Getting the right gifts for the important people in your life is one of the best ways to show your care and appreciation for them.
But, choosing the right jewelry, the right trinkets, the right… anything, can be very tricky. It’s hard to dial in someone else’s taste and preferences, and even harder to keep up with the changes in what they’re looking for over time.
When it comes to picking women’s jewelry the task only gets harder. Women often want very different kinds of jewelry, starting when they are just girls, all the way up until the senior women rounding out their collections, or maybe starting to buy with an eye toward what they can pass down to beloved friends and family members.
The good news is that there is jewelry for all the different stages in a woman’s life, from the moment she’s ready for her first real jewelry instead of costume dress-up, to the moment she decides she has a large enough and varied enough jewelry collection.
I know how difficult it can be to choose the right jewelry for different stages in a woman’s life, and I’m happy to provide a little insight that can make it easier for you to choose the right pieces for the special women in your life.
Before I get into the specifics for different phases of life though, I do want to touch on just a few important considerations.
Personalizing Your Jewelry Gifts For The Recipient
There are a lot of ways to choose the right kinds of jewelry for the women in your life, and I’m going to be talking about the trends in jewelry in different phases of life in just a moment. But first, here are some things you should consider before choosing jewelry gifts.
Her Taste And Style
Jewelry is one of the most personal parts of a woman’s wardrobe. That means that it’s especially important to make sure you’re choosing colors and styles of jewelry that will suit the recipient’s current taste.
Try to learn things like what metals she prefers, what stones or colors she likes best, and whether she prefers ornate jewelry, or slightly simpler designs.
If you don’t have that information, or don’t want to spoil the surprise by asking about her jewelry preferences, you can always pay attention to what jewelry she wears. Or ask her opinion on jewelry for one of your mutual friends of a family member.
While most women will be able to guess at friend’s and family tastes rather than using their own, you’ll probably still get some insight into what she prefers to wear herself by asking about jewelry for others.
Make Sure The Jewelry You Choose Is Flattering
Another important consideration is what jewelry is going to be flattering for her. For example, a woman with a long thin neck might want a shorter necklace chain, longer chains may make her feel like her neck is too long. Women with broad shoulders, on the other hand, might want a longer necklace.
For necklaces, take inspiration from the necklines she usually wears. If she prefers low necklines, a longer necklace will work well. But a woman who likes high necklines might do better with shorter necklaces or even chokers that will be visible above her clothing.
For earrings, length, size, and the color of the earring are all important. I’ve already written a guide to choosing the right earrings for your face shape, so you can use that article to help guide earring decisions for the women in your life.
Bracelets and other kinds of jewelry don’t need to be as personally flattering since they won’t be right next to the recipient’s face. So it’s more important to match her style and personality than choosing a shape or color that will be flattering.
Consider The Rest Of Her Jewelry Collection And Wardrobe
One of the struggles of receiving jewelry is getting new jewelry that’s almost a duplicate of jewelry you already have, or that is beautiful on its own, but won’t match any of your existing outfits.
In either case, that jewelry probably won’t be worn very often, which can be stressful since you never know when someone might be disappointed you aren’t wearing their gift to you.
If you want to get the women in your life jewelry they’ll genuinely treasure, you should take their collection and wardrobe into account.
Does she have a favorite outfit but no jewelry that matches? Maybe a matching jewelry gift will be the perfect present.
Notice that she wears a lot of one stone or one color in particular, but doesn’t have any in the other colors she likes? Maybe a little variety will help liven up her jewelry collection.
How To Choose Women’s Jewelry For Different Ages
Here are some tips that will help you dial in the kind of jewelry that women are looking for at different ages, and is designed to be helpful whether you’re buying for your wife, girlfriend, mother, daughter, niece, or even just close friends or your siblings.
Jewelry can really be worn at any time, and be included in almost any kind of relationship, so don’t limit the women you’re thinking about as you go through this article. Who knows, maybe you’ll come up with new gifting ideas for some of the people close to you.
Pre-Teens And Teenagers
Pre-teens and teenagers are generally just starting to get interested in jewelry and wanting to build a collection of their own, or to experiment with how jewelry can change their outfits and appearance.
Many kids wear earrings and other kinds of jewelry earlier in life, especially if they got their ears pierced early, but they don’t necessarily have as much interest in it. By teen and pre-teen years, girls are starting to develop their own style and identity, and jewelry can be a way for them to express themselves and really show off their personalities.
At this age, most girls don’t want super expensive or fancy jewelry so much as they want specific looks. They want the aesthetic, and they tend to like bigger, bolder, more noticeable jewelry, but not necessarily expensive jewelry.
Pre-teens and teenagers also generally benefit from slightly more durable jewelry and jewelry that’s harder to lose or that is less likely to fall off as part of day to day life. They’re still learning how to wear and protect their jewelry, so you should plan on their jewelry going through more than a more mature woman’s jewelry would.
Silver may be a better choice than gold at this age, just because silver is more durable.
Jewelry For College Age And Women In Their 20’s
Young adults and college age women are starting to be more mature in their jewelry choices. They might still want bolder styles and jewelry that’s a little more fun than formal, but they are also starting to look for jewelry that might look good in an interview, at the office, or on a date.
The goal here is to balance their youth and energy with growing professionalism and ambitions, which means jewelry that’s still customized to them and their aesthetics, but a bit nicer, a bit more formal. Durability is less of a concern by this age.
Jewelry sets are a great choice at this age because they can give a more put together look, regardless of the kind of jewelry being worn.
Chunkier jewelry, hoops, and other larger or more unique shapes and designs are a great option for women at this age.
My Pendulum Necklace & Earring Sets, Hoop Curves, and Coils earrings are all good examples of the kind of jewelry you might want to get for a young adult. Nicer, but still unique and a little out of the norm.
Jewelry For Her 30’s And 40’s
Women in this phase of life are typically solidly advanced in their careers, entering and maturing in motherhood, looking for their next steps and what they can really do as they grow and mature, or a combination.
You do need to think a little bit more about the lifestyle of the woman in question by this age. A woman who loved dangling earrings in her 20’s and early 30’s might not appreciate the same kind of jewelry while she’s raising a toddler with grabby hands.
But women who primarily work in the office, or who work as events planners or in the hospitality sector, might still prefer flashier, larger jewelry like dangling earrings and necklaces with large, beautiful pendants and center stones.
Choosing The Perfect Jewelry In Her 50’s And 60’s
Women in their 50’s and 60’s are generally at the point where their jewelry collections are already relatively complete, so they’re looking for the remarkable, the jewelry that really shows off their personalities or speaks to something important to them.
Necklaces, earrings, bracelets, brooches, and even hair pins can all be good gifts at this age, the most important thing is that the jewelry you choose really say something about the wearer.
Dial into her taste, and consider choosing birthstone jewelry or jewelry in her favorite stone, or stones, when you’re buying for women this age. Remember, she’s looking for something more unique and remarkable, which means that handmade artisan jewelry is a great choice!
Enjoying The Perfect Jewels In Her 70’s And Beyond
Women in their 70’s and older often have the same priorities in mind as women in their 50s and 60s, but they may also need larger jewelry and jewelry that’s easier to put on and take off, especially if they don’t have someone helping them with the jewelry.
Think about jewelry that’s easier to wear, like french hook earrings or hook earrings with a lever closure, larger clasps, or even magnetic closures to find the best options for the women in your life.
Again though, she’s going to be most drawn to, and most appreciate, the jewelry that she can wear that’s easy to wear and says something about who she is and what she values. That might mean that elastic jewelry, or hidden meanings jewelry like my morse code bracelets and morse code necklaces, are a good option.
Why You Should Choose Personalized Artisan Jewelry When You Can
Women at any age, including the youngest pre teens and the oldest seniors, appreciate when the people around them see the unique things that make them special and make them stand out from everyone else.
We’re all unique, but in today’s world of fast fashion and busy schedules it can often seem like a difficult challenge to find something genuinely unique or different to add to your wardrobe.
Jewelry is one of the biggest and best exceptions to that rule.
Handmade and customized jewelry is more unique than almost anything else you can add to your wardrobe, and also gives the men and women who wear it more opportunities to show off their best traits and personal passions.
Don’t give in to the temptation to buy the same jewelry everyone else already has, or in the styles you’ve already bought year after year for the special women in your life.
Buy unique jewelry, or commission custom jewelry, to really bring some life and spirit back into the jewelry collection you’re adding to. Trust me, the women in your life will appreciate it.
