Haute on the Ranch: [Basic] Rules to [Statement] Jewels

Statement. Jewelry. Where do we even begin? Now, we won’t go so far to say that your jewelry selection can “break” a fabulous outfit, but it can definitely send that fine foundation straight to the top when accessorized appropriately. So, with that being said, here are some [basic] insights into how we approach building our own statement jewelry collection and styling S7s looks each day.

For starters, once we’ve completed a look on the clothing side, we like to pick out our “statements” and use “fill” accessories as needed until it feels complete. Depending on the neckline of the top, our statement selection might be a bold necklace or an earring. If we have a pretty basic neckline, we’ll go with a necklace that has a bit more flair. If we’ve got a statement neckline like a deep v-neck or a mock-neck with a cutout, often-times our statement pieces will be an earring, and we may or may not include a necklace at all. Here are some reference styles.

The Breastplate Necklace is one we have LOVED this season. In this look, we use it to really add an “edge” to the classic, romantic style of The Hoxie shawl and The Lansing top. The neckline and color of The Lansing are perfect for a statement piece like The Breastplate Necklace because it really allows for the shape and colors in The Breastplate Necklace to be showcased, while the turquoise and cognac leather in the necklace complement and pull together the warm rust hues of The Hoxie to perfection!

The Lansing top, The Hoxie shawl

Here are a couple of other ways we’ve styled The Breastplate Necklace this season that make this statement piece a worthwhile investment.

The Bowman top

The Canton romper/dress

Another great statement we’ve loved this season is The Gridley Necklace (and nearly all of it’s J. Forks statement sisters). Since it’s a longer necklace with chunkier turquoise stones and a prominent leather pendant, it works really well on the solid, suede backdrop of The Lyndon dress -- and who doesn’t love the pairing of retro mustard and turquoise?

The Lyndon dress, The Kanorado jacket

Much like The Breastplate Necklace, The Gridley Necklace is the perfect length and weight to style solo or with company -- again, making it a very versatile piece to own and style for years to come.

The Cascade top, The Crowley clutch

The Tuttle top, The Crowley clutch, The Frontier vest

As for statement turquoise earrings, we truly can’t say enough about the collection of Elegant Ranch that we have in this season. For this fall photo shoot look, we LOVED how The Layla Earrings (on the site tomorrow) added just the right touch of western class and romance to this edgier, boho-inspired look. This is an example of where we just felt that adding too much in the way of a statement necklace would take away from the gorgeous floral pattern and off-the-shoulder neckline of The Oskaloosa top. Hence, we opted for these timeless two-tone turquoise beauties.

The Oskaloosa top, The Shawnee vest

As with the necklaces, our collection of Elegant Ranch earrings can be styled as solo or used to complement other statement pieces.

The Blaine top, The Mankato earrings

The Del Rio dress, The Tallahassee Boot Rugs, The Mankato earrings

The bolo tie and the choker… Talk about retro [statement] styles making their way back -- these two accessories definitely fall into the comeback category, and we LOVE them! As you can see in the looks below, these can often fall in the “daintier” line of statement pieces, so we really like how they can add just a enough pop and polish to a more casual look without taking it over the top.

The Lennox tunic, The Kersey sweater

The bolo tie, especially, can be the perfect piece to help give a more casual look a bit of edge and polish where you want something with length, but don’t want too much in the way of a pendant or weight. Its retro feel is what makes it the statement, and we love the simplicity in that!

The Buxton top, The Palomino bolo necklace

The Lanely sweater, The Palomino bolo necklace

The choker on the other hand is perfect for adding just that right touch of sass and sexy. We love how Rodeo Vogue styled The Concho Choker Wrap Necklace with The Lennox top. This choker takes a more casual, relaxed top and gives it just the touch of sexiness needed to take it from a day to night look.

The Lennox tunic, The Concho Choker Wrap necklace

And speaking of conchos, nothing says statement quite like the concho earring! There are so many styles to choose from this fall that we didn’t really even know where to start on this one. Here’s a look from our fall photo shoot where we layered some more neutral, light-weight necklaces that wouldn’t take away from The Tatanka top with some chunkier statement concho earrings.

The Tatanka top, The Doc Bar belt, The Poco Bueno shawl

With concho earrings, there’s definitely a style for everyone -- from color, shape and size. If you're looking for the perfect pair, you're sure to find just what you want in our collection of accessories!

All in all, around here, statement accessories are very personal. One thing we live and die by is that if we don’t love it, we don’t buy it. Quality [statement] jewelry, especially in western fashion, can often be an investment, of sorts. Handcrafted turquoise, sterling silver, and genuine leather, come at price -- that’s totally worth it, if you really love it. As we build and add to our own jewelry collection, we always like to think of those pricier, statement pieces, in those terms. If we love it, it’s worth the investment because we’ll find ways to wear and style it more often, and [more than] get our money’s worth out of it. Not to mention that the perfect statement accessories really can give that killer outfit just the edge it needs to go from haute to haute[est].

Happy statement shopping, and Merry Christmas! Keep an eye out for our next blog on Dec. 26 on mixing and matching your jewelry metals and textures.

~ Sammie & Ryley

Note: To catch the last Pony Express in time for Christmas, make sure you order by Dec. 16!