Not all jewelry comes in pairs, so an important skill to master in your pursuit of the perfect jewelry collection is the art of creating a set from separate pieces. In an ideal world we will all get to the stores as soon as a collection launches and be able to purchase all the wanted pieces in that set and achieve the perfect jewelry collection.
In reality, we sometimes either make it to the store after the fact or a designer does not enough of a supply to meet the demand and we are unable to purchase all the wanted pieces for a collection. Instead of giving up in despair, we must learn to create a unified set from separate collections.
There are three characteristics of a collection that indicate that they are a set and if you can find pieces that meet all three criteria, you have created your own personal collection.
Look for similar stone color
The colors of all the jewelry in a season are chosen months in advance as a part of the overall design process of the industry. The hot color of the season will be evident in everything from fashion to home décor, so the odds of you finding a piece in a similar color are fairly likely. You have just achieved mastering the first characteristic of a collection: matching the stone color.
Look for similar scale
Once you have found pieces that have the same stone color, the next step is to choose stones that have similar scale. In a collection the size and scale of the stone in each piece will be similar, so when looking for separate pieces to create your own collection, it is important to find stones of similar size and shape.
Look for similar settings
The final characteristic to look for is that the separate pieces have similar settings. Look for settings in the same metal tone. All sets in a collection will be set in the same way, so if your choices are not then it will be obvious that the pieces are not from the same collection.
If you miss the launch of a collection, it no longer means that you miss out on the opportunity to wear a certain collection, because now you have all the tools necessary to create your own personalized collection. So, go forth and build a three piece set that is uniquely yours.