Loving Now: Vibrant Jewels

For the accessories-challenged dresser, vibrant jewels are an easy way to spiff up a basic ensemble. Unfortunately, good yet affordable ones are hard to find. My main problems with costume jewelry are cheap metals that rust and oxidize (I was told to store metal jewelry in individual ziploc bags), and jewels that fall out of their settings.

The foundation for this work outfit is a little girls’ white tee, and plain trousers.
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Tee: Old Navy Girls Tee sz L   
Cardigan: Gap XS (old)  Pants: Limited (taken in)
Bag: LV Speedy 25 Heels: Banana Republic (old)
Turquoise Montauk Necklace & Westhampton Earrings courtesy of Amrita Singh

I’m sure many of you are familiar with Amrita Singh jewelry. Her “Hamptons” collection is exactly what I was looking for, full chunky pieces that come in at least 6 or 7 vibrant colors. The pieces are 18k gold-plated brass with “jewels” made of lightweight resin stones.

You can see more colorful Amrita Singh pieces on fellow bloggers: coral necklace on Cee, black necklace and ring on Jen, emerald necklace and ring on Vicky, coral bracelet on Sydney, turquoise necklace on April, and more.amrita5
Coral rings from left to right: YSL Arty, Topshop, F21

One thing to note is Amrita Singh earrings come in either post or clip-on backings, depending on the style. I really liked this style earring and thought I could make the clips work, but they were not comfortable on my pierced ears. I’m going to buy some post backings and try to DIY-convert these.

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The color of these pieces are so vibrant. I can’t wait to pick up some “emerald” items next. Retail prices are more that what I would typically pay for costume jewelry, but you can get 20% off w/ extrapetite or wait for the items to go to sample sale sites like Hautelook (invite link).
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Pirate eye patch – aargh!
Readers – Do you own any Amrita Singh pieces? If so, please share the style name and your thoughts.
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46 Comments

  1. Seo Pakistan wrote:

    awasome

    Posted 12.20.11 Reply
  2. Bee wrote:

    I am totally in love with everything in this outfit! I love the necklace and earrings combo and all your cocktail rings! I've got super small hands and find oversize rings tend to drown my fingers… There's also the problem of them being too big for my fingers. How and where did you find ones to fit so well? Oh, I saw Jen's Boston trip from her blog. Looks like you had a wonderful time! I love the States! Oh, I wanted to ask you (if you don't think I'm ptrying) as I've always been curious…what ethnicity are you? I've always thought you were Chinese but I'm not 100% sure.

    Posted 4.23.11 Reply
  3. AubreyOhDang! wrote:

    Ahoy matey! A pretty lass like yourself be sendin all the shipmates a-wild!!!

    Posted 4.22.11 Reply
  4. Midori wrote:

    i have a ring (smoky topaz sunburst http://www.flickr.com/photos/evilmidori/3009204635/) that i got off of gilt 2-3 years ago. it's a bit big (6) but i still love it!

    Posted 4.20.11 Reply
  5. Stefanie wrote:

    I love how your pants fit! What do you mean by "taken" in ? I'm a noob petite whose never is an alteration virgin! =X

    Do you have a post that shows the right fit for pants? thank you so much!!

    Posted 4.19.11 Reply
  6. ceeceeronee wrote:

    This is so classy and your jewelry make the perfect bold combination, love it!

    Posted 4.19.11 Reply
  7. Chris wrote:

    Gorgeous! I saw these on Hautelook and now I regret passing on them!

    http://granola2glam.blogspot.com/p/about.html

    Posted 4.19.11 Reply
  8. grace wrote:

    you look so so chic! I especially love your Limited modified pants 😛 And then the turquoise is the * perfect * little bit of color to dress up your outfit. So beautiful, as usual Jean 🙂

    it's dangerous browsing your blog since everything you wear looks great, I want too! 😛

    Posted 4.18.11 Reply
  9. PetiteAsianGirl wrote:

    Thank you thank you lovely ladies for your comments! I love seeing these pieces around the blogosphere and am glad to hear there are other A.S. lovers out there.

    @Anonymous Hi there! Thank you, and you're right in that I live in a tiny apartment with almost no closet space. And what little space I have, I share with the bf's ginormous shirts! My #1 tip is to purge non-favorite items from your closet a few times a year. I do this and end up with bags for donations, blog sales, ebay, etc. It also helps to be more selective wiith what you buy. Second tip – I love "slim" hangers, first pioneered by that Huggable Hanger lady. You can find them at Bed Bath and Beyond or Costco or probably even Walmart. And the Limited pants were a random old find at a TJ-Maxx ish store!

    @1MadScientist Ooh no! I know which necklace you're talking about. I sure hope they can help bend them back in place!

    @Annapurna Ah, I have not! I've actually never even been. My boyfriend (art history minor) enjoys going there : )

    @Elissa THe powder pink was so pretty! I was waiting for these items to arrive before ordering on Hautelook, now regretting that I didn't get the pink or orange pieces.

    @Girl Hearts Makeup Hi there – I haven't come across LV bags in monogram canvas that turned yellow yet. I beat mine up and use it so much, and it still looks fine. The only issue is leather scuffing at the bottom corners, but I think the ivory color will stay fine.

    Posted 4.18.11 Reply
  10. April wrote:

    I wish I purchased that Amrita Singh set when it was on Haute Look! I love your outfit! Your jewelry really stands out! Thanks for the mention on your blog post. That was so sweet of you! 🙂

    Posted 4.17.11 Reply
  11. 1MadScientist wrote:

    I have a gorgeous gold flower necklace from Amrita Singh. My mom actually bought it from Rue la la but said the flowers too big for her! So I took it…lol.

    But this story has a sad ending – I took it off one night and put it in my purse and the gold edges of the flowers got bent. I am hoping to take it to a jewelry store to see if they can restore it.

    Posted 4.17.11 Reply
  12. Jackie wrote:

    I love this outfit. You look gorgeous!! =3

    Posted 4.17.11 Reply
  13. Anonymous wrote:

    Hi Jean,

    I love reading your blog, it is so informative especially how you piece things together.

    As I understand you stay in a big city and assume you have a small apartment – Can you do a post on how you manage to keep your closet organized?

    Also which limited pants are those? they look gorgeous!

    Posted 4.17.11 Reply
  14. Short Sister Style wrote:

    Those colors really compliment your coat. Lovely look!

    http://shortsisterstyle.blogspot.com

    Posted 4.17.11 Reply
  15. Annapurna wrote:

    Lovely Jean! I like the mustard sweater jacket with the turquoise and coral as well.

    Have you ever tried the MFA gift shop for jewelry? i love the colorful stuff they have there…unique and some of it by local artists. Many piece are actually very reasonable.

    Posted 4.17.11 Reply
  16. Elissa wrote:

    My Hautelook order should be here soon – I ordered the same Hampton necklace in light pink with the matching clip earrings. Hopefully the clip style earrings won't annoy me too much. I also have the Nello necklace in turquoise and always get compliments!

    Posted 4.17.11 Reply
  17. Callandra wrote:

    I love bold jewelry and these pieces are very pretty. I especially like how you paired them with coral and mustard yellow….such a lovely combination!

    Posted 4.17.11 Reply
  18. Girl Hearts Makeup wrote:

    You look beautiful as usual!

    Just wondering, do you find that your LV bag will turn yellow over time? I bought one similar to yours, just a different size, and I'm worried about it changing color. 🙁

    Posted 4.17.11 Reply
  19. Tara wrote:

    This is so pretty…turquoise is my favorite color every 🙂

    Posted 4.17.11 Reply
  20. Susanne wrote:

    Love the turquoise jewelery!
    I'm searching for some statement turquoise for this summer.
    BTW: great outfit!

    Posted 4.17.11 Reply
  21. Elle wrote:

    The pictures are so gorgeous! I wasn't aware that AS earrings were clip on! I'll have to check them out because I don't have pierced ears so that's why I glance over most of their jewelry, now that I know I'll sure order a pair to try too!

    Posted 4.17.11 Reply
  22. Yuni wrote:

    Turquoise is my absolute fave. It never goes out of style! I love Amrita Singh jewelry. I see her stuff on Gilt all the time.

    Posted 4.17.11 Reply
  23. PetiteLittleGirl wrote:

    Beatiful pieces, Jean. I love the turquoise color on you. I first heard about AS from Jen and I felt in love. I ordered my bracelet and earrings from Hautelook month ago. I wear my bracelet to pieces. The earrings I've got also are clip-on. I prefer post earrings. Please do a DIY post when you converted them. I would love to convert mine too. Have a great night!

    Posted 4.16.11 Reply
  24. xoladiihoneyxo wrote:

    love the outfit for work! No, I never heard of them but sounds familiar so I probably saw it on hautelook also.

    Posted 4.16.11 Reply
  25. Elaine A (TOBeautyReviews) wrote:

    Beautiful pictures Jean! The jewellery is gorgeous I really love the turquoise with the coral you paired it with.

    And those pants! I have a pair of limited pants that I recently got hemmed. I think I need to get them taken in a bit as well but they look amazing on you!

    Oh and LOL before I read YOUR comment I was admiring the picture and my husband said "nice pirate patch" I didn't even notice 😛 and then your comment made it even funnier 😉

    Posted 4.16.11 Reply
  26. Vicky wrote:

    Yay, Jean! You finally got what you've been looking for! I love love love Amrita Singh pieces. I finally received the two coral pieces I ordered from Hautelook yesterday and have been wearing them since. I love the designs even better than the emerald pieces I got.
    Those pants look fantastic on you! You should wear them more often. Can't help but laugh at the pirate patch. I think it trumps my "metal sticking out of my head" pictures.

    Posted 4.16.11 Reply
  27. Cee wrote:

    Ahh! You found your turquoise jewelry! Was it from another recent sample sale? I love the second picture of you bling-ing out in all statement pieces.

    Posted 4.16.11 Reply
  28. Petiteélégant wrote:

    I love the rings. Gonna try to find them in my size.

    Posted 4.16.11 Reply
  29. Rinny wrote:

    The trousers look great on you 🙂 And your pictures are beautiful – I love how vibrant and clear the colors are.

    Posted 4.16.11 Reply
  30. Ping wrote:

    jean — you look so pretty 😉
    i love these photos and this simple outfit dressed up with colorful jewels. so classy and elegant!

    Posted 4.16.11 Reply
  31. LittleAsianGirl BigAppetite wrote:

    haha love the pirate eye patch

    Posted 4.16.11 Reply
  32. R.L. wrote:

    Love how you dressed up this simple outfit with turquoise jewelry! Plain tees like these are the staple of my everyday wardrobe so I've been trying to pick up more jewelry pieces like you. I bought the Amrita Singh Shelter Island Ring in Pink Powder during Hautelook's last sale. Sigh, but Hautelook always takes forever to ship to me so I've yet to receive it. But I have high hopes for it because it's an adjustable ring.

    http://www.amritasingh.com/Products/Rings/Shelter-Island-Ring

    Too bad Hautelook's free shipping sale ends Sunday. I noticed they're having a Maharaja by Amrita Singh on Tuesday and NYX on Wednesday.

    Posted 4.16.11 Reply
  33. Banhannas wrote:

    I definitely had to recheck HauteLook to see if my order has shipped yet! Those pieces are quite lovely, the jewels are bright and have a wonderful vintage element to them. Not a fan of the clip-ons, eager to see how you change them up! The pants are soooo gorgeous on you! I'm not a fan of two coral rings but I do like them each on its own with that gorgeous leaf ring.

    Posted 4.16.11 Reply
  34. Erica wrote:

    Lovely! And like a previous poster said, those pants are very nice. I for one would not wear a large matching earrings/necklace combo, though. I think it looks TOO coordinated and old-fashioned. Go with one or the other.

    Posted 4.16.11 Reply
  35. The Little Dust Princess wrote:

    Every time I see her pieces on those sites, I fall in love. They are GORGEOUS, but I haven't purchased anything from her yet. I love the necklace you have! Especially over the plain white tee! <3 If I wore matchy earrings & a necklace like that, it'd be overdoing it, but you pull it off nicely. : )

    Posted 4.16.11 Reply
  36. Justine wrote:

    I love that you went to the ON girls section for a tee.

    I am admiring Amrita Singh's pieces but I don't own any.

    Posted 4.16.11 Reply
  37. herwaisechoice wrote:

    You look great Jean! I love Amrita Singh pieces and have worked with them before too so I'm a big supporter! The prices are so reasonable when they are on Hautelook or other flash sale sites and I've recommended their jewelry to essentially every girlfriend I have.

    Thanks for the link to my blog btw! 🙂

    Hope you're having a great weekend!
    Jen

    Posted 4.16.11 Reply
  38. kileen wrote:

    i just ordered (way too much) Amrita Singh jewelry off Hautelook and can't wait until they come in!! i love how you styled her pieces and love the bold colors!

    Posted 4.16.11 Reply
  39. PetiteAsianGirl wrote:

    @Cher
    Great tip! I didn't realize that. usually when I see bangles online I pass them right by because they tend to be too big for small wrists.

    @Anonymous Haha, I understand your woes…after I get pants dry cleaned, I will keep them folded along the crease and hang them over a hanger that way. I love a crisp crease, and for some reason I just can't iron my own pants that way either.

    Posted 4.16.11 Reply
  40. Really Petite wrote:

    I should be getting my coral necklace on Monday so pretty excited!

    You look beautiful Jean..do u ever have a bad day? 🙂

    Posted 4.16.11 Reply
  41. John B. Marine wrote:

    I know the focus of this blog post is on the jewelry, but those pants are lovely on you! Lovely sandals as well. All the turquoise jewelry as well as the coral jewelry on your fingers. Just beautiful!

    johnbmarine.blogspot.com

    Posted 4.16.11 Reply
  42. Anonymous wrote:

    I love this outfit! If you don't mind me asking, how do you keep your pants looking so straight and crisp? I can't ever iron my pants to look like that

    Posted 4.16.11 Reply
  43. ShortBlonde wrote:

    I'm always afraid to wear vibrant costume jewelry because I always feel like it will be too overwhelming for my tiny frame. However, you totally made it work!

    Posted 4.16.11 Reply
  44. Sunshine wrote:

    wow, beautiful & vibrant colors! i love turquoise but i already own too many turquoise pieces so i'm debating about picking up that necklace in coral. thanks for the review. oh and those pants look gorgeous on you! very sleek indeed 🙂

    Posted 4.16.11 Reply
  45. Cher wrote:

    I love Amrita Singh. Her bangles also come in sizes. Size 6 is actually perfect for very small wrists. I purchased a set in size 7 once from Gilt hoping they would fit, but they were still too big so I had to sell them. The website also has great sales every so often, so it's worth the wait.

    Posted 4.16.11 Reply
  46. Deinha Rocha wrote:

    I love the colors!!!

    !Xoxo!
    http://www.sofashionist.blogspot.com

    Posted 4.16.11 Reply

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