Ten Unique Ways to Wear Your Jewelry

For when you need some extra uniqueness in an accessory. For when the pieces from your jewelry box, however fabulous they might be, need a new twist.

1. Layer a few simple chains around your neck for an instant multi-strand necklace. Mixed metals are very stylish, as are multiple layers. And you don't actually need a scoop neck for them; this can be effective and elegant inside the collar of an open-necked shirt.

2. Wear two charm bracelets with similar themes or color schemes on the same wrist. You get twice the noise, twice the movement and twice the glitter! My mother wears a gold charm bracelet I made for her all the time, but during high school football season, she adds one on the same kind of chain that has football buttons and my brother's school colors.

3. A favorite pendant can be strung onto bracelet-length instead of necklace-length chain. Double-sided pendants work especially well for this. If the bail is large enough, you can even slide the pendant over a simple beaded bracelet.

4. Have a necklace with an interesting clasp? Turn the clasp in front for a fresh look. This works best with longer necklaces, so that toggles lie flat and hooks aren't strained.

5. Cluster necklaces are especially trendy these days, but sometimes they all seem to feature the same bird, pearl and inspiring phrase charms. Create a unique one by adding several of your own pendants to a single chain, and let the personality of the new necklace change as they shift around each other.

6. Cuff bracelets and heavy bangles are all over the runway, but they're difficult to fit over large hands and unflattering to arms that taper significantly toward the wrist. Consider a memory bracelet instead; they're easy to fasten, since they just wrap around your wrist, and conform to the taper of your arm, while looking very much like the bold fashion bracelets from designer collections.

7. Fasten two bracelets together to make a stylish new anklet. Close the first bracelet. Then fasten the clasp of a second bracelet around the strand of the first. Bring the second bracelet around your ankle. Reopen the hook of the first bracelet to catch the ends of both, and voila!

8. Similarly, you can use a simple bracelet as an extender to make a choker into a longer necklace, and suddenly your occasions to wear it are limitless.

9. If you're fortunate enough to own a pocketwatch, don't let it sit in your jewelry box! String it on a chain and wear it as a necklace, or if you have the fob chain, wear it in the lapel pocket of a suit jacket for timeless (no pun intended) glamour.

10. Mix up your styles and types of jewelry. Put an heirloom locket or gemstone pendant on a more casual leather cord (just make sure it's fastened securely!). Wear a classic pearl bracelet with a chunky, colorful plastic one. Layering your jewelry will give you an effortless chic look and a sense of brand-newness without having to shop for a single piece.