OUR GUIDE TO WHAT JEWELLERY TO WEAR WITH YOUR DRESS SILHOUETTE

A myriad of dress styles and silhouettes are on trend now, from slinky strapless dresses, to elegant high neck dresses, and everything in between, and each style of dress requires a different role from your designer diamond jewellery. While there are no hard and fast rules about what jewellery to wear (and often rule-breaking, statement-making decisions work) certain rules of thumb can help you get the most out of your outfit choice.

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It’s a fine balance between enhancing the overall look of your dress and causing too much distraction with your choice of jewellery. As Coco Chanel famously said, “Before you leave the house, look in the mirror and take one thing off.” The key is to emphasise the right places. Neckline and jewellery should enhance, not compete. Likewise, individual items of jewellery should not compete with one another, for example, diamond stud earrings and a statement necklace are more balanced than a statement necklace paired with long earrings.

Read our guide to help you choose the best jewellery to wear with different dress silhouettes to create the look you’re going for.

1. WHAT JEWELLERY TO WEAR WITH YOUR HALTER DRESS

The structured neckline of a halter neck focuses all attention around your neck even before you’ve chosen what jewellery to wear with your halter dress. Select subtle pieces that don’t interfere with the dress itself. Halter necks are the perfect canvas to show off a statement bracelet or a couple of stacking bracelets.

2. WHAT JEWELLERY TO WEAR WITH YOUR STRAPLESS DRESS

A strapless dress immediately draws focus to your neck, arms and collar bone. The best jewellery to wear with a strapless dress enhances this focus without competing for attention.

This can be done with either a necklace or earrings. The simplicity of a strapless dress does allow for a statement necklace, adding glamour and glitz to the look while maintaining the same emphasis as the neckline.

Consider a chunky design, or one with pop of colourful gems. We love the My Girl Lucky 8 Diamond Pendant from Shimansky. Paired with a strapless dress you’ll be right on trend. Alternatively, when deciding what jewellery to wear with a strapless dress, balance the look by leaving the dress to do the work below the neck, and letting earrings bring attention to the face. These breath-taking pear and round drop earrings in tanzanite and diamonds would do this well.

If you’re going to wear both a necklace and earrings, remember the golden rule of balance. Bold, striking earrings would pair better with a subtle necklace. Likewise, your statement necklace will work well with an elegant piece of diamond jewellery such as classic diamond studs.

When considering what jewellery to wear with a strapless dress, take note of the detail of the neckline — details such as bows, jewelled embellishments or large flowers also have impact on what jewellery to add to your ensemble. In this case, the detail of the dress is speaking loudly enough for itself and doesn’t need an extra attention so choose elegant diamond earrings to go with your look.

These rules of thumb apply no matter the colour and fabric of your dress. For example, if you’re trying to decide what jewellery to wear with a red strapless dress, or a lace strapless dress, or what jewellery to wear with a black strapless dress, consider the key elements of your garment, and then select jewellery with complimentary colours. A piece of gorgeous diamond jewellery is always a winner.

3. WHAT JEWELLERY TO WEAR WITH YOUR SWEETHEART DRESS

A sweetheart neckline is another neckline which draws all the attention to the chest area. Like a strapless dress, the aim with your jewellery selection is to enhance this focus in a balanced way. A striking necklace on bare skin, enhanced by the line of the dress creates a stunning overall look.

The cute, heart-shaped line can pull off a bold necklace. Whether it’s a diamond pendant or a statement necklace, the key is that the jewellery is short enough so as not to compete with the curve of the dress and the allure of the cleavage. Rather draw attention up to your face with a necklace placed higher than the neckline of the dress. Another option is a y-shaped necklace. The shape of this piece reflects the shape of the dress and creates synergy in the overall look.

4. WHAT JEWELLERY TO WEAR WITH YOUR DEEP V DRESS

V-neck dresses are the perfect opportunity to wear your layered or pendant necklaces. The key consideration with a long necklace worn with a V-neck dress is the length of the necklace. Make sure it is either shorter than the V, or much longer. You want to avoid a necklace, and specially a pendant, that sits at the point of the V because this detracts attention from the neckline and comprises the overall look. Another detail to take note of is the sleeves of the dress. Delicate straps call for a bolder piece of jewellery, whereas a full sleeve with a V would pair well with a dainty necklace.

5. WHAT JEWELLERY TO WEAR WITH YOUR BACKLESS DRESS

A backless dress is the epitome of elegance. The jewellery you wear with this silhouette should enhance the line of the dress down the back to create a dazzling effect. A Y-shaped necklace with an adjustable neck size is perfect for this silhouette. Place the length of the chain going down your back to really emphasise the bare skin. Another option with a backless dress is to wear drop earrings as the length of the earrings enhances the line of the backless dress. Shimansky’s fancy yellow drop earrings with yellow diamonds would be perfect with this style.

6. WHAT JEWELLERY TO WEAR WITH YOUR HIGH NECK DRESS

Similar to a halter neck dress, a high neck dress leaves little space for a necklace. Dangling diamond earrings or a pair of daring earrings that go up the ear would work well with this style dress. Another option of jewellery with a high neck dress is bracelets. Just remember to balance the overall look — a bold, striking bracelet is best paired with a pair of subtle studs. For example, a stunning diamond tennis bracelet could be paired with a subtle but beautiful pair of tanzanite studs when wearing a high neck dress.

7. WHAT JEWELLERY TO WEAR WITH YOUR OFF-THE-SHOULDER DRESS

Show off your best designer diamond jewellery when wearing an off-the-shoulder dress for a chic look that will turn heads. Any statement necklace will work with this style as long as the piece sits on your collar bone and does not touch the neckline of the dress. You can go the other extreme and wear a long necklace that goes passed the neckline of the off-the-shoulder dress. Alternatively, pair a subtle, fine necklace with statement earrings to bring focus to your face, balancing the attention of the off-the-shoulder neckline.

8. WHAT JEWELLERY TO WEAR WITH YOUR ASYMMETRICAL NECKLINE DRESS

The asymmetrical dress is a fun, trendy silhouette that is on trend and here to stay. However, it can be tricky to find the right jewellery to wear with this style. Longer necklaces, including pendant necklaces, are a good choice. Even though the neckline is uneven, it is still important to create balance in the overall look. Avoid statement earrings if there is any detail or embellishment on the shoulder as this would confuse the focus. Bracelets and statement bangles are another good option but make sure to wear them on the opposite wrist to the shoulder part of the dress in order to maintain balance.

Ultimately, the key to pairing jewellery with your dress silhouette is balance. Create a striking overall look by enhancing the neckline of the dress, and not competing with it. Ask yourself: Where is the eye being drawn by the dress?; and, Can a piece of jewellery enhance this or does it distract from it? Between earrings, necklaces, pendants, bracelets, and rings, the possibilities are endless.

Shimansky has a wide array of beautiful gold and diamond jewellery and platinum diamond jewellery pieces that will work with any dress style and neckline. Visit your nearest Shimansky showroom to browse the collection and find the perfect piece to complete your look.