You've got a great outfit, complementary shoes and handbag and the latest hairstyle, but a peek in the mirror tells you something is still needed to pull your look together.
The missing element is only as far away as your jewelry box. It's as simple as a pair of earrings, a string of pearls or a bangle bracelet.
But the trick of perfecting a look is to wearthe right jewelry, the kind that flatters your face, your clothing, your personality and your budget.
Choosing the right jewelry depends on many factors, from your face shape to your credit limit, say James Avery and Karen Jackson, co-authors of 'The Right Jewelry For You' (Eakin Press, $11.95).
'Because jewelry is so visible, it's one of the things that catches your eye when you first meet someone,' said Jackson in a telephone interview from Avery's company in Kerrville, Texas. 'It's a great way to make a personal statement about yourself or your image.
'Accessories are being used today to say a lot about yourself,' she said. 'When people do something great with jewelry, it says 'I really care about myself, my image and I want you to see me like this.''
The burgeoning numbers of women entering the workforce in recent years have fueled increased sales in the jewelry business, Jackson said.
'It used to be that it was a gift from a man in their lives, for an anniversary or an engagement ring,' she said. 'Now we are seeing a lot more women buying it themselves.'
Working women also can be credited with prompting the industry to come up with a new, affordable category of jewelry, appropriately called 'bridge' jewelry, because it bridges the gap between sometimes tacky costume jewelry and expensive but often out-of-reach fine jewelry.
Women just could not wear 'cheap plastic trash' to the office and a diamond solitaire, if you were lucky enough to have one, was also out of place, Jackson said.
Bridge jewelry, described in the book as 'fashion with enduring quality,' 'spans the gap between the trendy designs and affordability of costume jewelry and the classic designs and expensive cost of fine jewelry.'
'It gives women a less expensive, very tasteful way to express themselves,' Jackson said.
But, although bridge jewelry may be relatively inexpensive compared to diamonds and pearls, many pieces aren't cheap, Jackson warned.
'You can get into three digits now with bridge jewelry,' she said. 'It's got so much better designs and better metals.'
It's easy to select jewelry according to your budget but where do you go from there? One of the keys is to determine your face shape, be it oval, round, square or heart-shaped.
Oval is considered to be the perfect facial shape and women can wear just about any kind of jewelry, write Avery and Jackson.
Square-faced women should select round, oval or soft-edged pieces to soften the squareness of their jawline and long or dangling earrings to emphasize vertical lines.
A goal for women with a round face is to visually add length by choosing earrings with vertical lines, such as drops or oblongs -- any shape that does not add width.
Women with heart-shaped faces can soften the chin by wearing earrings and necklaces that visually add width to the lower half of their face; for example, earrings that are wider at the bottom than the top.
Also factored in to choosing earrings and necklaces should be the shape of your neck, the size of your earlobes, the color of your skintone and eyeglasses, if you wear them, Avery and Jackson write.
For hands, a rule to remember is do not wear rings that extend beyond your lower or upper knuckle or past the width of your finger, the book says.
Rings with strong horizontal lines work well on hands with long, thin fingers, while rings with thin bands and a dominant vertical line help make shorter fingers look longer and slimmer.
Women with slender wrists can wear any type of bracelet from a bangle to a cuff to a link or a charm,but should wear them in flattering proportions. A wider bracelet may help give a slender wrist a wider look, but again, it is important to keep proportion in mind.
Women with broad wrists should try narrow bangles for a more slender look. Women in that category who are partial to larger, bolder bracelets should wear those with an open-work or latticed design, which appear to have less volume and do not broaden an already wide wrist.
The book includes a test to determine whether the personality of a reader's jewelry should be dramatic, classic, natural or romantic, as well as descriptions of the four types and what kinds of pieces will achieve the desired look.
The book also includes chapters on buying gemstones, organizing an effective jewelry wardrobe and the care and cleaning of jewelry.
