I have always admired costume jewelry but rarely purchase it. I honestly don’t have a great “eye” for finding fabulous costume items, and the pieces I’ve liked in the past have all been fairly expensive (Chanel, Oscar de la Renta, etc) to the point where I would rather skip a few and buy a “fine” jewelry item. It’s a shame because there are certain statement necklaces which I love and could never afford to buy the “real” version of, and I would really like to have more versatile accessories.
So when I saw my friend Frances with a gorgeous necklace from J.Crew, I decided to take the plunge. The price wasn’t too scary and when it arrived I found that I loved it. Thank you Frances for the inspiration!
Helmut Lang jacket (more sizes here)
James Perse tee
J.Crew necklace
One thing that I’ve noticed with these larger necklaces though – they weigh on my neck! It’s not painful but I definitely feel their presence. I know that there are many ladies who wear necklaces much larger and heavier than this one regularly, so perhaps I just have a weaker (ahem..wimpier) neck. What have been your experiences with larger, heavier necklaces?
32 Comments
Tabitha
December 3, 2012 at 6:47 amI’ve had my eye on that it’s beauty, but I wonder if I’d wear it? Like the Swan shoes – I’m not allowing myself to buy anything that will lie for 12 months in my cupboard.
alice
December 3, 2012 at 6:57 amI recently got this same necklace as well! I love it but it definitely leaves marks around my neck, especially if I’m wearing a crossbody bag with the strap pushing against it. I take it off immediately when I am home!
Anonymous
December 3, 2012 at 7:46 amI purchased a necklace from Ghana made from pure brass. The necklace was a former door knocker. It is so heavy. I only wore it once.
Lindsay
December 3, 2012 at 8:28 amHooray! I love statement necklaces! As much as they weigh, I’d rather have it on my neck than my ears! I wish I could say I have a solution, but I don’t. I know wearing higher necks definitely helps if they have abrasive backsides.
JoanneP
December 3, 2012 at 9:11 amI feel the same. Plus I have petite frame so I usually stay away from big necklace. They add character to the outfit though.
adele
December 3, 2012 at 9:25 amSuch a beautiful statement piece.
Happy Monday Hun xoxo
http://www.intotheblonde.com/
alison*elle
December 3, 2012 at 9:52 amThat necklace is super pretty, Katherine! I’ve had a similar experience with some heavy statement necklaces… I think we just supposed to suck it up for fashion 😛
xo, alison*elle
Kathy
December 3, 2012 at 10:13 amI’m the same when it comes to pretty costume jewelry. I admire it, but I can’t get myself to buy it and showcase it. Yours is beautiful and looks great on you! Love how you paired it with a simple outfit so it stands out subtly. So far, I only buy ones that light and simple, being afraid that if I buy something more of a statement, it would sit in my jewelry box for 99% of the time. One of my girl friends just bought a J. Crew statement necklace not too long ago, and it looks great too. So far, I’ve only bought headbands and hair ties accessories from J. Crew. I’ll be giving their necklaces a try next time I stop in.
Mangobluete
December 3, 2012 at 10:13 amReally great outfit!! I love necklaces by J.Crew 🙂
DSK Steph
December 3, 2012 at 10:53 amGreat outfit!! Your hair is also looking super good! 😉
NewPetite
December 3, 2012 at 11:04 amIm not much of a necklace person but I love them on others and this is one gorgeous piece!
Beautygirl24
December 3, 2012 at 11:16 amI love statement necklaces! I think J Crew makes the best ones. They look more expensive then they are, and the materials used are very well done.
Anna
December 3, 2012 at 11:52 amI feel the exact same way about costume jewellery and statement necklaces. Often the cheap ones look very cheap, the more expensive ones… I`d rather buy a nice piece of fine jewellery instead. But I think the J. Crew prices tend to be rather reasonable.
This necklace is beautiful! And the outfit is perfect too!
Oh, and to answer your question: my neck is not the strongest either, I feel them too!
Katherine
December 3, 2012 at 2:16 pmGreat to hear there are other weak necked gals out there 🙂
Anouka
December 3, 2012 at 12:40 pmThe necklace looks fabulous! Great outfit too – chic and stylish as always!
LUXESSED
Alexa
December 3, 2012 at 1:15 pmI am considering such a statement necklace for a while, for plain tees and black sweaters. How do you like the quality of the metal plating? Will color change over time?
thanks! btw, love your blogs. If you have time, please check mine too 🙂
Katherine
December 3, 2012 at 2:15 pmHi Alexa – I haven’t had my necklace for long enough but I’ll let you know. Heading over to your blog now!
Christine Brightside
December 3, 2012 at 2:40 pmFeel the same, that’s why I haven’t bought any statement necklace yet. Even with very thin and light necklaces, I do not feel comfortable – I just feel their presence around my neck all the time… Just don’t like that during ghe whole day (I hate turtle necks as well), so I never wear necklaces during work days or for a whole day… Only to occasions or for an evening…
Call me M
December 3, 2012 at 3:54 pmWhat an amazing statement necklace! it looks great on you!
Mai
December 3, 2012 at 10:23 pmj. crew has some awesome jewelry. as much as i love costume necklaces…they can definitely be heavy & sometimes feel so “in the way”!
cvandoorn
December 3, 2012 at 11:19 pmI have a few heavier necklaces and I find that if I wear them all day, I end up getting a headache. After a while they feel like an anchor around my neck.
Eva
December 4, 2012 at 12:33 amLove your new necklace! And you’re right about costume jewelry. The designer ones are very pricey and I could never justify spending 1k on fake stones, I’d rather save some more and get the real thing.
pop champagne
December 4, 2012 at 6:02 amthe statement necklace looks awesome! I love the colors, you paired it really well in here too!
Annabelle
December 4, 2012 at 7:00 amI’m with you on the costume/fine jewelry thing — there’s a point of price past which I start feeling like I should be buying jewelry with real stones instead of a “name,” but some of the high end costume jewelry is so cool! Hard to know where to draw the line.
It’s earring weight that usually gets to me rather than necklaces, but I don’t have too many really big necklaces.
Mrs C
December 4, 2012 at 7:16 amJ Crew has been pretty great with the accessories lately.. this one is absolutely fabulous, great for spicing up simple outfit. Love that HL jacket on you, perfection!
Hugs and kisses from :
MRS JACK OF ALL TRADES
http://mrsjackofalltradesdaily.blogspot.com/2012/12/up-in-air.html
wei
December 4, 2012 at 1:59 pmHi Katherine~ Love that piece on you! I really love Jcrew jewelery and I have bought many pieces from them. They can get a bit heavy, I used to have to take it off at lunch, then put it back on afterward….don’t worry, your neck will get used to it!
Cheers~
wei
Katherine
December 4, 2012 at 6:49 pmLOL thank you! It’ll be a workout for my neck 🙂
miss sophie
December 4, 2012 at 2:31 pmlove a great costume necklace. i’m looking forward to bringing out mine for the holiday parties this month! yours looks great and i love the colorful stones 🙂
Latkesanddimsum
December 4, 2012 at 3:02 pmIt looks amazing on you! J Crew is one of my go-to places for well-priced statement necklaces.
pink horrorshow
December 5, 2012 at 11:59 amYay! I’m glad you got it, it looks gorgeous!
Paris in Four Months
December 9, 2012 at 1:17 amHi Kat!
Ah, it was such a long time ago since I popped in here, I’ve been super busy with my move back (!) to Paris. But finally I have a little bit of time over and of course I had to check what you were up to!
You look lovely as always 🙂 I love seeing your outfits (and accessories) and your interviews are so entertaining as well. I hope you’re doing well!
All my best,
Carin
Katherine
December 9, 2012 at 4:36 pmHi Carin my friend, so nice to hear from you and hooray for being back in Paris! I’ll have to let you know next time we are there and we can have a drink and some dessert 🙂