Ruth Bader Ginsburg served as a United States Supreme Court Justice from 1933 until her recent death. She was the second women to serve. Ginsburg was a small woman in stature. Her statement collar necklace became famous. It served in many ways as a tie for the men in the court. A necklace collar is one that surrounds and lays on the collarbone like a collar. It can be of cloth or metal and have stones or jewels on it. In a recent Brother to Brother episode (Drew and Jonathan Scott Show on HGTV), the judge wore a collared necklace of metal, bones, and a pendant. It was a statement piece. The necklace drew the attention to her face. A word of caution, the statement collars adds to one’s image. It is not the only image.

Statement necklaces are coming back into style. In virtual meetings, the statement necklace draws the eye to the face and gives a brand statement. A statement necklace is a necklace that represents the person wearing it. It is a piece of jewelry that has versatility. It can be worn time and again with many different shirts and tops. A statement necklace can be made of gold or silver metal or semi-precious stones or gems. It never looks cheap and it has a way of catching the eye. A statement necklace is elegant and timeless.

I love jewelry, real or costume pieces. The pieces must accent the total look. The necklace, earrings, or bracelets are best when they complement each other. Today, we are seeing more and more of a mix including multiple, different items worn together.

The owner of Ikram, a well-known and famous store in Chicago, is always wearing multiple rings. Sometimes all eight fingers are bejeweled! It is her brand, multiple bracelets but no earrings. Whatever is chosen to wear, we want to love and have fun with jewelry.

Recently, when working with a client in refreshing her wardrobe, we realized that the jewelry that worked a few years ago needed to be replaced with more statement pieces for a couple of reasons. She was recently promoted to a senior vice president role and the office went to a more casual environment.

So now, for her, professional casual is more fitting. She also travels internationally. In upgrading necklaces and earrings choosing the right proportion of each is critical. Increasing the size of the stones by one half and wearing a more intense color will add the impact needed to create the elegant, smart, professional casual look.

In recent years, the classy way to wear rings meant that less is more. One or two on each hand was the norm. A few years ago, a Chicago fashion setter was featured in many articles wearing three to four rings of varying sizes on each hand.

When shopping at a high-end store, I noticed the sales person waiting on me wore two rings (designer with the initials DY) on each finger, plus she had a ring on her middle toe. Because she was in the fashion industry selling jewelry, this was acceptable. In everyday business settings my recommendation is to use jewelry as an accent, not as a main focus.

I do believe a wonderful statement necklace on a woman projects the same presence as a man wearing tie. A necklace, like a tie, draws attention to the face. It frames the face and adds diversity in color and shape.

For the necklace to have the same effect as a man’s tie, it must lay close to the collar bone. It needs boldness with color, the stones or the metal. A long necklace can have the same effect if it contains more than three strands.

Often, clients will tell me that they cannot mix gold with silver…that earrings, necklace and bracelets need to be in the same metal. I ask them to think about mixing metals in a smart way. For example, gold earrings can be worn with a silver necklace. To help make the transition, wear a necklace that has gold in it or wear the same metal color for the accessories (necklace and earrings). Mix it up with bracelets and rings. I wear my dad’s yellow gold jade ring with a gold bracelet. My watch is gold and silver. My earrings and necklace are white gold. And it all looks great together!

Using a guest volunteer in a recent presentation, I wanted to demonstrate what worked well in her professional attire. I had commented how she was able to wear a necklace and earrings that complemented each other but did not match because wearing matching earrings and necklaces has gone by the wayside. Now, it is smarter to wear complementary pieces.

Have said that, there are exceptions, one being gem and natural stone pieces. Also, when wearing matching pieces, the earrings must be smaller.

For women:

• Jewelry, such as necklaces and earrings, that appear too big or too small.

• Purses that are too small for a larger women or too large for a petite women.

For men:

• Ties that are too wide or too skinny.

• Skinny pants that belong on slender men worn by men with ample builds.

• Tee shirts that show bellies.

There are some proportion mistakes folks make because they want to make a fashion statement. If that’s the case, just be sure your audience understands that.