Great Jewelry for Prom and Pageants

Are you trying to decide on just the right prom jewelry or pageant jewelry? If so, I have some ideas for you. If you’re like most girls, you’ll spend weeks – maybe even months – searching for just the right prom dress or pageant gown. You’ll probably talk to your friends to make sure they’re not wearing a similar gown. You’re likely to narrow down your search, but even then, you might end up trying on lots of different formal dresses. Then you’ll endure a quest for the perfect shoes to go with your gown. You’ll probably make a trip to the spa for a manicure and pedicure, and you might have your makeup done by a professional makeup artist. Chances are that you’ll think a lot about how to wear your hair, too, and perhaps you’ll sit for an hour or two in a salon having your hair done. You might even spend time getting tanned. If you're competing in beauty pageants, you've probably been practicing your modeling, and if you're preparing for prom, maybe you've learned some new dance moves. With all these preparations going into your prom or pageant look, it can be easy to overlook some items. Yes, that includes prom jewelry and pageant jewelry.

If you’re planning on getting all decked out for a beauty pageant, don’t forget the little details that can really accentuate your look. I’m talking jewelry, ladies! You’ll need some appropriate bling to really make you sparkle and shine while you’re on stage, but you have to be careful not to overdo it. As a certified pageant judge, I’ve seen young ladies wear jewelry that overpowered their dresses. That’s not what you want. Your jewelry should accent your gown – not compete with it. Think more along the lines of small stud earrings, simple dangling earrings, small gold or silver hoop earrings, chokers, thin chain necklaces, or necklaces with a very small charm or pendant.

You don’t have to spend the proverbial arm and leg on jewelry to wear with your pageant attire. Tasteful costume pieces are fine. Just think classy and feminine. Don’t wear large clunky or gaudy articles of jewelry. Keep it simple! Less is often more in these venues. You want the judges to be looking at your face, your attire, and your personality. If you’re wearing jewelry that’s too eye-catching, the judges are bound to place much of their attention there.

When you’re choosing jewelry for prom, you have only yourself to please. You won’t have to worry about what the judges like, so you have more leeway. Still, you want to be comfortable, so you might want to avoid wearing really heavy pieces of jewelry. You’ll also want the pieces to compliment your dress. Large, unusual jewelry could take the focus off your gown, your face, and your beautiful hair style.

When choosing jewelry, use some common sense. If you’re wearing silver shoes, wear silver jewelry. If you’re wearing a silver barrette in your updo, don’t wear a gold necklace. You might want to choose pieces that are silver or gold with an accent color that matches your dress. For example, if your dress is black, a silver necklace with a few small black stones would be appropriate.

Most formal jewelry is made of or set in silver or gold. And, by the way, I’m talking color here, not the precious metals. Of course, if you can afford to wear real gold jewelry, that’s great. if you can’t, you can find some good costume jewelry that will serve your purpose well.

So…should you wear gold or silver? Most experts agree that silver jewelry looks better with cool skin tones and that gold jewelry looks better with warm skin tones. Do you know which type of skin you have? If you haven’t been “colorized,” there’s a pretty easy way to find out. Which colors and shades look best on you? If browns, rusts, oranges, and shades of cream look best on you, you probably have warm undertones. If, on the other hand, cool blues and greens flatter you the most, you most likely have skin with cool undertones.

Knowing your undertones can help you pick out the right prom or pageant dress, too. in fact, the information can be useful when buying all your clothing. The right color can make a huge difference! Take me, for example. I have cool undertones, and when I wear orange or peach, I look like I have jaundice. Seriously! Whenever I wear turquoise or bright green, however, I always get compliments.

Also, silver jewelry looks much better on me than gold jewelry does. Gold sort of makes my skin look yellowish, like I’ve been ill or have used a bad self-tanning lotion. When I wear silver jewelry, it makes my skin look healthier, and if I have a suntan, the silver really shows it off.

Don’t purchase necklaces or chokers until you’ve purchased your prom or pageant dress. The neckline of the gown should be a deciding factor in what type of jewelry you wear around your neck. If you’re wearing a deep plunging V-neck dress, for example, you don’t want to wear a necklace that hangs along the same lines – it won’t be noticed. In such a case, the bottom of the necklace should hang about halfway between your neck and the deepest point of the dress neckline.

If you’re wearing a dress with a high neckline, you want your necklace to hang below it. If you’re wearing a dress with a scoop neckline, a necklace with a round pendant is a good choice. The pendant should hang midway between the neck and the lowest point of the neckline. Many pageant girls choose to wear chokers with halter dresses and strapless pageant dresses, which, in my opinion, can be a tasteful choice. Actually, halter dresses don’t always need a necklace, nor do dresses that leave just one shoulder bare.

Where to find cheap jewelry? Leave no stone unturned! Raid your mom’s jewelry box, and ask your grandmother, too. Vintage jewelry is extremely trendy now, and you might find just the right pieces that you can use for free. Check out thrift stores in your search. No one has to know that stunning necklace cost just five bucks. If you’re on a tight budget and have to buy jewelry, be sure to compare prices, especially online. You can find cheap prom and pageant dresses, cheap formal shoes, and inexpensive prom and pageant jewelry with just a few clicks. Check out the articles below to find inexpensive prom items. As for great jewelry for proms and pageants, take a look at these: