The Duchess of Windsor and Coco Chanel never made pretentious claims when it came to their baubles. The more ornate, the more bijoux it is, thus the pieces once reserved for circus acts have entered hallowed moneyed circles. Even Jackie Kennedy-Onassis admitted that her trademark triple strand pearls didn’t really come from the ocean.
It was fashionable to mix it with real jewels, giving it the luscious devil may care attitude in fashion. These days, many a starlet pass off the cubic zirconias (otherwise referred to as CZ by jewelry junkies) as real, which is tacky and gives the charm of costume jewelry a bad name.
These days it’s fine to wear trendy designs using cz and bijoux emeralds and sapphires which tend to have a deeper color than the real ones. It’s also a great option when traveling and you don’t want worry about your real carats.
At the end, bijoux is all about having fun. It need not be of the overly ornate fashions of yesteryear. Discreet jewelry design is back and the more dainty the better. Add some sweetness to your wardrobe with sugary ice found in the Bijoux section of SM Department Stores.
A great idea is to wear them as sets, as seen in Louis Vuitton last season. Hey just because it’s last season doesn’t mean it’s no longer relevant. After all, like diamonds, cubic zirconias are forever.