Choosing Age Appropriate Jewellery For Gifts Or Yourself

The Old Conundrum - Selecting Jewellery That's Appropriate For Your Age

Women love jewellery at any time of life. But how do you choose jewellery to enhance your style and feel great for your age? 

Find your age group, or a loved one's, in the relevant age section below for jewellery tips to make styling easy. 

Or are you stuck wondering what jewellery to buy as a gift?

Check out this fun and informative guide for tips on selecting age-appropriate jewellery for young girls and teenagers, through to mature women. Then rest assured, your gift will be on point.

• Inexpensive, braided friendship bracelets are perfect to wear and share

• A sparkly charm on a chain can carry so much meaning at this age. The first pieces of jewellery will be remembered for a long, long time.

• If in doubt about the colour, choose pink

•  Buy hypoallergenic pieces wherever possible. Avoid nickel-alloys

• This is the perfect age to start her off creatively with a jewellery kit-set she can make up herself

• Wear anklets anywhere, anytime

• Cheap and cheerful is good - wear all the trends and work out what you like, and what suits you. 

• Choose gold-plated jewellery and save cash

• Discover what metals your skin and ears will tolerate. Any new piercings should be hypoallergenic, silver or gold. Steer clear of nickel alloys

• Wear bold and playful earrings - wear the rainbow, feathers, stars, lightning bolts and tassels

• Add symbolic charms or a birthstone to a chain bracelet. Add an identity-style tag that says who you are

• Cutesy animals, hearts and floral-inspired charms work with your youthful glow

• Buy inexpensive jewellery that won’t devastate if mislaid - go for Swarovski crystals and cubic zirconias for sparkle, rather than expensive gemstones

• Mix colourful bead chokers and collars

• Be unconventional. Wear a brooch or necklace in your hair, necklaces on your wrists and ankles

• Find out your sizes. Measure yourself for ordering jewellery online - fingers, wrists and ankles

• Challenge traditions, experiment with retro, grunge, boho and vintage styles

• Love festivals? Wear well-made bib-style necklaces, extra-long pendants and stacked bracelets that will stand dance party rigours

• Buy pre-layered pieces you can throw on at a moments notice and look fab

• Curate your ears with mismatched earrings. Layer a stud, a chandelier earring, a hoop and/or a cuff together. Make sure there is a common element to the pieces, be it the material, a stone, a colour

• Reflect your worth and invest in an artisan-made diamond or moissanite ring to treasure for years to come. They’re super useful to mix with other pieces and instantly lift an outfit 

• Choose gold-filled jewellery that will last longer than gold-plated. Earrings such as the Helios Quartz Crystal Earrings with hypoallergenic gold-filled hooks can usually be worn for long periods and minimise irritation to sensitive ears.

• Wear anklets in your leisure time, i.e. at the beach, not the office

• You now have engagements requiring more formal attire. But still, be playful - wear pearls, jet, or long gemstone strands in creative ways.

• Wear gemstones to suit your spirituality, to balance energy or as a tool to manifest your dreams

• Learn to carefully clean your jewellery and safely store it to prolong it's condition

• Choose widely available, inexpensive materials such as howlite. This human-made material uses reconstituted stone fragments dyed to order.

• Wear pre-loved jewellery and swap among friends

• Style vintage jewellery with bold t-shirts and jeans

• Wear the body jewellery while you can!

Image credit: vogue.mx

• Keep a piece of jewellery in your handbag for style emergencies. A talisman necklace, a charm bracelet or a gift from a loved one can boost your confidence at a public speaking event

• Layer statement necklaces to add intrigue and show your personality

• Save time and money by planning your outfits and accessories for the week ahead

• Side-step the sale isles. Save instead and invest in quality accessories you'll wear for years. Think Argentium and Sterling Silver, and 14 kt gold-filled pieces. To stay current, you may want to add a few inexpensive, trendy pieces each season, then splurge on pieces you can wear for a decade

• Wear basics that fit you like a glove. Accessorise confidently with the correctly lengthened jewellery. Move clasps to adjust necklaces to the required length or have extension chains added. Many sterling silver or gold rings can also be re-sized by a professional jeweller

• Select the right undergarments - nothing ruins a look like VPL's or a bra that does not support you properly. Or go without if you dare. Well-placed jewellery can also shift attention from one area to another

• Dress to the occasion. You wouldn't wear jeans to a cocktail event. If an occasion requires, wear pearls or jet, but wear them your way and consider whom you are about to see there. It's so much worse to underdress. For a spectacular event, it's hard to overdress 

• Don't wear your boldest statement piece with a loud floral jacket or sun-dress. If the dress is simple, add a statement. If the dress speaks volumes then wear a simple pendant, choker or statement earrings instead

• Wear lipstick! A pop of colour goes a long way and can help tie in a bright piece of jewellery you long to wear

• Wear statement necklaces. 

• Coordinate necklaces with the neckline of what you are wearing. 

• Select pieces that you can wear different ways - like a strand, twice around, as a choker or a bracelet

• Choose earrings that suit your face shape and necklaces that flatter your figure

• Accessorise with one great piece. A conversation starter or something that adds WOW when you need to look stylish and lead. Wear a vintage piece or something vibrant you bought on holiday when you were feeling relaxed and happy

• This is a time of life when unwanted stress can come home to roost. The process of preparing your day needs to be calm and relaxed. Plan outfits for the week ahead, for stress-free mornings

• Commission a special piece of artisan jewellery that carries meaning for you

• Invest in quality pieces with ethically sourced gemstones such as amazonite

• Insure your jewellery

Image credit: stylecrone.com

• Wear brooches unconventionally, to fasten a cardigan or on a handbag - not on a lapel or shoulder 

• Avoid trends but update tired jewellery, or have pieces re-set or upcycled 

• When you don a pearl necklace, layer with a sparkly strand of beads or metal chain of the same length to lift your look

• Keep earrings lightweight. 

• Add wide, flatbacks to stud earrings to help support your lobes.

• Wear larger studs if you want to cover a piecing that has stretched over time

• Wear long necklaces rather than chokers, drawing attention away from an ageing neck and jaw-line

• Chunky cocktail rings can hide lumpy finger joints

• Consider having rings that no longer fit resized by a professional jeweller

• No doubt you have oodles of jewels collected over the years, some un-worn, some unloved. Take a page out of Marie Kondo's book and pass on anything that no longer brings you joy. Have the things you love but don't wear often re-styled to suit today's needs. Get clip-on’s converted to hooks or vice-versa. Have pearls restrung or gift to someone special

• Natural neutrals such as carved bone and stone, facetted gemstones and coral are beautiful pieces with history. Wear them to reflect your story

• Put your entire outfit on BEFORE you look in a full-length mirror, in natural light where possible. Put on your specs, THEN adjust before you leave the house

And remember - your smile is your best accessory at any age. 

So, now you have the know-how, you can go to and select jewellery for yourself or others, with confidence. 

Here at Bird of Prey Jewellery, you can find the age-appropriate style you need in the style sections below. 

Take a peek...