Bank Holiday Brightness

With two bank holidays in May it's the start of the summer social season with barbecues, weddings, garden parties and picnics all popular things to do on the long weekends.  The longer evenings are well underway and enjoyed by all, with all ages spending time outdoors making the most of the nice weather.  It's also a great time to bring out your most colourful jewellery to go with your summer wardrobe and ditch the dark colours for something more in keeping with the season.

The birthstone for May is emerald, and this luscious green jewel works really well with the backdrop of spring colours.  We have some gorgeous emerald jewellery including our Circle of Life collection which features a necklace and matching earrings with a modern circular shape.  Emeralds are set side by side with cubic zirconia for the maximum sparkle and the style works really well with the lower necklines we see in summer clothes.  Green goes really well with pale skin and pops against a tan, so anyone can wear this colour.  Peridot is also green but with a much fresher tone which is ideal for wearing in spring.  We have some beautifully simple peridot jewellery which looks amazing with summer dresses and even wedding outfits for a splash of seasonal colour.

All the colours come out in the summer and it's the perfect chance to go bright and bold so why not opt for different shades of the same colour?  Our Rhapsody collection features pink and blue options, the blue being provided by different shades of topaz and the pink with amethyst, rubellite, pink tourmaline and rhodolite garnet.  These are four piece sets with a bangle, ring, earrings and necklace available in either colour so you can wear the lot with a simple outfit, or accessorise elegantly with a few pieces matched to a floral summer dress.  You can tone it down by opting for topaz or amethyst studs instead of the flowing Rhapsody earrings for a more understated look.

Our Purity birthstone design is reasonable priced and features all the birthstones, so you can affordably buy studs or a necklace in a range of colours to suit specific outfits, or your favourite colour palette.  Different colours of stud earrings are always worth having in your jewellery collection, so you can match colours to outfits or even your mood without breaking the bank.

If you're invited to, or hosting a garden party, then floral jewellery is perfect for accessorising your look.  Our Daisy and Camellia collections are all inspired by garden flowers and with summery colours available in both styles there is something perfect for your outfit.   The Camellia collection uses aquamarine, a delicate cool blue stone, and cubic zirconia to represent the petals and there is a ring in the same style with rich garnets if you want something bolder.  The Daisy collection uses topaz and peridot for the petals giving you the option of green or blue, both gorgeous summer colours.

Our Pink Lily and Gwyneth collections are also florally inspired but instead of stones being the petals, we have used sterling silver and rose gold to make the delicate petals, while the stones form the centre of the flowers.  These are perfect for a bohemian, hippy vibe and work really well for a wedding outfit in the same style.  Our Flora collection bridges the gap between modern and boho aesthetics, with a filigree style design and pretty blue topaz accents.  The bracelet is particularly lovely for a summer look because the delicate silver work shows off your tan while the topaz stones complement it perfectly.

If you're spending the day at the beach make sure you take off your jewellery before getting in the sea, as saltwater can corrode jewellery and damage stones.  Sun cream is also potentially damaging to jewellery, so make sure you put the sun cream on first and allow it to sink into the skin before putting jewellery on.  When you reapply sun cream remove your jewellery and wait for the skin to absorb the cream before putting it back on.  Pearls are particularly susceptible to chemical damage and being chipped or dented by pebbles, so avoid wearing pearls at the beach and save them for the evening when their lustre really comes into its own.  Some stones, such as larimar, can fade in direct sunlight, so they too are best saved for evening events rather than daytime gatherings.