The Statement Necklace

It's big and sometimes loud, but is the statement necklace here to stay? Or will it eventually be faux pas? I initially dismissed the trend when it first emerged, as I typically prefer small and dainty but quality pieces. After all, costume jewelry can be tricky. Big pieces of glass and crystal can cry out tacky if not styled correctly. But when even my sister (who's not the accessorizing type) confided she wanted a statement necklace for her birthday, I decided to pay attention.

With gift-shopping-list in hand, my first stop was Banana Republic.

It looked lovely online, but in person this necklace was more of a breastplate. Petite girls, beware.

My next stop was Anthropologie. I love the offbeat feel of this store, and some of their jewelry is lovely, like the one below. But like BR, their necklaces were beyond making a statement. Jewelry should be an accent, not an article of clothing (though I guess the director of Titanic would disagree).

I finally ended up going to JCrew. I hadn't planned on going there, but of recent seasons it's been maturing from a preppy college student to a reliable source of sweet yet fashionable clothing. After trying on a number of necklaces I found this:

JCrew Crystal thornbush necklace

I was attracted to the funky asymmetry, the elegant choice of colors for the crystal and it didn't stray away from the idea of a necklace. JCrew scores, and so does my sister!