Combining jewellery

Some trends simply don't go out of style. In the jewellery area, stacking of rings and layering of necklaces and bracelets are real long-running favourites. Anyone who enjoys playful experimentation and also likes to juggle with different colours and shapes confidently, will surely quickly get involved in the fashionable art of "mixing". It is always a great experience to let your own creativity run wild: because anything that pleases is actually allowed. There are hardly any limits, even the combination of gold jewellery and silver jewellery is quite en vogue. So, women and men who are always keen on new looks and want to try something original more often can really live out their inventiveness here.

The two English words "stacking" and "layering", by the way, outline what is happening in the fashion trends in a rather vivid and fairly precise manner: several rings are stacked one above the other or next to each other on the fingers or several chains, necklaces or bracelets on neck or wrist are worn in several layers. The result of the happy "mixing" of pieces of jewellery of different materials, sizes and styles: a fascinating plus of styling options! In this little guide you will find many useful tips on how to combine jewellery with layering and stacking in a very individual and expressive way.

The starting point of your outfit should always be your clothes. After all, the style of your clothing determines the basic character of your overall appearance. It therefore largely depends on the colours, cuts and designs of your clothes, how you look to the outside – and which type of jewellery or which jewellery combinations best and most effectively underline your particular individuality. Further practical information on the combination of jewellery and clothing is also available in our guide on the combination of jewellery and dress.

Let's clarify the whole thing with an example for women: in the classically chic trouser suit for the day in the office, your choice of jewellery will certainly also be classic and rather reserved. Stacking and layering will usually be used here only in a well-dosed form. The situation is completely different if you are looking for suitable jewellery accessories for a particularly colourful and airy festival outfit in summer. Several bracelets or necklaces worn one above the other unfold a wonderfully casual sexiness and extravagant lightness in this very informal setting.

To make it particularly striking: a low-cut summer dress always brings jewellery to the fore much better than a thick knitted sweater in winter. For this reason, the outdoor season is of course also the perfect time for stacking finger jewellery and even more for layering bracelets or necklaces.

Let's take a look at an example for men: if you are a gentleman who likes to wear blue jeans, plain white or black T-shirts and maybe a leather jacket in your free time, the combination of several bracelets with a sporty wristwatch or smartwatch gives your look a cool touch. The bracelets can, for example, only be leather bracelets. Such a combination is absolutely timeless and that is precisely why it still looks refreshingly unconventional, authentic and cool.

If you want to be a little bit braver, a mix of metal bracelets, textile bracelets and bracelets with pendants or stone beads is ideal for this. If you want to, simply add one or two unusual men's rings as an additional eye-catcher.

The choice of our clothing and jewellery is always influenced by several factors: personal preferences as well as the occasion and the current season. The amount of cloth that covers our body decides not exclusively, but very strongly about the effect of jewellery. On the free areas of our skin, which is often sun-bronzed in summer, pieces of jewellery can unfold their fascinating radiance undisturbed and thus particularly impressively.

In contrast, for example, a particularly bright, multicoloured pattern on a blouse can make necklaces or bracelets look pretty inconspicuous, regardless of whether they are layered or worn individually. A sleeveless top discreet in colour is very suitable – both when "mixing" arm jewellery or necklaces and when accentuating a statement piece solo.

If we try to derive a styling rule from this, it could read: the less clothing that wraps around our skin, the more jewellery our body can normally wear. Apart from this: clothing that is extremely striking in colour or at least absolutely conspicuous tends to harmonize best with a relatively minimalist choice of jewellery – and vice versa. Of course, the proof of the pudding is in the eating here too: just test how brave you want to be in terms of fashion and how far you want to go in choosing your jewellery. It is important in any case that you feel comfortable with your decision.

Best of all: with the trendy layered look and cool stacking of rings, almost anything is possible. Nevertheless, it is worthwhile to heed a few basic tips when combining.

So, it is often a wise strategy to focus largely on just one area when choosing jewellery: either on the neck and head or on wrists and fingers. The deliberate, tasteful limitation often has several advantages. On the one hand, it reduces the risk that your favourite jewellery pieces will steal the show from each other. On the other hand, focusing on one area of view allows a much more targeted control of attention. By directing the eyes of the beholders, you can ensure that your jewellery is given the greatest possible attention – and that you yourself receive the highest level of admiration.

If you want to serve both viewing areas at the same time and wear necklaces and earrings as well as bracelets and rings, it is advisable in most cases not to lay it on too thick and rather to refrain from too many and especially overly opulent pieces. Incidentally, this applies not only to layering and stacking, but in general to the combination of jewellery.

With stacking and layering, you usually succeed in very nice combinations even if not all the pieces of jewellery come from the same set. Instead, focus on a harmonious overall picture and especially on the visual coherence of clothing and jewellery. Avoid "collisions" of jewellery with your clothing. In concrete terms, this means that arm jewellery should ideally never "collide" with the edge of your shirt sleeve, neck jewellery should not reach the hem of your dress.

In order to achieve an optimal effect, especially when layering necklaces, you must use chains of different lengths. As a result, the pieces of jewellery remain easily distinguishable and come into their own in their uniqueness. The use of more delicate pieces is often recommended. This prevents an overly massive overall impression of the chains and necklaces.

For the same reason, you should limit your layering to a maximum of four or five necklaces. When it comes to the selected pieces, you may wish to focus on contrasts, for example by mixing a particularly decorative and imposing statement necklace with two chains of a relatively minimalist design. In this way, the individual pieces remain clearly and differentially perceptible and there is also no risk that the necklaces will become entangled or knot.

With stacking as well as layering, you have enormous creative freedom at all times. So be brave and be absolutely sure to proceed with a lot of self-confidence and charming chutzpah! It is no longer a taboo to combine different precious metals or precious metal colours with each other, for example when stacking gold rings, silver rings and rose gold rings.

The guideline should be your healthy sense of proportion and your personal skin and colour type (you can find further inspiration and information on the type-specific choice of jewellery in our type guide). When layering, for example, it is completely safe, and often even extremely effective, to combine chains with different patterns, such as anchor chains or box chains. Necklaces with pendants of different shapes such as cross pendants, heart pendants or pendants with letters can also be combined with one another. In short: everything that suits you is allowed!

What used to be considered an absolute no-go has now developed into the ultimate styling trend, especially in the course of layering and stacking: the lively juxtaposition of gold jewellery, silver jewellery or rose gold jewellery has now become extremely popular.

However, do not overshoot the target when styling. For courage is always rewarded – but cockiness is quickly smiled at. So that a "perfect match" does not tip over and become a "much-too-much", the well-known "less is more" offers you good orientation here too. With a finely dosed plus of style, you get a positive reaction and earn a lot of admiration. Stacking and layering enable you to set original accents – appropriate to the occasion, type-specific and individual at any time.

Let us take a practical example: if you sometimes find the appearance of yellow gold jewellery too dignified, you can loosen up your look wonderfully by subtly "mixing in" pieces in silver or rose gold tones and thus give it a more playful touch. Darker and Mediterranean skin types with a brown or deeply tanned complexion will have a lot of fun in the mixing of the metallic jewellery colours. Find out in our special about jewellery metals and their colours, how you can bring out their full shine in colour-coordinated combinations.

The golden rule when layering necklaces is: always use chains and necklaces of different lengths. On the one hand, this avoids the impression that you are only wearing a single, very bulky and thick-stranded chain. On the other hand, you prevent the risk of knots. Therefore, limit the amount of layered necklaces to a maximum of five: this will prevent annoying entanglements and keep the pieces of jewellery distinguishable in their individual attractiveness.

You are extremely flexible with the stylistic selection of the necklaces. Depending on your preference, you can be more reserved or rather brave, which means: combining jewellery and clothing tone on tone, or deliberately taking into account subtle contrasts. You can easily achieve a really original contrast effect, for example, if you wear a longer, fine necklace together with a tight-fitting choker.

Of course, you can wear earrings with your layered necklaces at any time. Earrings visually belong to the head-and-neck region anyway, so they belong to the same area of perception. For this reason, they are not a real distraction for the focus of the eye.

With combinations of more delicate and visually similar necklaces and stud earrings you are actually always on the safe side. On the other hand, the tasteful confrontation of soft and round with rather hard and pointed pendant shapes or the even bolder mix of several striking, differently long statement chains and voluminous drop earrings presupposes a considerably larger portion of courage.

Basically, variety in layering is absolutely key: the chain types for the individual pieces of jewellery may vary just as much as the shapes of their pendants, for example a belcher chain with a tree of life pendant may be worn together with a curb chain with a star pendant. You also have almost unlimited freedom when it comes to your choice of materials.

If you like it unusual and a little more eye-catching, you can combine golden necklaces with silver necklaces or rose gold necklaces – and you can be relatively sure to attract countless looks. One thing is certain: the more different and extravagant the individual chains and necklaces are designed, the bolder and more refined your layered look will be.

Two very practical things are indispensable for a successful layering of arm jewellery: first, your wrists must not sink into the long sleeves of your clothing. Otherwise, your jewellery highlights will literally remain "in the dark". Second, you always have to take into account the strength of your wrist when choosing the amount and thickness of the jewellery accessories you want to wear: the narrower and slimmer it is, the fewer pieces you should tend to wear.

If these two basic conditions are met, there is actually nothing standing in the way of the combination of different pieces of jewellery on the arm – using a multitude of seductive, very different cuffs, bangles, bracelets and wristwatches. Watches in particular always open up new, surprising combinations for you at such an "arm party". Especially if you wear a wristwatch every day and replace the watch models as often as your arm jewellery, you will keep your look amazingly varied by doing so.

Whether chic bangles, delicate link bracelets, casual leather bracelets or colourful boho bracelets: in combination with a stylish and elegant wristwatch or sporty modern smartwatch, there is always a fascinating, amazingly versatile mix of styles – for women as well as for men. Especially the combination of bracelets and men's watches is particularly widespread and popular among men.

A very distinctive form of layering for women is the combination of up to five particularly narrow and delicately crafted bracelets. It is advisable to use bracelets of a similar style and if possible only one colour, as this often creates a pleasantly discreet and at the same time extraordinarily original look. Elegant ladies' watches stylishly round off the ensemble.

Ring stacking depends primarily on the size, colour and design of the individual rings. Opinions differ as to the exact number and placement of the rings. As a very rough rule, there should not be more than three rings on one finger and more than seven per hand. It is always crucial that the number of rings matches your fingers, i.e. the longer your fingers are, the more rings you can wear per phalanx.

Usually the rings are distributed to index, middle and ring fingers. Sometimes, however, little fingers and thumbs are also included in order to send out a particularly strong style message. Another very popular option is to emphasize a particular ring, preferably the engagement ring or marriage ring, but often also an unusual signet ring or solitaire ring with a striking gemstone, through other rings.

Courageous women and men in particular like to take advantage of the opportunity to position rings on different phalanges, i.e. at different heights on the fingers. In this way, a statement ring can be "enclosed", for example, by two more delicate rings and thus be wonderfully accentuated. If you choose such a combination of rings, you should rather keep your clothes simple and monochrome, to give the jewellery plenty of attention and enough space to shine.

Your top priority in ring stacking is always: make the most of your favourite pieces! You can do this particularly well if, for example, you "mix" rather flat, finely crafted rings with eye-catching key pieces. It is entirely up to you whether you stay with the same colour or prefer the harmony of different colour tones.

For example, choose two to three unusual pieces as eye-catchers for your left hand. These may even cover the first phalanx completely. Then just add a single narrow and plain ring to the second phalanx of the middle finger. On your right hand, you can then complete the look with two more restrained rings.

Another nice styling variant results from stacking if you select several very delicate and filigree rings – either in the same, but also in different jewellery colours. It is also up to your taste whether you want to "mix" gold rings, silver rings and rose gold rings on one hand or, for example, prefer to wear only gold rings on one hand and silver rings on the other. Whatever you choose, you can round off your look with matching arm jewellery.

Really all rings are suitable for stacking. So, you can really draw from abundant resources – and make full use of the treasures of your jewellery box. Without a doubt, you will always easily succeed in creating new, fascinating styles.

• It's really all in the mix: the fashionable mixing of precious metals such as gold, silver and rose gold is not only possible – it is often extremely stylish.
• Whether neckline, neck & head or wrists & fingers: it is best to draw attention to one area – then all eyes will belong to you and your jewellery!
• When it comes to necklace layering: you achieve the best effect with chains and necklaces of different lengths.
• Layering bracelets for stylish ladies and gentlemen means inviting their bracelets and watches to cool "arm parties", again and again!
• With ring stacking, multiple rings on one finger make a particularly strong statement.
• And the most important thing: be courageous when you mix and match – who dares only a bit, will win a lot!

Last but not least, we have a special tip for all absolute newbies: if you still feel a little unsure about layering and stacking, simply choose several bracelets, necklaces or rings from the same jewellery label to start with and combine these pieces first. This offers you a good opportunity to get to grips with the topic and test out various things. The largely homogenous or at least similar design language will certainly make it much easier for you to create harmonious looks when stacking and layering and thus achieve a coherent overall picture. The very extensive product range of brands such as Pandora, Sif Jakobs, Thomas Sabo, trendor or Xenox does not limit you at all when choosing.