22 Incredible Designer Jewelry Pieces You Need on Your Radar

From dainty gems to statement pieces to the family heirlooms, your jewelry says a lot about you. But having a shopper’s eye for those special trinkets is no easy feat. Not only does it take time, but also, it’s completely overwhelming sifting through products in hopes of finding that one It piece—not to mention an It piece that’s on trend and classic. (You know, something that you would even consider passing down one day.) So what’s a fashion girl to do? Turn to Stone & Strand, the online destination for seriously punchy designer jewelry that feels modern and relevant. The most appealing part? The site’s done all the sifting for you. (Plus, it offers a lifetime warranty and free shipping!)

Scroll down to shop Stone & Strand’s jewelry vault. 

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How to Properly Wear Male Jewelry

Foundation truths for men about the suitable wearing of jewelry

Do you, a man, wonder how best to round out your ensemble with jewelry? Is all that just for women? Read on, and find out how to express yourself through manly adornment.

A Man and Jewelry

A man’s jewelry is a very important part of his ensemble. If he wears too much, he looks pretentious and artificial. If he wears it correctly, the ornamentation can significantly increase the quality of his look. The following men’s jewelry items will hereafter be examined: cufflinks, rings, timepieces, and tie bars. These four are the most basic and therefore most easily incorrectly worn. Bear also in mind the umbrella rule for matching: metal goes with the same metal. This means that any metal on you should all be the same material, whether gold, silver, platinum, or another. In addition, a traditional social guideline is to wear gold during the day and silver at night.

A Gentleman’s Cufflinks

A must-wear for French-cuffed shirts, cufflinks are both functional and expressive. Whatever the style cufflink (hinged back, push through, snap on, double face, or chain), simplicity is always appropriate. Because cufflinks can be purchased in such a variety of looks, discretion must be exercised when choosing a cufflink for a particular occasion.

Simple black, gold, silver, or onyx ovals are always tasteful; gold dice with diamonds in the spots are not, though would be interesting and appropriate under certain circumstances. Remember that this small accessory should not be the highlight of your outfit, and that those around you will take notice of your cufflinks and will suppose things about you based on them – so choose carefully.

Cufflink Styles:

• Hinged back. One of the most common styles of cufflink, one side is the decoration, and the other side has a hinged bar that lines up with the cufflink to install it to the shirt, and once through, hinges ninety degrees to keep the cufflink in place.

• Push through. These cufflinks, like the hinged back, have one decorative side. The other is a rigid ball, “T,” or other cap to prevent the cufflink from slipping back through the holes in the cuff.

• Chain. Chain cufflinks have a small chain, rather than a stiff bar, that connects the two sides, and can have one or two decorative sides. If you prefer chain cufflinks, be sure to mention this when ordering custom shirts, as these cufflinks don’t hold the cuff as tightly together as the others.

• Snap on. These are either two separate pieces per cufflink or one piece that wraps around the cuff near the holes.

• Double-sided. A push through, chain, or snap cufflink that has decoration on both sides.

A Man and Rings

There is little to be said about rings that has not been said already: simplicity and discretion. As for wedding rings, a simple band will always be proper, though a flashier ring will not be frowned upon. Other rings, however, need not be so simple, but one must not try to distinguish oneself through them. A class or fraternal ring could nicely round out one’s look, or even another ring which holds some personal meaning that does not portray one as vain or swanky.

Above: three rings, a class ring, fraternal ring, and tiger’s eye ring, that could convey a man’s personality and style without looking ostentatious.

Timepieces – The Two Types

Whether by a wristwatch or pocket watch, keeping time is gentlemanly (unless at a black- or white tie event, when typically no timepiece is worn) and, for the businessman, necessary. A wristwatch should have a quality leather band or a band of a nice metal. Buy the nicest watch that you are willing to afford – maybe that’s not platinum, but we can all afford to do a little shopping around to find a watch that’s within our budget, is simple and elegant, and expresses our own individuality and style well.

Analog watches are more formal than digital and more accurate; additionally, a digital watch may not be suitable in business settings. A nice digital watch made by a recognized quality watchmaker, however, worn with a tweed jacket, khakis and loafers could fit better than a gold banded analog watch. Do not wear that watch in the boardroom – wear the nice analog watch.

Pocket watches are an interesting item on the gentleman because they are rarely seen today. If wearing a vest, the watch goes into the pocket on one side, the chain loops through the button hole of the same height, and the fob end rests in the other pocket. If there is no fob, only a hook, use a small piece of cardboard inside the pocket onto which the hook hangs. This will give it the necessary substance to keep the hook from falling off.

If your trousers have a fob pocket, the watch can rest in the side pocket and the fob in the fob pocket. The same rules regarding style apply to pocket watches as wrist watches.

Tie Bars and Tie Chains

The tie bar is the preferred accessory for holding down a necktie. A simple line of gold or silver is adequate to the purpose and in its class lies in its simplicity. Tie tacks involve poking a hole through the center of the tie and are therefore not recommended; however, one can use a tie tack through the rear lapel of the tie for function, thus not putting a hole in the visible part of the tie while gaining the same objective.

Tie chains are also an alternative, but are often considered more formal. If using one, make it a simple silver or gold chain to be useful and not pronounced.

Shiny and Satisfying

A well-dressed gentleman will set himself apart in the best way by following these jewelry guidelines. While clothes, like a custom suit, make the man, jewelry can distinguish him as smart, manly, and confident. In remembering these rules the next time he gets ready for a formal affair, a man will go far in presenting himself as this kind of man.

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Ultimate Guide to Cufflinks Infographic | Man’s Guide to Cuff-links | Cufflink Visual Chart

Wearing cuff-links allows a man to to stand out in a very discreet way.  It’s technically male jewelry, yet it serves the functional purpose of holding your cuffs together.

You can create a statement by accessorizing a casual outfit with carefully chosen cufflinks…..or dress up your business attire for a special occasion by donning a pair.

However, most men associate cufflinks with formal or semi-formal events only.

The truth is, cufflink can be worn with any dress shirt that will support them to ANY event.

In the below infographic I give you a quick overview of cuff-link types, materials, and styles.

Interested in purchasing a pair from a small business I support and whose product I love (and featured in this guide!)?

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This Gorgeous Nail Jewelry Actually Helps Prevent Breakage

Adornment, accessories—just give all of your accoutrements to me. I am so infatuated with putting baubles, tattoos, makeup, neckties, hair accessories, just about anything imaginable on my bod. It's in my blood at this point and feels like a part of my identity. 

One of my many peruses through Instagram had me yelling and jumping on furniture like Tom Cruise making a round of Blue Hawaii when I saw IG-famous nail artist Nina Park rocking these GLORIOUS yellow gold shield-like items.The flyness was too real, and I needed to try them! 

These nail shields, or crowns as their creator Alleycat Jewelry owner Carley Stadelmann calls them, were developed to help protect nails from breaking, and they look damned good doing it! Carley was kind enough to send me the Regal collection that I have been peeing my pants over, and I was checking my mailbox with a fury not seen since waiting for my college acceptance letter. These nail crowns are to die and go to heaven for!

Individually, the charms run about $5 to $15, and the sets are also very reasonable. The Regal set I got to try has two regular-sized crowns, one miniature, one extra-long, and two baby accents; she was kind enough to also include two of the pot leaves because how could I not rep those? 

Q & A

xoDani: What inspired your designs? Specifically, what made you want to put such gorgeous pieces on nails over, say, rings or earrings? 

Carley: I have a strong need to create. I love working with my hands, especially with intricate, detailed materials. The nail jewelry started when a friend of mine had broken her nail. Nobody wants to wear a finger splint or bandaid, and we can’t always make it to our nail tech, so as an experiment, we glued on a metal strip to keep it in place. It held the nail in place and looked way better than a splint. From then on, I was hooked on making that metal strip look amazing.

xoDani: Who are your favorite Instagram nail mavens that we should be following?

Carley: My girl B classyclaws, Eva Nailsup, and Nina ninanailedit. All three of these IGs are absolutely amazing! They are all so talented, and I have great respect for all of them. Technical skill is great, but more than that, I really value and respect someone who is brave enough to be themselves, to be original.

xoDani:What is your favorite way to style the 420 jewels? Is that a product of living in British Columbia?

Carley: Lol. The 420 jewels just happened one night after I brushed the tips of my nails in the "green" and took a picture while wearing one. That was my favourite way to wear them—more of a concept than practical. People started asking me to make more.

xoDani: Who would you love to see rock your designs?

Carley: I would LOVE to have close up photos of my work on Jada Pinkett Smith and Rihanna. I've seen photos of them wearing my jewelry from afar, but would love to see them up close. Those two just happened, but coincidentally, they're two of the people I would name!

xoDani: What is your dream collaboration?

Carley: I would love to collaborate with someone who does concept nails for events. Fashion shows, other special events.

xoDani: Have you ever thought about making regular jewelry in your style?

Carley: Yes! I have joined forces with a friend and am in the process of designing some new pieces. Hoping to launch that soon.

How to Apply Them

To wear these babies, simply set in nail glue, top coat, or UV gel if that’s your bag, and you will get different levels of wear from a few days to a few weeks!

Though I liked the crowns as extensions for two broken nails, I much prefer the extra-long and mini crowns on my non-dominant and most decorated hand, leaving off with my old friend the seven-point hemp leaf on my "eff you" finger. 

The extra-long crown is about ¼-inch longer than my longest nail, and truly has been acting as a shield; the nail feels stronger, secure, and less fragile from day to day clumsiness. They are gold-plated, reusable, and  easy to clean and apply.

I think I will be wearing these beautiful babies for some time to come. They add an even more audacious and bright metallic flare to my swag, taking it to the next level. 

The added bonus of reinforcement for your nails is something I appreciate greatly. I usually have super-long natural nails these days, and many of you can relate, when one (or THREE) breaks it’s hard to wait it out until they are even again. With nail crowns, you can outright mask it with an extra-long one or use an inverted medium crown to extend the length. Genius!

• What nail stars do you follow on Insta? 
• This might be an excellent time to share your Instagram handle—no reason why we shouldn’t all be following each other on there, too! 

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