5 Steps for Building a Working Mom Jewelry Collection

In previous posts, I have addressed what to wear to work in terms of Blouses/Tops, Pants/Skirts, Blazers/Cardigans, Shoes, and Bags.  Of course no outfit is complete without Jewelry!  The focus of this post is on how to polish your outfit by building a working mom jewelry collection.

It’s certainly more complicated than it seems, especially considering that jewelry tends to be a high ticket item.  Also, jewelry you may wear in your personal life may not always fit in the workplace.  For example, you may not want to wear something too flashy in the office.  I’ll start by sharing a list of general “Don’ts” then go into the 5 steps for building your working mom jewelry collection.

Mrs. Type A’s “Don’ts” for building a working mom jewelry collection:

• No Noise:  your jewelry shouldn’t clink or otherwise make a lot of noise.  I have a colleague who wears a charm bracelet, which is adorable.  But every time she raises her arm to write on a whiteboard or open a door, everyone can hear the clinking.  It’s a bit distracting and, therefore, not something I would advise wearing to work.  Same if you are wearing dangly earrings or multiple bracelets that clink together.
• No more than 7 pieces:  I had friends who worked at Accenture out of college, and many said they weren’t allowed to wear more than 7 pieces of jewelry.  I’m not sure if that was true, but they said they were limited to 1 of each of engagement ring, wedding band, earring for each ear, necklace, bracelet, and 1 more piece (not sure what that would be…right hand ring? Another bracelet?).  Since the goal of jewelry is to enhance and polish your look, wearing too many pieces may be distracting.  While I’m not sure if 7 is the magic number, it does seem like a good guide post.
• No Pearls:  This may be controversial, but I think pearls conveys “trying too hard” to look professional.  Pearls are a bit void of personality; they don’t convey your individuality.  That said, I have a set and do wear them…just not every day.

Mrs. Type A’s 5 Steps for Building a Working Mom Jewelry Collection

1.  Choose 1 metal and stick with it

Consider selecting a metal that works with your coloring (see here for information on coloring).  As an Autumn, warm metals look best on me so I opt for rose gold or yellow gold.  They tend to be more expensive than silver, unfortunately!

2.  Start with a long necklace

I think the necklace is the most foundational item.  It’s probably the best to start with, and you could build the rest from there.  I like a long necklace (at least 36″) so that you can wear it long or double it (wear as a double strand).  Effectively you can get two looks with 1 piece of jewelry!

Here are some options for necklaces that would work well long and as a double strand:

I’m a HUGE fan of IPPOLITA.  I think they make very nice pieces that are timeless and not terribly expensive.  (I am not an IPPOLITA affiliate.  I just think very highly of their pieces and own quite a few.  They are great quality and design, and relatively affordable).

3.  Then choose 1 set of matching earrings

I suggest choosing a simple pair, such as a small hoop, plain studs, or a simple drop earring.  If you get something too unique, it may be hard to pull off for every day wear.  For your first set, go with basic.

Here are some options (that would coordinate with each of the necklaces above):

4.  Then add a 2nd set of more unique earrings

Opt for something with a specific color that would match a lot of your wardrobe…something that is either a color you wear a lot, or matches colors you wear a lot.  I wear a lot of blue, browns, and reds.  So, I have a pair of blue drops that I could wear frequently.  After you get this set of earrings, you have 2 looks for a necklace and 2 for earrings…you’re on your way to having a lot of variety out of a few pieces.

Here are some ideas for a 2nd set of earrings:

As I mention above, I am a big fan of IPPOLITA.  I’ve also found Gemvara a great alternative.  The pieces may be ever-so-slightly more basic in design, but from a distance they are very lovely and much less expensive than branded pieces.  Here are similar earrings to the IPPOLITA Lollipop ones above (which I have in citrine):

I’m also not affiliated with Gemvara (just also a fan).

5.  Add a bracelet

Again, I suggest choosing something basic that can be worn with any of your existing pieces.  Something like a hammered metal bangle would be perfect.

Here are some ideas for a simple bracelet to match the necklaces and earrings above in each metal:

Over time, you can continue to add to this collection, or choose to start a collection in a different metal.  I have 1 “mega set” that has 2 necklaces, 2 sets of earrings, and 1 bracelet.  Once I build that collection out, I branched out into building sets in other metals and looks.

Additional Tips for your working mom jewelry collection

For those of you with kids, there are some additional considerations.  Primarily, I worry about wearing any dangling jewelry around my little ones, since they may pull on my earrings or get tangled in my necklaces when I give hugs.

To address this, I put my jewelry on when I get to my office in the morning.  I usually choose a set that I wear every day for the week.  I take it out of my jewelry box and put it in my purse.  The jewelry goes on first thing in the morning, and comes off before I leave (and back in the pouch in my purse).  This is also important because I tend to workout after work (before picking up my children) so that is another reason to take my jewelry off.

At night, I may swap out jewelry sets based on what I plan to wear the next day.  But, generally speaking, because of the varied options to wear my necklaces and the fact that I have a few pairs of earrings to match each, I usually am fine wearing 1 set a week each week and swapping on Sundays.

I use a pouch like this to store and carry my jewelry in my purse:

I’d love to hear from all of you on how you have built your working mom jewelry collection!  Please leave comments below!

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