Stepping into adulthood comes with a myriad of things: paying your own bills, establishing a 401k, and having your own insurance. On the fashion front, maturity can also translate via your wardrobe: As alluring as bottom-of-the-barrel prices might be, fast fashion will never quite match a piece made with care and the utmost quality. That’s precisely why for the upcoming year I’ve challenged myself to completely revamp my closet. My objective is to find pieces that I will wear year after year, and that will also continually bring me joy. It’s an ambitious project that will undoubtedly take time (after all I didn’t accumulate all of the junk in my closet in just one year), so I’m starting with my jewelry collection.
As it stands, the bulk of my collection falls into the “fashion jewelry” category—which is essentially glorified costume jewelry— and while fun for an event or for sporadic wear, tarnishing, and general wear and tear is inevitable. The few solid gold and gold-plated pieces I do own have outlasted all of my fashion jewelry twofold, so I’m putting the trendy stuff to rest in favor of timeless designs made with precious metals and materials. Since people tend to notice your jewelry first, it makes sense to splurge a little bit more here. However, jumping straight into the Cartier and Bulgari pool isn’t also completely necessary—it’s completely possible to find great pieces on a tighter budget.
If you too are interested in growing your “forever” jewelry collection, keep scrolling. Whether you have $100 or $10,000 I’ve included options at every price point.
