A necklace at exactly the right length for the neckline you are wearing makes all the difference. It instantly looks more professional and more polished and looks like you planned the whole thing. But what if you didn’t or what if your plans didn’t work when you got it all together. Here’s an easy way to fix it. more.
To shorten a necklace that is made of chain or beads, try a big safety pin. For a chain necklace, pull both sides up to where you want the pendant to sit, and then put the pointy part through the link of chain on each side and close the safety pin. Remember that the pin itself is an inch long so you will have to take that into account. And yes, your necklace will droop down your back so this is a good solution for something you are wearing under a shirt or jacket and not so good a solution for a tank top or open back. When I am doing this, once I figure out the length, I bring the chain links I want to use around to the front so I can see what I am doing with the safety pin.
For a bead necklace, the pin won’t go through the links but the closed pin will sit in between the beads. Once you figure out how long you want it, slide the beads around to the front so you can see them. Work the end of the pin in between the beads on one side and then make a bit of space in between the beads on the other side to close the pin. It’s a bit trickier than the chain option but does work well as long as the beads, pearls, or necklace parts are big enough so they don’t slide through the closed pin.
Lengthening a necklace is tougher. You could do the saftety pin trick if you need it lengthened just that much. But better if you have a short chain with a clasp at one end. The Anylength chains also work. You need to get something long enough though to lengthen it the amount you need. Put the clasp of the extending chain into the end of the necklace. So instead of the necklace’s clasp, use the chain’s clasp. Now hold the necklace up and figure out where it should fall. Fasten the necklace’s clasp into the appropriate link on the extending chain and there you go.
Again, this may leave some piece of the extending chain drooping down your back. When I have done this for suits where I wanted to lengthen the necklace so it hung properly I have used a chain that has a finished end, like a little ball or pearl or something. I did this on the Anylength chains so it would look nice when it hangs down.
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Sometimes you see some jewelry that speaks to you. It's pretty with lots of colors, but you think....what on earth would I wear this with? Well, here are some ideas and examples based on my own experience with a particular bracelet.
In the 2009 Spring Collection, I created a bracelet duo called Flora and Fauna. At the time I just put together colors that seemed pretty together. I loved that bracelet, so made one for myself. <sly grin>. But what to wear it with? About a month later, I bought a shirt that I loved...with the same colors it turns out. I had the shirt on one day and was trying to figure out what jewelry to wear (I have to wear jewelry you know) and it dawned on me that the Flora bracelet might work. Bingo, it did! And nicely. So now I had an outfit to wear with the bracelet. Excellent.
But then one day when searching for jewelry to wear with an office outfit with similar colors but definitely not the same ones, again I thought about the Flora bracelet. It worked! I got many compliments at the office that day about how well the jewelry matched. Inspired by that occurrence, I tried again and found yet another office outfit that worked with the bracelet with colors in the same family but quite different.
So here are some things to think about. If you like a piece of jewelry for its colors, chances are you already like those colors. And if you like those colors, chances are you probably have some outfits that contain those colors. So go ahead, take a chance, and purchase the piece. I don't think you will be disappointed. When you get it home, hold it up to the outfits in your closet and see what looks interesting. It doesn't have to match. It should complement the colors. You might find some interesting combinations. You never know! |
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Cleaning sterling silver is easy with ordinary household ingredients. You will need baking soda, aluminum foil, a glass dish (I use a pyrex loaf pan) and boiling water.
First, crumple up some tin foil and put it in the bottom of the glass dish. Lay your silver jewelry down making sure that it lies as flat as possible and doesn’t criss cross over itself. It’s OK if it has other gemstones in it as the process won’t harm them. I have done this with pearls even and it’s OK. Sprinkle LOTS of baking soda on top. You want to completely cover the jewelry with the baking soda.
Then, boil some water. Once it’s up to boiling temperature, pour the water over the baking soda. It will fizz and bubble and you will probably smell sulfur…that rotten egg smell. Once the bubbling stops, carefully lift out your jewelry (it’s hot, remember) and wash it off under cold water. The baking soda might make it a bit slippery but just use enough cold water to wash it off. Your silver should be bright and shiny. If not, do it again. It won’t hurt the silver.
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