How to Style a Jewelry Stack

Written by: Amanda Chung

Published on: September 6, 2022

Fashion editor: Ali Pew

Photo courtesy of Sandra Semburg

Neck mess, wrist party, earscape—the terms we use for a jewelry stack seem to suggest that the shiny, compliment-collecting arrangement is serendipitous, as if the artful arrangement just…happened. More often than not, though, there is strategy involved. Like a chic game of Tetris, it’s about combining the right pieces, in clever configurations, so you can earn the most points. (Style points, that is.)

The Neck

With above-the-neckline real estate, strategic layering is the name of the game: Choose pieces that balance one another out—you want to consider length, yes, but also dimension and weight. Start with choker-length links, clip on a glittering ball necklace for a dose of glamour, and finish with an intricate coin pendant or a lucky charm.

G. Label
Deven link necklace
goop, $2,500

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G. Label
Cleo Pavé ball necklace
goop, $7,900

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Azlee
necklace
goop, $1,860

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The Wrist

There are two ways to go about this: You can keep things sleek and minimal, the way Gwyneth did when she styled herself for the last G. Label Core Collection shoot (she slipped a single gold bangle onto each wrist, which reminded us of Wonder Woman’s cuffs, but chicer). Or you can take a maximalist approach, layering the same bangle with a classic leather-strapped watch and paper clip links.

Foundrae
Bracelet
goop, $2,045

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Analog Shift
Audemars piguet watch
goop, $15,900

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G. Label
Dixon floating-diamond bangle
goop, $4,800

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The Ears

An enviable ear stack is easy to achieve whether you have a constellation of piercings or just a single hole in each lobe.

Start with the Reid Three-Hoop Earrings (they give the look of multiple earrings with a single post). Then, if you fall into the not-afraid-of-needles camp, layer up the cartilage: The pieces—sparkly huggies, a single diamond bar—should get daintier the higher you go. If, however, your lobes are your only real piercings, you can get a similarly edgy look with a well-placed ear cuff, which approximates a conch piercing without the commitment.