How To Choose Jewelry That Suits Your Face Shape

Ever wonder why some jewelry looks great on you while other pieces, even though you love them, just don't seem to suit your face? Well, just like body shape should be considered when picking out your clothing, your face shape should be considered when selecting your jewelry.

First off, we need to identify the shape of your face and there are ten main face shapes. We've included a link at the bottom of this blog post that may help you to visually identify them. The shapes are Oblong, Rectangular, Oval, Round, Square, Heart, Inverted Triangle, Triangle, Pear and Diamond. Here are some tips for determining your face shape.

First, pull back your hair so that it is completely off your face.

Second, stand in front of a mirror (but not too close) looking straight into it.

Third, tape a piece of tracing paper to the mirror and draw a pencil line around the silhouette of your face. (You can also use a wet-erase marker that will wipe clean.)

Now, compare your silhouette to each face shape for the best match. It is not likely you will find an exact match, we're looking for the closest representation. If you'd rather take a photo, this works too. Once your hair is pulled back tight, have someone take a photo of you straight on or use a webcam. Then, print the photo and cut out your silhouette making it easier to compare.

Factors like our age and weight can affect the shape of our face so you may need to check this every few years depending on the changes in these two factors. When we choose the right piece of jewelry for our face, it will complement our face and look more balanced or proportionate to the size of our face. What we don't want is for our jewelry to overpower us. It's our own true beauty we want to shine through. When we consider the shape of our face and wear jewelry that complements it, we will find the jewelry will help accent and highlight our best features.

Features of an Oval Face:
The oval face is soft and curved, with an equal distance from the hairline to the eyebrow and from the eyebrow to the chin and is slightly longer than it is wide. If this is your face shape, you are fortunate because almost any jewelry style looks good on you. For necklaces, choose pieces that are sized similar to your overall build. If you are a plus size lady, you will be able to pull off heavier pieces, versus a petite person who will look better when their necklaces don't overpower. Avoid earrings that are overly long because this will add more length to the oval face. Hoops are a great choice for an oval face. This shape of face can also pull off earrings that are wider in design. An oval face can have smooth or angular features.

Oval faces you may recognize include Sandra Bullock, Julia Roberts and Sharon Stone.

Features of the Oblong or Rectangular Face (both share the same characteristics):
The oblong and rectangular face is longer than it is wide and the width at the forehead, cheekbones and chin are almost exactly the same. The features within the face can be sharp or angular or soft and curved but the overall face shape will be long. Sometimes the oblong or rectangular face can be mistaken for an oval shape face, but if you place them next to each other, it's easier to spot the difference. Oblong and rectangular faces look best when they wear necklines that are wider than they are long. Short necklaces will help reduce the long look of these two face shapes and help to balance the face. Chokers and shorter length necklaces are ideal and this is more important if you also have a long neck. The shorter necklaces will break up the vertical line that occurs with oblong and rectangular faces. Large beads at the base of the neck help shorten the look of the face. Necklaces with heavy or bold focal components are another good option for you if your face is oblong or rectangular in shape. These face shapes can pull off wearing larger, bold style earrings. Ones with lots of movement and drama are good choices. Opposites attract, so earrings that have shapes that are large circles, curves, crescents or other wide, space-filling designs will look good and complement these face shapes.

Oblong or rectangular faces you may recognize include Jennifer Aniston, Angelina Jolie and Sarah Jessica Parker.

Features of the Round Face:
The round face is soft and curved, with an equal distance all around. The nose is a center point for this face shape and the face is as wide as it is long. The features within the face can be soft, angular or curved, but overall the face shape will be round. You will want to select jewelry that can help to lengthen it's appearance. This face type should be careful to avoid rounded necklines like crew cuts or high rounded collars. Shorter necklaces like chokers and high necklaces will only shorten the look of a round face and could make the neck appear wider than it is. It will be more flattering to wear longer necklaces that balance the look of the face. Larger focal components which create a "V" and draw the eye below the neckline create a visually longer line and are flattering to this face shape. The round face is ideal for wearing long, vertical styles of earrings like dangles, drops or narrow chandelier types. A round face can be flattered with vertically angular designs. Styles that create a strong vertical line will look wonderful on a round face.

Round faces you may recognize include Kate Winslet, Carrie Underwood and Drew Barrymore.

Features of a Square Face:
The square face has a strong jaw line and the distance from the top of the face to the chin matches the width of the face. The width of the face at the forehead, cheekbones and chin are almost exactly the same. The features within the face can be sharp, angular or curved, but the overall face shape will be square. With a square face, jewelry that can help soften and narrow the appearance of the forehead and strong jaw line will be most flattering. With an already square face shape, a square neckline should be avoided. Square faces look best when jewelry has curves and vertical influences, to soften the face and give a more oval appearance. Longer styles work well because they create a vertical line to lengthen the square face. Larger focal components on necklaces form a "U", drawing the attention below the neck line. Look for a necklace with a pendant or other focal component or components with curves or swirls to balance the strong angular features of the jaw. Avoid choker type necklaces that are overly chunky as these may shorten the look of the neck and make it appear wider. The square face is ideal for wearing large oval hoops, long drop earrings and narrow chandelier earrings. It's best to avoid short studs or button earrings and wider chandelier styles are also not a good choice.

Square faces you may recognize include Demi Moore, Hilary Swank and Katherine Hepburn.

Features of a Triangle or Pear Shaped Face:
The triangle or pear shaped face has a narrow brow and wide jaw line. This shape is opposite to the heart shaped face. The width of the face at the jaw line and cheekbones is wider than the width at the forehead. The features within the face can be soft, angular or sharp, but the overall face shape will be a pear or triangle. The right jewelry can balance this face so that the appearance of the forehead is wider, taking the eye away from the jaw line. These face shapes should avoid v-neck tops or tops with square necklines. Triangle shaped faces need short necklaces with gentle curves to soften the strong jaw line. Looking for something with a gentle curve under the jaw can lengthen the look of the face. Large focal components on necklaces that form a "V" can draw attention below the neck and give the appearance of a longer face. Pendants or necklaces with focal components such as swirls can counter the strong angular characteristics of the jaw, softening the look of the face. These face shapes look great when the narrowest part of the earring is next to the jaw line. These faces need jewelry that adds width at the level of the cheekbones or above, so heart shapes or teardrops that are wider at the top are good choices. Triangle or pear shaped faces can also be flattered by small stud or button styles that have long narrow dangling components to help create more length.

Triangle or Pear shaped faces you may recognize include Victoria Beckham, Geena Davis and Kathy Ireland.

Features of the Diamond Shaped Face:
The diamond shaped face is equally narrow at the forehead and jaw line making this face naturally balanced. it is also quite angular and dramatic and widest at the cheekbones. The diamond shaped face is the rarest face shape. The features are usually sharp and dramatic and this face shape looks good in almost any neckline or jewelry style. Jewelry that can accent wonderful cheekbones will be a wise choice. Diamond shaped faces can wear almost any shape or style of necklace, just watch that the design is proportionate to the individual whether they are plus-size or petite. Necklaces should complement the neckline worn, as well as the wearer's other qualities. For example, chokers emphasize the long neck, a long string of pearls, worn long flapper style, lengthens the wearer's torso. Low hanging necklaces with drops or pendants accent a low cut neckline. There is a lot of flexibility with this face shape. You may choose to downplay the angles of the diamond shaped face with soft curving shapes or choose to accentuate the sharp features with more angular, modern styles. Diamond shaped faces can wear almost any shape or style of earring, as long as they are proportionate to the wearer's overall build. The one style you may not want to overdo is overly long styles that may lengthen the diamond shaped face. You can add width to a strong angular jaw line using dangling earrings with teardrops, pear shapes or triangle shaped drops. You can also choose to echo the diamond shaped face with dramatic and angular styles using triangles and cut crystal and for a softer look, choose hoops.

Diamond shaped faces you may recognize include Linda Evangelista, Felicity Huffman and Sophia Loren.

The features of a Heart or Inverted Triangle Face:
The heart or inverted triangle face has a wide brow and narrow chin. In addition, width of the face at the forehead and cheekbones is greater than the width at the chin. The features within the face can be sharp, angular or soft and curved, but the overall face shape will be a heart or inverted triangle. It is most likely that the top part of the face is soft and curved at the edges, and the chin has a sharper, more angular appearance. Jewelry can be used to balance the face by trying to widen the jaw line appearance while narrowing the appearance of the forehead. A "V" neck collar or other plunging necklines should be avoided if you have a heart or inverted triangle shaped face. These face shapes need short necklaces with curves to reduce the appearance of length in the jaw line and diminish the sharp point of the chin. Choker and short necklaces with medium to large beads or stones work well to create fullness at the neck, balancing the wider areas around the cheekbones and eyes. Multiple strand necklaces are also a good choice for a heart or inverted triangle face shape. You could also try a bold pendant that hangs closely under the chin. If this is your face shape but you love to wear longer necklaces, try wearing them opera style, which is to wrap them around the neck one or more times to create a choker effect up top then let the rest hang long. Circular necklaces, omega chains and short necklaces in general are good options for heart shaped and inverted triangle shaped faces. When choosing earrings for these face shapes, try to have the widest part of the earring closest to the chin. These faces need jewelry that adds width at the level of the chin, so use horizontal lines of hoops, teardrops, curves, triangles and other dangling space-filling designs. Avoid small stud or button type earrings and styles that are very narrow and long.

Heart sharped or inverted triangle faces you may recognize include Avril Lavigne, Lisa Kudrow and Jennifer Love Hewitt.

I hope you enjoyed reading about face shapes and that you will consider this information helpful when shopping for your next jewelry pieces.

If you would like to learn more about face shapes and even discover what hair styles might suit your face, here is a link we found to this information and a picture of the different face shapes for your reference.

http://www.visual-makeover.com/face-htm/

Shop for the newest jewelry styles at www.visibletreasures.com today!

Happy Shopping, Your friends at Visible Treasures.