Rejuvenate Your Spring Jewelry

Rejuvenate Your Spring Jewelry:Four Chic Looks You Can Get From the Jewelry You Already Own
by Arwa Jumkawala
Spring’s in the air and that means cleaning out and updating your wardrobe! As you bring your spring clothes out of storage, don’t forget to revisit your jewelry box too.
Rather than simply retiring some of your pieces, or buying new ones, a little creativity can help you rejuvenate your jewelry so you’re on-trend for the season. I recently went through my jewels and brainstormed a few creative new ways to re-wear what I already have. It’s easy, quick, and best of all, free! So, dust off your forgotten jewels and try out these looks:
What you need:

• Two or more beaded necklace strands (I’m using two collar-bone grazing necklaces, but you can play with whatever lengths or materials you have at hand).
• Optional add-ons: ribbons, satin flowers, safety pins, and invisible scotch tape.

Shown above: Two 16-inch gemstone necklaces (amazonite & apatite) from my jewelry box.

A note of caution: Since we’ll be manipulating our beads in new ways, please do not use fragile necklaces. Also, genuine pearls will not appreciate being rubbed up against other materials. Faux is your friend here!

Look #1: The Twist
Take one strand, twist the other strand around it and secure clasp-to-clasp for a statement look. Each twist will shorten the length of the resulting necklace a tiny bit, so if the choker look is not your style, use a stretch of pretty ribbon to lengthen.

Shown above: A loosely-braided and a tightly-braid twist necklace.


The twist technique can also help you create a woven bracelet. Simply wrap around the wrist twice and secure. If you need to lengthen, try a safety spin or even paper clip (or two).

Shown above: A twist bracelet.

Look #2 Long & Loose
Want to get the long, loose necklace look that’s burning up the runways right now? No problem, just hook your necklaces end to end to create a strand.

Shown above: Long & loose with clasps in front. Same with clasp in front (covered by ribbon) and back.

Tip: you can hide the clasp with a bow or perhaps a satin flower or two (Bonus- the flower motif is a featured spring look at Antropologie.

Look #3 Sling
Sling one necklace within the other to create a look you can wear centered or (when you’re feeling more whimsical), off to one side.

Shown above: Sling looks, both centered and off to the side.

Look #4 Double Up
Make a double strand by simply nesting the necklaces together. If you need to lengthen one necklace, again ribbon is your friend.

Shown above: Two doubled-up looks, loose doubling on the left and tight on the right.

If you have any other ideas, please do share, I’d love to see what you come up with. Happy spring cleaning and creating my fellow fashionistas!

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Arwa Jumkawala is a life long lover of sparkly gems and beads, a former pilates instructor, and founder of Gemkitty, a custom jewelry e-boutique.