Are You a Silver or a Gold Person?

Back in the early 90s, discovering what “fashion season” you belonged to became all the rage. You were a summer, fall, winter or spring, and all your clothing needed to coordinate depending. I think there is some truth to this. It was decided by my (then) best friend Beth that I was a winter. Thrown from my closet were all my pink and orange shirts (which I was known for) and into the closet were ties and shirts in burgundy, black and so forth.

I have always loved gold jewelry, but was told by Beth that I should from now and henceforth ONLY wear silver! Imagine my chagrin. But what emerged from that fashion evaluation was a new interest in both platinum and jewelry made from silver . I have some gorgeous silver cuff links now that I wear; the side benefit is that they look like paw prints, which shows off my “dog-loving” nature. My little Maltese is so proud!

I’ve discovered that actually, I do look a lot snappier in silver, but once in a while I get out my beautiful gold chain and put it on. There is something so wonderfully evocative about gold. And I don’t think I shall ever remove the gorgeous gold ring my father left me. These pieces of gold jewelry I cannot do without. So you can already see that what type of person really depends on a lot of different factors, Like a lot of things when it comes to jewelry.

Can you mix gold and silver? I don’t see why not. The idea that you should never wear gold jewelry with silver comes from someone’s personal idea, which I think should be subject to change. Why not? I suspect it has more to do with the idea that gold is for the wealthy and silver for the middle-class or poor. It is certainly true that in some cultures jewelry wearing was forbidden for any but the upper class. And keep in mind that a trend is only a trend when someone tries something new and it works. The idea that you have to always play by the rules in jewelry is ridiculous.

My advice is wear what you love to wear, and don’t worry too much about what is considered “proper.” Fashions are constantly shifting and some (I include myself) find the very idea of fashion anachronistic. I realize I am in a very small minority, but I doubt anything will ever change my mind about this. I have a feeling that most people think this way to some degree whether they choose to act on that idea or not.

Some may just think I’m lazy, and while that is certainly true, it has nothing to do with it! Now there are limits to this; I wouldn’t show up at a friend’s wedding, of course, wearing a t-shirt and sandals. But I would wear a t shirt and sandals to some restaurants where some might think it unheard of. Depends on the situation and who I might be going against. I mean if it’s a friend’s wedding, then I value their ideas but if it’s a public space like a restaurant, then I might push the envelope a little more because I take my ideals to be more important than others (within reason of course, we still have to live in a civilized society).

What does this have to do with jewelry? Everything! One of my favorite people, an elderly lady, enjoys wearing her bakelite jewelry from the 1930s with a pair of diamond earrings to church. I love that! If we can’t express our individualism by the time we’re 89, when can we?

So mix and match your jewelry, wear the clothing that makes you happy, and go buy something new to cheer yourself up! Stop worrying about what other people think, and have fun expressing yourself.