When I originally thought about this question, I thought, Of course not! You can never have enough diamonds/jewels/chains, but I think I’ve changed my mind. Oops. I’ve seen a lot of people attempt layering all sorts of jewelry—necklaces, bracelets, rings, whatever it is—but the ones that stands out to me most often as the stacks I love are actually *gasp* less. 

I know! Crazy.

When I say less, I don’t mean the physical number of pieces someone is wearing, but the size of the pieces. If the perfect stack were to exist this is what it would consist of, in my humble opinion... 

On the neck stacking can be an intricate balancing act. You want to make sure it screams I’m FUN, but isn’t too much to the point of being over done. My recipe for the perfect neck consists of one, yes key is ONE, chain. Choose a thin one, chunky one, whatever chain you’re loving today. But the key is choosing ONE. Overdoing it with the linked chains is a sure fire way of going overboard the second you add another necklace to your stack. 

The next necklace I reach for is another subtle statement, a choker but with a twist. I have been loving chokers with letters that dangle off them. My personal favorite is my “basic” necklace that literally spells out basic—I know it, so I’m gonna own it.

Then we need some length in our stack. Personally, I don’t love anything over 16” in my stack, and that is because if any necklace is over that length usually the stack can become too much again. This third necklace choice is also crucial for a few reasons: length, shape, and metal. I know I threw metal in there... but don’t worry I’ll explain! The shape of this particular necklace needs to play off of the two you have already chosen, for example I regularly reach for my dainty circle pendant engraved with an “S.” Or when I’m feeling fun, I’ll throw on my, also dainty, pendant with six tiny stones. But, the most critical aspect of this necklace choice, in my opinion, is the metal. Are you going to stay with yellow gold? (Like I usually do) Or is today the day you start rocking mixed metals? The third necklace leads your stack in two different directions—and guess what, you get to pick where it’s going. ;)

Now, you can stop there, if you want, but not going to lie, I may be basic, but I’m also a little extra. That being said, I generally go for a fourth necklace. The fourth necklace is the smallest, daintiest piece you have, and it should fall right under the choker, but above the chain. This necklace is particularly special to me because it is one super sentimental piece that I own that I wear on the daily—my Tiffany’s Atlas Collection. 

That’s my recipe for the perfect necklace stack, but one of the beauties of jewelry is that we all love different things! I know I said this is the perfect stack... cause in my opinion it is! But if you rock four chains on the daily, more power to you, and I’m sure you pull it off. My favorite part about jewelry is that it is so personal, and we can all wear whatever we love and make it a statement. 

As for the ring stack, this is a much less complex game. I do not wear more than 3 rings on the daily, but that’s because I am much more so a necklace gal. But, that being said, I think I know a good ring game when I see one. My personal favorite ring stacks include eternity bands. Whether your band is true diamonds, CZ’s, or whatever stone you can find, they make a huge impact on your look. Along with an eternity band, a plain and simple whisper thin band of any metal will add contrast to the rocks you have going on. 

The one other ring I will mention is a statement piece. For myself, I LOVE anything Anthropology. I think they do an amazing job of keeping up with trends and trailblazing them before anyone else. They’re also not made with real stones, or metals, which means they are affordable! Jewelry obviously is not cheap. It is not like clothing where you can buy a $20 top from Zara and you will trick people into thinking it’s some luxury shiz. No ma’am. Jewelry is tricky, so when we can find an affordable alternative, such as Anthropology’s jewels, we can get excited. 

If you made it this far, and I still have your attention, I wanna make it clear that jewelry stacks are personal. The key to any successful stack is really just loving what you choose. These “recipes” are only what I find to be perfect for myself, but I mean they’d look amazing on everyone and we should all wear them (duh). But really, choose what you love, and wear the fooook out of it. Oh, and send us a pic to be featured in the magazine! ;)

XO’s