Just Ask Leslie: Jewelry Tips

Dear Leslie,
Summer is my favorite season! I just love the warm weather, trips to the beach and afternoons by the pool. Do you have any recommendations for jewelry with a summer style?
Felicia in Chicago

Summer can be a glorious time of year. The bright sunshine really does the trick for picking up your spirits. Just remember the sunscreen though! To add a little bit of that summer warmth to any time of the year, jewelry with a summer theme will do just the trick.

These wonderful multi-color mother of pearl sterling silver earrings feature a beautiful sun. Priced at just $95, these earrings have a Southwestern feel with the mosaic of small mother of pearl tiles. They’ll be a great look with jeans and are a perfect accessory for everyday wear.

This 14K two tone gold sun pendant is a great way to bring a little bit of summer sun to even the cloudiest of days. The brilliant beads really sparkle and shine. This pendant is on sale now for just $101.25.

The hot August sun finds its equal in this citrine and peridot sterling silver pendant. Peridot is the birthstone for August and adds its dramatic green color to this necklace. This spectacular pendant can be yours for just $50 making it the deal of the summer!

Some say that blondes have more fun. Well, I say that anyone can have loads of fun with the right accessories! Picking the right jewelry for blondes can be tricky. Pastel colors tend to wash out blondes’ skin. A wonderful choice for blonde hair is to go with deep shades of blue. Blue contrasts beautifully with a blonde’s golden locks and creamy skin tone.

One way for blondes to achieve a stunning look with blue gems is to go with sapphires. For the sapphire lover, this blue sapphire and sterling silver bracelet would make a perfect gift. Three rows of deep blue sapphires sparkle in this bracelet. 98 gems – over 29 carats – of sapphires are in this bracelet for just $125!

Perfect for the office, these blue enamel and diamond earrings in 14K yellow gold are a fresh way to add blue color into your wardrobe. The technique of enameling is a centuries-old process that adds a spash of bright blue to these classic earrings. These earrings are a great choice for the mature career woman and they’re conservative enough to wear to many religious services.

You’ve heard of a blonde bombshell, well, this blue topaz and iolite necklace in 14K white gold is a knockout itself at just $250. Perfect for a strapless dress or peaking from under a blouse, this necklace combines two shades of blue that would look stunning on blondes. The iris blue hues of the iolite are particularly unique and coordinate perfectly with the icy blue topaz.

Dear Leslie,
I love the look of diamonds but often times they are out of my budget. Are there any economical options?
Faith in Little Rock

Cubic zirconia is a wonderfully affordable option when diamonds are out of our budgets. Cubic zirconia was first discovered by German scientists in 1937 but was finally made very economical through laboratory advances in the 1970’s. Cubic zirconia is formed through a complicated process from zirconium oxide and yttrium oxide where these chemicals are combined together at almost 5000 degrees Fahrenheit. Then they are carefully cooled to create flawless crystals. Because of their clarity and brilliance, cubic zirconia stones are often compared to diamonds. Cubic zirconia is extremely durable, and can come in almost every color of the rainbow. Cubic zirconia is so optically close to diamond that only a trained eye can easily differentiate the two – some differences are observable only under the microscope or loupe.

For just $40 you can add a ton of sparkle to a special occasion with this cubic ziconia and sterling silver ring. This classic three-stone design looks fabulous on a band of elegant sterling silver.

In this exquisite butterfly brooch, a delicate butterfly motif is beautifully crafted from sterling silver and studded with dazzling cubic zirconia. This piece, if made from diamonds and white gold, would be priced at hundreds of dollars. It’s an economical way to add drama to any outfit.

This cubic zirconia sterling silver tennis bracelet is an economical alternative to the timeless diamond tennis bracelet. At just $45, you may find yourself wearing this bracelet more than you expect. The graceful setting provides fluidity of movement and will look amazing with any ensemble.

Often women with red hair think of their crowning glory as a mixed blessing. Their uniquely colored locks and matching skin coloring require special attention when picking fashion colors. Strawberry blondes to true redheads take extra care and pride showing off their tresses to their best advantage. Jewelry should be no exception!

A beautiful and sure fire look for jewelry for redheads is to go with green. From deep shades of jade, lucious emerald hues, to other verdant colors, wearing accessories featuring shades of green is a wonderful way to coordinate with red hair.

Elegant yellow gold and flattering green tourmaline make a beautiful combination in this necklace. Graceful and understated, this necklace is perfect for work attire or to accent evening wear.

This festive pair of green garnet and peridot biolette earrings in 14K yellow gold are a deal at just $95. The two tones of green mean that you’ll be able to coordinate these earrings with just about any other green jewelry you own. The groups of sparkling biolette beads hang delicately from yellow gold hooks. It’s an elegant look that will satisfy the demands of the most discriminating redheads!

Finally, this Russian diopside and diamond ring in 14K white gold is an attention-grabber with its brilliant green gems. Russian diopsides are a perfect way to add bright green color to any outfit. This ring shines with three emerald-cut diopsides in a diamond-studded white gold band for just $150. A gift of this ring will make any redhead smile!