A Guy's Guide to Buying Jewelry

The season for gifts is upon us. There are more birthdays, holidays, family gatherings, you name it, coming up now then any other time of the year. It may be wise to start looking into some gifts, and few gifts will be more successful, if done correctly, than jewelry. 

My name is Gabe, i'm Sheila's son, and I know absolutely nothing about jewelry- even so I find myself using it as the perfect gift every year. Here is my guide for jewelry buying for those you love, for those you like, and for those you just need to get a present for:

1) Decide on your price range. For friends and acquaintances, the 50-100 range is full of simple, designer pieces. That being said, they probably won't have any gems or stones on them. My go-to in this range is the "Everybody's Favorite Hoop" earrings ($73), or the "Fly Away Necklace" ($55). If she already owns a gold or silver pair of hoop earrings, go for the burnished option. Not only are they all one of a kind, but they are priced exactly the same, and looking freaking awesome. If you know they wear big bracelets, then the "Eddie Cuff" ($68) is another absolute favorite. 

For loved ones, people you want to do right by, and the likes, the 100-300 range is where we can find pieces of high fashion design, with limited stones and some shiny little guys called CZ's (cubic zirconium) that look like diamonds. Some items to look at would be the "Sibelle Ring" ($198), the "Inacio Bracelet" ($122), finally the "Emerson Earring" ($280) represents some similarly iconic pieces in our collection. Earrings between 200 and 300 dollar range would make great gifts if you have a handle on what colors you are looking for in stones. Over 300 and under 350 there is a multitude of pieces that the less knowledgeable jewelry buyers tend to stay away from, though I encourage you to look there for inspiration. If you find something you do like, make sure that it is a versatile piece, not a one time wear or a piece that only matches a very specific outfit. Shoot us an email at shop@sheilafajl.com for advice if you need it.

If you have the money to spend and the right person to spend it on, the pieces above $350 will give you the most bang for your buck. The "Marina Ring" ($440) is the perfect gift- it is a universally fashionable design, customize-able on order (it comes in several colors), and it will suite them regardless of occasion. The "Large CZ Flower Cuff" ($418) is a great option because it works on pretty much anyone. If you really aren't comfortable or knowledgeable with their sense of fashion, this is pretty much a bulletproof choice.

2) If you have access to her jewelry box, check it, and more importantly check what isn't in there but rather on her most. If you don't, check her social networks and find out what kind of metal their jewelry tends to be. If you can find out what color gems they like or what colors they tend to wear, that is very useful as well. Generally speaking, the metal will be some variation of the following: gold, silver, rose gold, and gunmetal.

3) Decide if you want to play it safe or try for something more adventurous. If you'r buying for someone who wears a lot of silver, buying silver pieces is safe, but won't necessarily have the same wow factor as going out of your way to find something they haven't tried yet. Going for burnished (burnt) versions of their metal of choice is a very daring move, but going for a different metal altogether may get you serious brownie points if you do a good job. Moreover, if they tend to not wear stones, or wear a particular color outfit a lot, try to get them stones that match with their eye color, or the color of their outfit.

The above list may not be enough, if this is the case, feel free to email us at shop@sheilafajl.com, and we will happily help you make your choice! In fact, I'll be doing so myself, so please include 'gift help' in the subject line. I'll get back to you within 48 hours! All the best, and good luck to all of you,

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Gabe Fajl