Stop worrying about matching jewelry

Move over matchy-matchy: Fashion’s trend for bold mashups of contrasting prints and colours is making its way into the world of jewelry.

“Customers are increasingly interested in asymmetric jewelry, especially earrings,” said Natalie Kingham, buying director at fashion retailer MatchesFashion.com. Earrings, long a loving pair, are especially ripe for this look and are being uncoupled into mismatched shapes, sizes or different-coloured stones.

“It allows customers to express their individuality,” Kingham said. (And, for those of us unfortunate enough to lose an earring, the ability to keep wearing the one we still have.)

Valérie Messika, the founder and creative director of Messika, has been a fan of asymmetry from Day 1. Many industry experts credit her Parisian diamond jewelry brand with infusing a much-needed lightness into the convention-laden diamond stone.

“Even around 15 years ago when I first started out, I always felt I looked older in a full set of diamonds or matching diamond earrings,” she said. “I wanted to break the codes — to do something more cool and rock ‘n’ roll.”

Messika’s latest high jewelry line, themed around 1920s Paris, includes the lobe-hugging Roaring Diamonds that combine a flamboyant ear cuff with a more pared-back twin, featuring inverted pear-shaped diamonds. The diamond cluster Mata Hari pair — again one large and the other small — evoked the flair and boldness of its namesake, the Dutch exotic dancer and courtesan who was executed in 1917 for espionage. The design nearly covers the entire ear, which is partly why Messika went with what she called one “wow piece” and a softer one. “Otherwise it’s too bling-bling.”

On the fine jewelry side, the tribal-themed Thea triangle studs come in clashing sizes or a strand version that misfits long with short. Fashion, as ever, is Messika’s cue. “Wearing a very precious and delicate diamond today is like pairing frayed, ripped jeans with a beautiful pair of designer shoes. It’s more unexpected. I like the mix of sensibilities.”

In the designer’s new collaboration with Gigi Hadid, a G-shaped earring is adorned with a single diamond to create a pared-back version of Messika’s bestselling three-diamond Move earrings — and priced at 840 euros in an effort to entice a younger (if fairly well-heeled) clientele.Read more at:celebrity dresses | cheap formal dresses