How to Style a Jewelry Stack

Published on: September 6, 2022

Fashion editor: Ali Pew

Neck mess, wrist party, earscape—the terms we use for a jewelry stack seem to suggest that the shiny, compliment-collecting arrangement is serendipitous, as if the artful arrangement just…happened. More often than not, though, there is strategy involved. Like a chic game of Tetris, it’s about combining the right pieces, in clever configurations, so you can earn the most points. (Style points, that is.)

The Neck

With above-the-neckline real estate, strategic layering is the name of the game: Choose pieces that balance one another out—you want to consider length, yes, but also dimension and weight. Start with choker-length links, clip on a glittering ball necklace for a dose of glamour, and finish with an intricate coin pendant or a lucky charm.

The Wrist

There are two ways to go about this: You can keep things sleek and minimal, the way Gwyneth did when she styled herself for the last G. Label Core Collection shoot (she slipped a single gold bangle onto each wrist, which reminded us of Wonder Woman’s cuffs, but chicer). Or you can take a maximalist approach, layering the same bangle with a classic leather-strapped watch and paper clip links.

The Ears

An enviable ear stack is easy to achieve whether you have a constellation of piercings or just a single hole in each lobe.

Start with the Reid Three-Hoop Earrings (they give the look of multiple earrings with a single post). Then, if you fall into the not-afraid-of-needles camp, layer up the cartilage: The pieces—sparkly huggies, a single diamond bar—should get daintier the higher you go. If, however, your lobes are your only real piercings, you can get a similarly edgy look with a well-placed ear cuff, which approximates a conch piercing without the commitment.