Photos courtesy of AnchorBoutique.com

Laurel’s 4Cs - Jewelry Edition

Cut

Color

Cloth

Comfort

Have You Met Laurel Baker?

Photos courtesy of @AnchorB

When I was looking for women to interview in St. Augustine, the name “Laurel Baker” kept coming up. People reported that she had great clothing style, but it was her jewelry taste that her admirers really celebrated.

Now that I’ve met her, I sign off on both accounts.

Laurel is the owner of Anchor Boutique, a St. Augustine, Florida jewelry shop specializing in one-of-a-kind engagement rings and jewelry. 

“After receiving a Fine Arts Degree from the University of Florida, Laurel studied stone cutting, metalsmithing, and worked with her Dad in his jewelry shop to perfect her skills.”

This is the first time I’ve spoken with a jewelry expert. Seeking Inspirato features have brought up their jewelry choices in the past, but Laurel is a true artist who understands the ABCs (accents, bezels, and claw settings) of the craft.  

We met up right next to her shop at a little café called Sunday to enjoy coffee, a nice little breakfast outside, and jewelry shop talk.

It’s Hard to Go Wrong

“It’s a personal preference, but you can’t go wrong with jewelry.”

Laurel’s got a few strong points in that simple sentence. 

For one, she’s right about the “personal preference” element pertaining to jewelry, and she should know. 

She works with couples across the country to tell their story in a single piece of jewelry (namely an engagement ring). 

She understands the powerful storytelling behind jewelry; if the piece is taken care of, the story can travel from generation to generation. 

Yes, she’s a jeweler but really she’s a story preservationist, a sentiment caretaker. 

That’s why, in her words, you can’t go wrong with jewelry because you can’t go wrong with your own story and your own preference. 

Personally, I have pieces that remind me of people I love (sometimes sad stories), and remind me of places (happy stories). That’s the thing about jewelry — it holds powerful talisman-like feelings. 

But what Laurel is also saying is that it’s hard to go wrong with jewelry. Classic pieces like a basic gold hoop, a simple necklace, or a timeless watch are durable pieces we adorn our bodies with through the decades and through the trends.

Cotton dresses may tire, the leather may eventually break down, but jewelry, if properly cared for, will be the enduring heirloom through which your great-grandchildren access you. 

But What is My Preference?

Even though Laurel’s convinced you can’t go wrong with jewelry, not everyone is. 

Customers regularly come to Laurel asking permission, just as they do with clothing, on what jewelry they can wear.

“Can I wear this”

“Can I wear gold and silver together?”

“Do I wear it long or short?”

They’re saying: What is my taste? What do I like?

Now of course, jewelry can be expensive and if I saw someone as approachable and kind as Laurel running the storefront, I may ask for advice and reassurance too!

But with anything, my recommendation (as is Laurel’s) is to trust your gut. Jewelry carries a power, a magic. And no matter what age you are, you can rock any piece that speaks to you.

That’s why you can invest in jewelry, because you can have it for a lifetime.

Below are a few different kinds of jewelry, from sentimental to the classic. Maybe you’ll get some ideas on what your preferences are.

Sentimental Jewelry

Jewelry that marks special events, travel or trips, moments in life, people who passed the pieces down –– sentimental jewelry is special because it means something to you.

Classic and Timeless Jewelry

As with clothing basics, it’s hard to go wrong with the jewelry basics. You can wear these pieces over and over again and have them for the rest of your life.

Each comes in various metals (gold, silver, rose, etc.), sizes (from a J. Lo hoop to a country club hoop), lengths, and quality (pure gold, gold filled, etc.). 

Each of those different options are where you begin to distill your preference. Maybe you like long necklaces, maybe short? Maybe mixing lengths? 

These are pieces you can wear daily, with anything. That’s the beauty of jewelry, you can wear it over and over again, and it will still be considered “chic.” 

Metal Quality

When it comes to timeless pieces, Laurel and I both recommend going for the highest quality metal you can afford because otherwise, you’ll find the metal peeling off after a few wears. 

This isn’t to say a Target necklace isn’t fun too, but don’t count on it lasting years.

SILVER

When purchasing silver, look out for the .925 stamp. This stamp means that 92.5% of the piece is sterling silver. The other 7.5% is a combination of alloy metals. If it has a .925 stamp, then it likely passes the test of being true silver.

GOLD

Above, see the Victorian era (1837 - 1901) jewelry. From left to right, the pieces are 1) pure gold, 2) gold filled, and 3) gold plated. Of course, the real gold has stood up the best over the years, while you can see the fading and wear  on the gold-filled and gold-plated pieces.

Gold has many more variations to it. The kind of gold you buy will impact the quality of the piece. See the following options, from the most expensive and highest quality to the least.

1. Solid Gold  - This is when the entirety of the piece of jewelry is made of gold and can come in different karats — 10K, 14K, 18K, or 24K. The karats signify the percentage of actual gold in the jewelry, therefore a 10k has less gold in it than a 24k, and the 24k is more valuable. The karats should be listed in the piece when you purchase it.

2. Gold-Filled - This is when you have a large, precious metal base (sterling silver) where gold is bonded on top (accounting for ~5% or so of the total item’s weight). The gold will eventually rub off, after a lot of use.

3. Vermeil (considered gold-plated) - Similar to gold-filled because the base layer is sterling silver, but the gold bonded on top is much thinner and will rub off at a much faster rate than gold-filled jewelry. 

4. Gold-Plated - Just like Vermeil (thin layer of gold), but the base layer is a cheaper metal like brass or copper.

Metal & Skintone

These days, when it comes to mixing metals, anything goes. Silver and rose gold? Ok by me. Silver and gold? Why not?

There is conventional knowledge, though, that if you have a certain skin tone, you should opt for gold or silver. 

If you have a warmer skin tone, then gold will look great on you. Cool skin tone? Silver. If you have a neutral skin tone, then you can go for either. 

The way to find out is 1) do you opt for gold or silver jewelry more (price aside)? Which looks better on your skin? 

Are you veins in your wrist green or blue? Green will indicate a warmer tone, while blue will mean cool. Can’t tell? Then you’re likely a neutral and can wear either one.

Jewelry Suggestions

These are not rules. I promise. They are simple little reminders I live by when I’m getting ready to put on my jewelry in the A.M. or P.M. 

Neck and Jewelry Cut Lines

Let’s talk about how jewelry lengths and sizes work with blouse Cuts to complement your face. The jewelry surrounding your face is the most important because your face is your #1 asset, and the #1 thing people will be looking at. We want to make sure we set it up for success. 

Larger Chested Women

Go for neckline Cuts that crop closer to your neck because they’ll elongate the top half of your figure. When you have a large chest, a high neckline or necklace creates the illusion that that’s where your chest begins, when in reality, it’s a bit lower (unless you have an insane push up bra!).

Smaller Chested Women

Having a smaller chest is definitely advantageous when it comes to jewelry. For example, you can gracefully rock a deep v and a long necklace (without having to fish out the necklace every half hour)!

Height

Consider the proportion of your body to the piece you’re looking to wear. A super long necklace on a petite figure may overwhelm your shape. If you’re petite, this doesn’t mean you can’t wear larger jewelry or long necklaces, it just means that you’ll want to evaluate if you’re wearing the piece, or if the piece is wearing you. That piece of advice goes for all heights/chest sizes.

Some Examples

Specifically for larger chested women.

Necklace & Jewelry Combinations

What about the arm candy? 

Since bracelets, rings, watches, and bangles aren’t framing the face, you can go wild with them - the stakes are lower. Personally, I love rings and wear many statement rings together, often.

I also like to practice the rule of “odd number pairings,” meaning I’ll always have an odd number of rings on each finger (I have a 3 stack on one finger, while the rest have one), and I’ll throw on three bangles on one wrist and one on the other. I think it creates a more artistic look than a perfectly symmetrical look.

Finding the Balance: Accessories Meet Their Canvas

Laurel is constantly exploring the jewelry world for new inspiration and ideas, and as of late, has been doing the same with clothing. After all, we can’t just wear an 18K ring. We’ve got to consider the entire picture that we present to the world.

Laurel’s been considering her career and where her business is going, and how clothing choices evolve alongside the two. 

She’s going full-on professional (no pant suits here, we’re still in Florida), but she is searching for that balance.

“There is still room to throw in the fun things. I can still wear my Free People tops, but I have to find balance.”

Laurel is talking about owning and tinkering with the way she wants to show up … it’s a work in progress that she’s not taking too seriously, but she’s certainly noticing.

“I’m learning the tricks of how I want to feel, the power I want to feel, and the vibe I want to give off. I think that’ll lead me towards what I want to wear.”

Did you hear that? Laurel’s asking herself compelling questions. It may seem trivial, but this is where Clothing Confidence begins. It begins with you asking you how you want to feel. 

Laurel has this great balance of understanding the power of clothing, but also removing some of the pressure so that she allows herself the freedom to explore.

“There’s nothing wrong with wearing the “wrong” thing. You’re not going to hurt anyone. And then you realize that you like and what you don’t like. Maybe just make some mistakes. It’ll take off the pressure.”

I also completely resonated with her thoughts on time and how we go through seasons of confidence, skepticism, and how clothing can be a barometer to how we’re doing:

“You’re not always going to feel confident. Maybe you’ll have a span of 5-8 years where you feel rocking, or you have a year or a few months where you don’t feel so hot about yourself. The one thing you can control and can give you power is what you put on your body, how you take care of it, and how you present yourself. That can help your internal power and help you feel more confident and excited to do things. If you’re excited about someone seeing your outfit today, that’s power.”

What Laurel is saying is don’t minimize the way you’re showing up, because it holds a lot of weight.

When you care for yourself, your psyche notices. People notice. People respect you, and you’ll respect yourself.

Sometimes we have to start with how we want to feel if we’re in a season of not feeling so hot.

Thank You

A big thank you to Laurel for participating in the Seeking Inspirato series. Be sure to follow her on Instagram, @AnchorB