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A lady with a love for literature and shiny things discusses books & bling.

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How to layer necklaces: #neckmess legends.

I have a confession for you, my darlings: I am bad at knowing how to layering necklaces.

I love the way a good #neckmess looks, but I’m too much of an anxious perfectionist to be naturally good at throwing on a lot of necklaces together. I worry about the colors clashing, the necklace lengths being unevenly distributed, the chains tangling, the charms jangling against each other. BUT I love the look on other people, so I’m trying to get more comfortable with advanced necklace layering.

I may be a nervous Nellie when it comes to major necklace layering, but Instagram is full of jewelry lovers who are bolder than me when it comes to adventurous clavicle adornment. Let’s take a look at some inspirational #neckmess photos from those who have truly mastered this maximalist layering look!

How to layer necklaces: #neckmess legends.

It’s often hard to trace the origin of an Instagram hashtag once it becomes popular, but that’s not the case with #neckmess.

Jessica Kagan Cushman coined the term to describe her own distinctive necklace layering style and it quickly took off in the IG jewelry community as more and more jewelry lovers found it to be the perfect way of describing the gorgeous chaos of major league necklace deployment – truly an innovator of how to wear to wear necklaces.

Isn’t this look fantastic? I love the concept of wearing a whole themed collection together.

This lovely look from Luck and Lockets feels almost too elegant to count as a #neckmess, but this many gold chains all together is too good to ignore! She’s draped in rivers of gold and I’m alllllllll about it.

Luck and Lockets is such an expert at how to layer necklaces that she’s designed and now sells her own necklace layering device, the gorgeous Lucky 8 clasp.

I only discovered Girl.With.A.Diamond.Earring’s Instagram recently but I’m loving the joyful chaos of her colorful #neckmess styling.

This kind of look is just so much fun! I love the strong color theme, the moving bits and pieces, and the fact that there’s such a wide range of styles and textures incorporated all together.

A spectacular and somewhat spooky spider-heavy #neckmess from Instagram jewelry lover PinkPirahnah!

I’m lucky enough to know this particular expert necklace layer-er in real life and so I can confirm that yes, she is really as cool as she seems. She has such a knack for putting necklaces and charms together in inspiring and unexpected ways.

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How to wear a brooch: 13 styles you’ll want to try.

What’s a cooler piece of jewelry than a brooch? They can be shaped like anything and to wear one, you just stick it to yourself in any way you want. I’m all about them…in theory.

In reality: I’m terrible at brooches. They make me nervous. I can put them anywhere I want? What if I choose a stupid place? What if the brooch isn’t at the right angle? Is it hanging correctly? I’d better try this another day.

I’m determined to overcome my brooch fears and I’d like to invite you to join me! The weather is getting colder, and autumn and winter are the perfect seasons to wear a brooch. So many layers and accessories just ripe for adornment.

To aid me on my quest to wear a brooch like a boss, I’ve rounded up some brooch-spiration to encourage me to try new things. Without further ado, I present 13 ways to wear a brooch.

A fantastic antique diamond and demantoid garnet lizard brooch from Lang Antiques.The combination of textures and colors is what really kills me about this photo from Lang Antiques. I love the chunky knit of the sweater with the nubby old cut stones of the diamond and demantoid garnet brooch.

That, and how the lizard is positioned so that it looks like it’s gazing curiously out at the world. I want a shoulder friend as cool as this one.

A Vionnet gown from 1938. I'm loving the rhinestone star details - I want to recreate this with brooches.This is not brooches. This is rhinestone detailing on a Vionnet gown from 1938. Why is it in my article on how to wear a brooch? Because it makes me want to cover the straps of a cocktail dress with brooches.

The fabulous Anya of GemFever rocking an antique bar brooch on a blue blouse.This image comes to us from my lovely friend Anya, who is kind of a wizard with brooches (teach me your ways, Anya!).

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