Transform U: Bejeweled in Individuality

By Auretha Callison

Reflect your essence with jewelry choices.
by Auretha Callison
Jewelry is the part of dressing ourselves that reflects our essence most. It is also the area where people spend the most money, invest the most emotional energy and go the most wrong. I suppose it goes back to kings and queens and crowns and rings. We define ourselves by bling. He who has the most gold wins. Now we know, of course, that diamonds and gold are precious resources that can have a much higher human toll, so we recycle the rings of our grandparents and try to remake jewelry that suits us from bits and parts of others. Jewelry cannibalism—it works very well for me.

Jewelry is the last part of my process with my clients. We’ve cleared and created and gotten rid of those darn clunky shoes. Now the clients trust me. It’s time to clear the jewelry chest. I warn them. I say, “This is going to get emotional. This is going to release a lot of energy. You’re going to need to rest after this.” They say, “Yeah, yeah. Whatever, weirdo stylist lady. You’ve made me look good so far; let’s get on with it. Enough with the woo-woo…”

Then we open Pandora’s box. The box of personal history: ex-husbands, old boyfriends, mothers and grandmothers, children and well-meaning best friends. There is so much crap in there you would not believe! Everyone is in there except (barely) the person I am working with!

So we sort it all out together, piece by piece, and we make decisions based on emotion and whether each piece makes them feel good or not. We consider the metal, the weight, and the way a piece makes the client feel. For old pieces that are “keepers,” I often suggest a cleansing to remove the old energies. (Some people will bury them in sea salt. You can leave them in direct sunlight for a few days. Prayer is the cleansing tool of choice for others.) The more I do this work, the more I believe that the kingpin to all of life is, ”Does this make me feel good?”

After all the clearing, people usually have two types of jewelry: too big and too small, too delicate and too heavy. Many folks are out of touch with their bodies and have no idea how they relate to the size of their jewelry and where it should land on their bodies. Maybe a person will have a connection to a certain stone, but maybe it would be better left on their sink than worn on their neck.

Most of the jewelry people don’t wear has some critical flaw in comfort or practical design. Jewelry is best when the wearer can forget it’s there. It must become a part of us, seamlessly flowing through our day and returning home with us at night.

I tell all my female clients that what they wear just below their clavicle is critical to what they say about themselves to the outside world. The color, the stone, the art, the size and the shape— all these elements need to be just right to perfectly reflect one’s essence. Three nice necklaces that are exactly right might be plenty.

Earrings are a different story: You just need more. They need to be the right length, weight and color to be seen through the hair. I like my clients to develop a keen eye for what is fabulous, not just okay. There are so many amazing jewelry artists now; we have an amazing range of choices, so we don’t have to settle. (My favorite local artisan jewelry spot is Fawn, a boutique near Over the Counter Café on 33rd South and 23rd East.)

Rings are really powerful and I love to see men wearing them, even pinky rings. If they are not too big and scary, they can be extremely classy. I like that in a man.

Women can have a sense of play and fun in their jewelry collections as well as the staid and sensible pearls. The little girl in all of us wants some big shiny things for dress-up. (I love to buy the cheap colorful rings at Got Beauty, just for fun.)

Remember that your jewelry is a wardrobe, too, so clear it out and restock it with things that speak only of you!

Auretha Callison an image and essence consultant in Salt Lake City. Visit her at www.IntuitionStyling.com.

This article was originally published on August 1, 2008.