jewelry and you need something safe to start your journey with, you’ll be delighted to find out that sleek minimalism is one of the top trends of this year. With its clean lines, subtle elegance, and solid colors, minimalist jewelry is the perfect addition to any outfit regardless of the setting. Pieces such as delicate chain necklaces, stud earrings, and thin bracelets take center stage, and all you need to do is choose the best materials for you – gold, silver, or platinum – to enhance your looks and feel more confident than ever.
Maximalist Madness
On the complete opposite of the spectrum we have maximalism, a trend that challenges you to try out the craziest and most daring combinations. This trend embraces opulence, drama, and extravagance in every piece of jewelry, from oversized waterfall earrings dripping with crystals to chunky chains adorned with various gemstones. Layering, mixing metals, and experimenting with bold colors and textures are key elements of this trend, allowing you to express your unique personality and creativity through your jewelry choices.
Heritage Showcase
Speaking of trends that help you express your personality, 2024 is the year of showcasing your heritage and culture, Irish earrings being the best example. These earrings feature ancient Celtic symbols of good luck, wealth, and love that can make any Irish feel more connected to their ancestry even if they are thousands of miles away from the homeland. Whether you prefer classy silver designs or charming 14k gold earrings adorned with emeralds, take a look at https://www.gaelsong.com/prod_detail_list/jewelry-celtic-earrings to find a piece that works best for you. These earrings will definitely draw all the attention to your face and are sure to become conversation starters.
Nature-Inspired Designs
Nature has always served as one of the biggest influences for the beauty world, and jewelry is no exception. This year, you can make your outfits look cooler and more connected to nature by adding a delicate floral bracelet, a necklace with a leaf pattern, or an anklet with earthy toned-gemstones. These enchanting pieces capture the essence of the outdoors and make you feel serene even in the middle of a bustling city. To take a step further, you can also look for jewelry that incorporates real flowers and leaves in resin, as they will look even more chic and interesting.
Romantic Renaissance
Hyperfemininity is one of the biggest trends of this year, and the jewelry world could not be left behind. The Romantic Renaissance trend is all about charm and sophistication that evokes the grandeur of the bygone era. Ornate filigree rings, intricately carved cameos, and pendant necklaces – all these pieces are a must for your flowy maxi dresses and ruffled shirts. Thrift shops and vintage markets are great places to look for such jewelry, but you can also take a look in your grandma’s jewelry box to find some amazing pieces that will 100% match the trend.
Jewellery for plus size wearers.
Looking for beautiful jewellery that fits your aesthetic can sometimes be a challenge and it’s even more challenging when you need sizes outside the limited range carried by most jewellery retailers.
I have super chubby fingers and large wrists and that’s always been an issue when accessory shopping because as it turns out, finding plus size rings and bracelets can be a real nightmare.
Rings are one of my favourite types of jewellery to mix and match with but it’s a huge pain in the bum to find something that actually fits me, especially since I try to avoid costume pieces. I even purchased a ring sizer to make sure whatever I find fits perfectly. Spoiler alert: my fingers are huge.
Luckily it’s a lot easier when you’re shopping for bracelets, especially when you have companies like Daisy London who sell extenders in the same materials as their pieces so you can barely distinguish the adjustment. I’m a silver loving lady and the range Daisy London has is amazing, I was stuck on a few of their bracelets going back and forth and ended up choosing three so I could make my own stack and I think I did well as they compliment each other beautifully.
I’ve chosen to leave the excess links on for a little razzle dazzle but you could just cut them down to what you need it’s totally up to you. I’m obsessed with the contrasting links and sizes in my bracelet stack and love that I can wear them one by one or all together. Daisy also have a beautiful selection of rings that I’ve also be eyeing up to add to my collection of midi rings.
Seriously, finding above a size UK Y or Z is a real challenge but there is a little secret for you to be able to wear smaller size rings.
As a fun little pro tip, if you’re looking for plus size midi rings (which look stunning) you don’t actually have to find a midi-specific ring. Instead, use a ring sizer to measure the mid-section of your finger—it should be smaller than the base section—and get a smaller ring!
This is where the fun starts because you can literally shop anywhere for rings when looking for midis, it opens up so many more options to decorate your hands.
For me, my go to for plus size rings to fit everyone would be Bloody Mary Metal. I have so many rings from them. They make beautiful dark gothic style silver jewellery and they quality is out of this world. They make custom pieces and even their standard line rings go up to a UK Z+6
Finding antique jewellery in large sizes is especially difficult so if you want some antique pieces it might be an idea to look for some to fit the mid section of your fingers. Because I know how challenging finding these can really be, I took it upon myself to find out where to find cute jewellery pieces that are also plus size so I have a small list of places to check when I fancy getting myself a little something. Something I found out was that finding antique jewellery to fit my plus size fingers and wrists was near impossible. One of the places I have been looking at some gorgeous rings is Carus Jewellery.
Antique jewellery is an investment and will last you a lifetime and beyond. As it’s 2020 a lot of people are concerned with sustainable fashions and that’s wonderful but this also crosses over into jewellery, as what can be more sustainable than recycling. Adding well looked after antique pieces into your collection not only gives you great quality and excellent craftsmanship but is also much better for the environment.
Feel free to comment your options for plus size friendly places to buy jewellery as I’m always looking to add to my collection.
Be charmed by Gnoce
I’m a big jewellery girl and I’m a huge fan of dark gothic jewellery pieces since getting the favourite thing I own, my silver crossbones ring. I am always on the lookout for pieces that call to me, I love bones and skulls and absolutely adore gemstones in jewellery. As a plus size person I often struggle when looking for jewellery that will fit my fingers and wrists so buying charms are a fantastic way to add to my existing pieces and have the opportunity to switch up the look of some of my jewellery.
Gnoce has a beautiful range of Halloween jewellery including some gorgeous spooky charms. Their style is very reminiscent of Pandora and their prices are very affordable. I was particularly drawn to the Halloween pieces, but they literally have something for everyone. I only heard about Gnoce very recently and I’m super impressed with their selection and the quality of the items. They have a huge range including men’s pieces and fashion jewellery to food and drink and Halloween charms.
Charms make fantastic gifts for loved ones. Adding to a charm bracelet on each special occasion is a wonderful sentimental gift tradition between friends, family or partners. Even when only shopping for yourself it’s a great way to mark milestones in your life and document important events that happen or even to just have a fun bracelet full of fun charms that you just love the look of. I personally love the idea of having a full-on foodie charm bracelet with a bunch of cakes, candy and other delicious things.
With Halloween just around the corner it would be a great time to get a spooky charm to add to a bracelet or to start out with your first one. Here are a couple of pieces from the Halloween collection that I’m a little obsessed with.
Buy Less – How To Care For Your Possessions
We have become a throw-away society. Items are so cheap and readily available, it seems easier just to throw them out and buy something new if it becomes worn or damaged.
In times past, it was more common to take better care of our things and try to repair them if they become damaged. There were a number of reasons for this. Generally, things weren’t as readily available. You couldn’t just hop on the internet and have something delivered by Amazon a few hours later. Things were also more expensive compared to incomes. You didn’t throw anything away unless it really was unneeded or unfixable. Also, the culture was just different from the disposable culture, the fast-fashion world of today.
Looking after your things well can prolong their lifespan, saving you money and stopping things from ending up in landfill unnecessarily.
Follow these tips to keep your items looking good for longer.
Clean your jewelry
No matter how much it costs, or what it’s made of, jewelry tends to tarnish pretty quickly. Instead of throwing it out of buying more, learn how to clean it properly. If you have something very expensive, like diamond engagement rings or a sentimental piece, then you can have these cleaned professionally.
Otherwise, buy some inexpensive jewelry polishing cloths, or a cleaning liquid. They will bring your bling back to new in no time at all.
Show your shoes some TLC
A good quality pair of shoes or boots can last for years if they are looked after properly. Small scuffs can be hidden with shoe polish and worn soles can be repaired by a professional shoe repairer.
For shoes made of real leather, use shoe polish with a leather feeder in it. It will keep them looking like new and the leather supple.
If you’re concerned about them smelling, a good trick is to pour some table salt into the foot of an old pair of tights, tie a know in it and leave it inside your shoe overnight. The salt will absorb any moisture and odors.
Care for your clothes
The rise of fast fashion means that we are buying (and throwing away) more clothes than ever. Why not try investing in better quality clothes, and buying less of them. Extend their wear by not washing them too frequently, and at low temperatures. Wash all delicates in special protective bags (how many times have you clicked something with velcro or a rogue bra clasp?).
Avoid using the dryer too much. This might be difficult but it can severely shorten the life of your clothes. Many people rely on dryers though so maybe just keep your key items to dry naturally.
If you notice any signs of rips or stitching coming loose, fix them early. Either learn to do basic clothes repairs yourself or take them to a specialist repairer. Doing this at the first sign of damage will save you money and potentially your clothing too.
My mother, my heart.
I saw a post about a company that engraves photos and words onto jewellery and I immediately thought of my mum. I lost my mum on Christmas day 2014 and since then I have gotten a couple of tattoos with her in mind which I love but I don’t really go into when people ask about them because I find tattoos to be very personal. So when the opportunity came about to get a piece of jewellery with her picture on I definitely wanted to do that.
I sent Gemzbyemz the clearest picture I could find of my mum and the words I wanted on the back of the necklace and I received my piece really fast.
I wasn’t really sure what to expect as far as how clear the image would be and how well you would be able to make out her face and features on a piece of jewellery so small but I was so surprised and pleased, the image is clear as day.
It’s mine and my mum’s birthday month next month and I feel like I got this just in time.
It’s a beautiful piece and a really nice idea and it’s definitely something I will cherish. I would like to get one for my sister too as I think she will love it.
The heart necklace is gorgeous and there are other things on the site that you can have engraved if you want something else, like cufflinks or a trinket box as gifts. You can even have cushions made with photos of your choice. There are so many items available that make great gifts and wedding favours.
Emma was an absolute pleasure to deal with too, she made it all very clear what she needed and and was very helpful when I my image file wouldn’t go through. Overall the customer service was excellent and the whole process was really quick.
Unfortunately the necklace was too short for me because I have a fat neck lol, but I bought a longer silver replacement necklace that fits me and now it’s perfect.
I don’t talk about my mum much on social media or on my blog, but she was my world, the best person I have ever known and I will continue to pay tribute to her in every way that I can, forever.