Field Notes

Pale wire flower earrings with green stones and gold-tone chains hanging below.
Drop Earrings vs Dangle Earrings: What Is the Difference?
Drop earrings hang below the lobe as one piece and barely move. Dangle earrings hang lower and swing because they have moving parts, such as chains or joined sections. The... Read more
Strand of small white pearls with a gold-tone ball worn at the collarbone.
Can You Wear Pearls Every Day? Yes, With Four Habits
Yes, pearls can be worn every day with four small habits. Put them on last after perfume, hairspray, and lotion. Take them off first before water or chores. Wipe them... Read more
Pearl bracelet with a white star charm worn on a wrist against a navy knit.
How to Choose Jewelry as a Gift Without Knowing Her Size
Jewelry can be a low-risk gift without knowing a size if the piece has no size or can adjust. Post earrings for pierced ears and an adjustable open ring are... Read more
Large silver-tone wire flower drop earrings resting on a pale stone.
How to Wear Statement Earrings Without Overdoing It
Statement earrings work best when they are the one large thing in view. Give them a plain neckline, keep the necklace small or leave it off, and keep hair clear... Read more
Pair of fan-shaped wire drop earrings edged with small white pearls.
Pearl Studs vs Pearl Drop Earrings: Which to Choose
Pearl studs sit on the lobe and do not move, while pearl drop earrings hang below it and move with the head. That difference decides most of the choice. A... Read more
Three round wire flower brooches, each with a white pearl at the center.
Is a Brooch a Good Gift? How to Choose One
A brooch is a good gift for someone who wears jackets, coats, scarves, or knitwear. It asks for no ring size, pierced ears, neck measurement, or clasp behind the head.... Read more
Olive wire calla brooch with gold-tone stems pinned to a dark knit.
What Size Brooch Should You Wear? Size Guide
Choose a brooch by its longest side and its weight. A shorter, lighter piece can sit on a shirt or fine knit, while a longer or heavier one needs firmer... Read more
Back of a gold-tone wire ginkgo brooch showing its pin stem and silver-tone branch.
Brooch vs Pin: Is There a Difference?
A brooch is a decorative kind of pin, usually held by a hinged stem and catch across its back. A pin can be much smaller and may fasten at one... Read more
Fan Hoop Earrings in cocoa and charcoal, lacy wire fans on gold-tone hoops.
What Size Hoop Earrings Should You Get?
Choose hoop earrings by where the outer edge should sit and by the listed weight, not diameter alone. Hoops up to about 2 cm sit close to the lobe. Around... Read more
Three Fine Chain Pendant Necklaces laid flat, with heart, sun and medallion pendants.
How to Untangle a Thin Necklace Chain
To untangle a thin necklace chain, lay it flat on a hard, light surface, open the clasp, and loosen the knot from its center with two pins or needles. A... Read more
Silver Pavé Hoops with cubic zirconia and gold-tone caps on a pale surface.
Gold-Plated vs Gold-Filled vs Vermeil
Gold-plated, gold-filled, and vermeil all put gold over another metal, but they use different base metals and different methods. Gold plating is the thin surface finish most often seen on... Read more
The Ruffle Collar Necklace in silver-tone crocheted wire laid flat on a cream surface.
How to Wear a Collar Necklace With Any Neckline
A collar necklace looks best with a neckline that leaves the collarbone bare: a scoop, a boat neck, a strapless or off-shoulder top. Over a crew neck it can sit... Read more
Three Baroque Pearl Flower Brooches on gold-tone stems, each with an irregular pearl.
What Is a Baroque Pearl, and Is It a Real Pearl?
A baroque pearl is a real pearl with an irregular, non-round shape. Baroque describes the shape only, not whether the pearl is natural or cultured, freshwater or saltwater. Most cultured... Read more
The Pleated Pearl Ring, an open gold-tone band with a row of small freshwater cultured pearls.
How to Size an Open Ring Without Breaking It
An open ring is sized by gently squeezing the band to close the gap or easing it apart to widen it, in small steps, while holding the band at both... Read more
Gold-Topped Pearl Earrings in three styles, each a baroque pearl hanging under a gold shape.
How to Clean Pearl Earrings Without Damaging Them
Clean pearl earrings by wiping them with a soft, clean cloth after each wear. For a deeper clean, use a cloth dampened in warm, soapy water, wipe again with plain... Read more
Abalone Leaf Earrings in gold and silver, long leaf frames filled with abalone shell pieces.
What Is Abalone Shell Jewelry?
Abalone shell jewelry is set with pieces cut from the inner layer of the abalone shell, a lining of nacre that turns blue, green, violet and pink as the light... Read more
The Silver Ruffle Set laid flat, crocheted wire ruffles on a beaded chain.
Should Your Earrings Match Your Necklace?
Earrings do not have to match a necklace exactly. They should agree on one thing, usually the metal tone or the material, and differ in scale, so only one piece... Read more
Crescent Mesh Hoops in four colors laid apart on a pale surface, crocheted wire mesh.
How to Store Earrings So They Don't Tangle or Bend
Store earrings in pairs, each pair in its own small compartment or soft pouch, laid flat with posts upright and backs on. Keep wire and crocheted pieces where nothing presses... Read more
Mother-of-Pearl Drop Earrings, white shell petals under woven silver-tone wire studs.
Mother-of-Pearl vs Pearl: What Is the Difference?
Mother-of-pearl and pearl are made of the same material, nacre, but they form in different places. A pearl grows as layers of nacre around an irritant inside a mollusk. Mother-of-pearl... Read more
Ruffle Collar Necklace in silver-tone crocheted wire, close view of the ruffle and clasp.
What Is Wire Crochet Jewelry, and Does It Hold Its Shape?
Wire crochet jewelry is fine metal wire worked loop through loop with a crochet hook into open metal lace. It is light because much of the shape is air. It... Read more
Open metal-wire earrings resting on the pan of a small brass balance scale.
How Heavy Is Too Heavy for Earrings? A Gram Guide
There is no official weight limit for earrings, but many people notice a pair around 7 grams each and reserve 8 to 9 grams for a shorter wear. Size is... Read more
Baroque Pearl Flower Brooch
Freshwater Pearls vs Glass Pearls: How to Tell Them Apart and Care for Each
We use both freshwater cultured pearls and glass pearls, and each product page says which. How to tell them apart in the hand, and how to keep each one. Read more
Golden Leaf Earrings
Gold-Plated and Silver-Plated Jewelry: Water, Tarnish and Care
Plating is a thin layer of gold or silver over copper or brass. It is not waterproof, silver plate can darken, and both last far longer with a few plain... Read more
Camellia Brooch
How to Wear a Brooch: Blazer, Dress, Knit and as a Necklace
A brooch goes where the eye already lands: the lapel, the shoulder, the hollow of the collarbone. Where to pin it, how high, and how to wear one as a... Read more