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Wedding Jewellery Buyer's Guide

Is your wedding day coming up? If that’s a yes, chances are you’ve been thinking about your bridal look and what jewellery you’re going to pair with your dress. Well luckily for you, the experts here at H.Samuel have put together this handy wedding jewellery buyer’s guide to provide you with everything you need to know.

Jump straight to the elevate your bridal look section to find out how to dress your jewellery for the big day. If you’re wanting to find out more about necklaces for your wedding day check out the choosing a bridal necklace section.

Want to find out more about earrings or bracelets? Then the ideal wedding earrings and shopping bridal bracelets parts are for you. And, if you’re finally ready to go ahead and purchase, let your wedding jewellery journey begin.

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Elevate your bridal look
Choosing a bridal necklace
The ideal wedding earrings
Shopping bridal bracelets
Let your wedding jewellery begin

Elevate your bridal look

How to dress your jewellery

When choosing which jewellery to wear on your wedding day, we have some top tips you should follow. From how simple you’d like your jewellery to be, to how to match the colours to your dress - we have everything you need to know.

Firstly, you don’t want anything that’s too over the top that will take the attention away from your dress. Sleek and simple is key, and always remember, less is more.

Secondly, it’s important to match your jewellery to the colour and style of your dress. We go into colour in a little more detail further in the guide, however, we recommend platinum or silver with a white dress and gold with an ivory dress.

When it comes to finding a necklace you must take into consideration the neckline of the dress as you may not even need one! But again, you can find more information on this further down

Lastly, it’s important to go with something you love that’s your style. There’s no point following the ‘rules’ and ending up with something you don’t like. You want everything to be perfect and feel great on your special day.

Wedding Jewellery Earings

Give the perfect jewellery gift

Exchanging gifts on your special day is a common tradition between the bride and groom. Grooms, if you’re looking at gifting your wife-to-be a piece of jewellery it’s important to know what they like. Have a conversation with her beforehand so you know what styles, metals and colours she likes and what she’s planning on wearing - you don’t want to get her something that doesn’t match.

You might have got away with discreetly finding out her ring size for the engagement, but this time you need to know what size to get even if it’s a bracelet or necklace. You’ll need to know whether she likes a bracelet loosely fitted or slightly tighter, and when it comes to a necklace, you don’t want it to be so long that it hides in her clothes.

If you don’t want to have the conversation to avoid spoiling any surprises, you can always ask her close friends and family, as it’s likely they will know everything she likes.

Choosing a bridal necklace

Your wedding necklace should ideally match as closely as possible to your chosen earrings, but an exact match isn’t completely necessary unless you want it to be.

Colour-wise, white dresses look great with crisp silver, platinum or white gold jewellery and ivory works stunningly with yellow gold.

Metal types used for necklaces

There are a range of different metal types used for necklaces but the most popular are silver, yellow gold and white gold.

Silver is a beautiful white metal that’s a great option due to it being long-lasting. Silver is a lot softer than some other metals though so you must give it the proper care to prevent it from tarnishing.

Gold jewellery is a mix of gold and other metals, and it’s those metals used in the alloy that determine the colour – yellow, white, rose etc. Yellow gold is the alloy of pure gold, silver and copper or zinc, and white gold is the alloy of pure gold and white metals, such as nickel, silver and palladium. White gold is plated with rhodium to give it a whiter look.

If you’re looking for something different, freshwater pearls make a great alternative to metal-based necklaces. Pair these with some pearl earrings for a supremely elegant finish to your wedding gown.

Necklace chain types

The 3 main chain types we’d recommend for your wedding day are cable, curb and rope.

Cable Chain Necklace

Cable Chains

Cable chains are a common classic that includes oval or rounded links. These links connect horizontally and vertically and offer a stunning look.

Curb Chains Round Halo Pendant

Curb Chains

Curb chains are flat linked chains that ooze delicacy making it the perfect option for your wedding day. These are one of the most popular chain types.

Rope Chain Pearl Heart Pendant

Rope Chains

Rope chains consist of several small links intertwined with each other to look like a rope. A fine chain is the perfect option for finishing your overall look as they boast a simplistic yet beautiful finish.

Necklace style: choosing the right length to suit your dress

Getting the right length is a key factor when choosing your wedding necklace as it needs to compliment your dress perfectly. As a guide, short necklaces tend to be anywhere between 16-20” and longer chains are over 22”.

We would recommend taking neck measurements for very short chains (below 16”) so that the fit is comfortable, and the necklace falls correctly.

If your wedding gown has a plunging neckline, you can accessorise with a longer necklace or pendant as the extra room between your neck and the top of your dress will allow for a lengthier chain. If the gown has a higher cut, a collarette is an ideal choice as it’ll hug your neckline beautifully.

The ideal wedding earrings

If your dress is very traditional (and by traditional, we mean white) silver and platinum earrings work beautifully well with the crisp white gown. While a white gown is seen as traditional, offsetting this with sterling silver, white gold or platinum earrings lends an air of modernity.

For ivory gowns, the same can apply but the creamier colour of the dress allows gold to work very well here. Coloured gowns are becoming increasingly popular among brides and their bolder nature means that silver, white gold and platinum earrings are a safe bet.

Diamond Pear Halo Stud Earrings

Get the best out of stud earrings

Stud earrings don’t have to be boring, and with so many different styles to choose from, there is a pair to suit your taste and the look you’re going after on your wedding day.

Stud earrings are perfect for a classic and elegant look. Understated and timeless, they don’t take over your overall look and can complement your wedding dress beautifully. Studs also complement long hair, so if you’re planning on wearing your hair down on the big day, then these are the perfect option for you.

Diamond Drop Earrings

Make the most out of your drop earrings

Drop earrings offer a classy look that can truly take your breath away. Hanging down from your ear towards your shoulder, they complement an up-do perfectly, so if you were planning on wearing your hair up then these are the ones for you.

Drop earrings are sleek and have gorgeous detailing that will contribute beautifully to your overall look on the big day. When it comes to the stone type you can choose diamond and pearl, plus many more to suit your taste.

Try something a little different

If studs or drop earrings aren’t your thing then there’s still plenty of options to choose from. Here at H.Samuel we have beautiful hoop earrings that will add a little sparkle to your wedding day. Hoops give the perfect balance if you want something a little more than a stud, but a little less than a drop earring.

For your wedding day, you’ll still want something extra special with an elegant look, so hoops are great for achieving this.

When choosing hoops you should consider the size you go for. To keep it sophisticated and classy, make sure you go for a hoop that doesn’t extend more than a couple of inches past your earlobes.

Shopping bridal bracelets

There are many options to choose from when deciding on what to wear on your wrist. From link bracelets, to pearl bracelets, tennis bracelets and more, it’s time to browse the range of styles H.Samuel have to offer for your wedding day.

Choosing the right bracelet style

Tennis bracelets contain small diamonds that are connected by a thin metal chain and are a popular option due to their classic yet sleek look which is certain to complement your wedding dress.

Bangles are a rigid bracelet that looks effortless when choosing a beautiful metal for your wedding day. They are simple and elegant, perfect for an understated look.

Link bracelets are made up of a series of links of various styles and sizes. They’re a popular option due to their contemporary appearance and offer a unique style to suit your taste.

Another option for your wedding day is a pearl bracelet. If choosing a pearl style then we’d recommend going with matching earrings and necklace too. Pearl bracelets offer a truly feminine and timeless style and will add a beautiful statement on the day.

Wedding Bracelets

Chain types and what to choose

At H.Samuel, we have a wide range of bracelets with different chain types. Below we’ve outlined a couple of our favourites.

First up is fancy chains - these can be any form of fine metal that can be replicated and joined onto each other to make a chain. Their versatility makes them a great choice for your wedding day as there’s a variety of options available. Whether it’s delicacy you want, or something slightly chunkier, browse our fancy chains today.

Mesh chains are made from a fine thread that is woven into a tubular chain. Ideal for adding a sleek finish, these would beautifully complement your wedding dress. Mesh chains are generally wider than others but don’t let this put you off as the collection at H.Samuel has the perfect balance between delicate and chunky.

Other chain types to explore include the following:

  • Beaded
  • Belcher
  • Cable
  • Curb
  • Figaro

Let your wedding jewellery begin

How to care for your jewellery

Taking care of your wedding jewellery is important so you can keep it looking beautiful for years to come.

Remember to remove all gold jewellery, and all other jewellery for that matter, before showering or bathing as exposure to soaps and shower gels can dull its luxurious shine and leave deposits on the surface. The higher in carat your gold is, the softer the metal will be, which means it can scratch easily if it is worn during manual activities like cleaning, so take it off beforehand.

Our top tips for taking care of your wedding jewellery are as follows:

  • Remove your jewellery every time you have a shower or bath
  • Take off your jewellery when you are cleaning
  • Invest in polishing cloths and jewellery cleaners to keep that shine
  • Store jewellery in its original packaging to keep its original shape
  • Visit an H.Samuel store for advice and more top tips

Shop online or in-store

Looking for inspiration? Browse our collection of wedding jewellery and find the perfect piece for you. If you prefer to see the real thing before making a purchase, you can head into your local store where one of our friendly advisors will be able to help you find the perfect piece for your wedding day.

Book a free appointment

If you’d prefer to try some wedding jewellery before deciding to purchase, or you’d like some advice, you can book an appointment at your local H.Samuel store. Here one of our advisors can help you if you have any questions.

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