After several years of fashion and jewelry designers taking a minimalistic approach to style, 2022 has brought in a vibrant array of bright colors and eccentric designs. This approach is known as maximalism, and it is marked by quirky, off-beat, and playful designs. Maximalist jewelry takes a “more is more” approach, with the idea that you can never have too much, go too big, or be too wild.
Accessorizing is often the difference between looking presentable and looking glamorous and stylish. With the right accessories, you can dress up the simplest outfits and create a signature style for yourself.
Ready to embrace maximalism in your fashion? Read on to learn how to accessorize while following the maximalist jewelry trends of 2022.
More Is More
The easiest way to lean into maximalist jewelry is to wear more pieces at once. Instead of one ring, bracelet, or necklace, layer multiple pieces together to create unique, personalized stacks.
Ring Stacking
Ring stacking is a popular trend for 2022. The idea is to create volume and sparkle using multiple simple, delicate rings known as stacking rings. You could wear 5 stacking rings on one finger and a chunky ring on another. Or, create a smaller stack of 3 on your middle finger and have one stacking ring on your pinky.
You can also create ring stacks using multiple ring styles, shapes, and sizes. When creating a stack with a thick ring, be sure to pair it with a slim stacking ring that mimics the curves in the bigger ring. This ensures they fit together in a balanced, intentional manner.
Necklace Layering
Layering necklaces is easier said than done. Too often, delicate chains get twisted together and look unkempt and messy. Use a layered necklace spacer to keep the chains evenly spaced and untangled. You can also use necklaces that vary in length to minimize the tangling.
When creating a necklace stack, be sure to balance the volume of the different pieces. It’s better to pair a long, thin necklace with a short, thick necklace because the overall volume of each piece is similar. Play around with different materials and colors to add variety to your look.
Bracelet Stacking
Wear multiple bracelets at once to create fun and playful wrist stacks. Keep one arm functional with a decorative watch and go wild with bracelets and bangles on your other wrist, or use a jewelry watch as part of a unique bracelet stack.
You aren’t limited to your wrists when it comes to arm jewelry. Bring the stack upwards with solid upper arm cuffs in fun materials like wood, resin, or metals.
Ear Stacking
Ear stacking is a firm favorite jewelry trend because of how functional it is. Earrings rarely, if ever, get in the way of everyday life.
To create a balanced ear stack, use smaller earrings as you move your way up the lobe. Putting the biggest and heaviest pieces on the bottom ensures the drop of your earrings mimics the natural curve of your ear. You can use the same shaped earrings in different sizes, such as multiple hoops or huggies, or use studs with different shapes, gems, or metals. Don’t worry about keeping your ears symmetrical–you can have one piercing on your left ear and seven on your right! Each ear is a unique curation of piercings you love and pieces that inspire you.
If you don’t have multiple piercings and still want to engage in this trend, use clip-on earrings and ear cuffs. You can get small ear cuffs that mimic sleepers or large ear cuffs that wrap around the entire lobe to create a whimsical statement.
Bigger Is Better
Add drama to your accessories by going BIG. Increase the volume of your look by wearing thick rings, chunky bracelets, heavy chain necklaces, and large earrings.
Tips for Thick Rings
If you aren’t ready to commit to a big ring purchase, experiment with volume using the ring stacking tip from above. This helps you ease your way into wearing bigger pieces without going completely out of your comfort zone.
To keep this trend wearable during everyday life, opt for rings with a low profile. These have a lower chance of getting caught in your hair or clothing.
Tips for Large Earrings
Large earrings run the risk of weighing down your earlobe and stretching your piercing hole. There are several ways you can prevent this:
- use large earring backs to evenly distribute the weight
- use clip-on earrings
- wear large earrings made from light materials
You can also up the size and keep the weight down by wearing big hoop earrings. You can add unique charms or beads to jazz up a simple gold or silver pair of hoops.
Personality and Emotion Through Colors
One of the best things about taking a maximalist approach to jewelry is that you can easily display your personality. Minimalist trends may be chic and timeless, but they lend themselves toward cookie-cutter accessorizing that doesn’t take chances or allow for experimentation. When you explore maximalism with your jewelry, you facilitate the exploration of your personal style.
Maximalist jewelry design embraces your personal preference, allowing you to wear pieces that tell the world exactly what you like and who you are. And in 2022, using color and patterns to display your unique style is the ultimate goal.
By using kaleidoscopic color, you can transform monochromatic outfits to personalize them. Adding color energizes your look and works emotion into your overall style. For years, fashion designers have used color to influence or reflect certain emotions. Blue tones link to peace and serenity, yellow tones evoke joy and youthfulness, and red tones reflect the deepest love and passion. There are endless interpretations for every inch of the rainbow, and 2022 accessory fashion encourages you to embrace them all. Semi-precious stones make colorful accessorizing accessible to every budget, allowing you to experiment with different colors and tones and find what matches your aesthetic and emotional state.
Unique Materials Are Key
Gold, silver, and diamonds have been the heroes of jewelry design for decades. But this year, they’re making space for new stars to take center stage. Jewelry designers are experimenting with unusual materials to create innovative designs that feel unfamiliar and fresh.
Wood
Flat earrings with patterns and images laser cut into their surfaces can tell a story or show off a pattern like nothing else. Wooden rings add generous warmth and texture, displaying the variations in wood tones. Many wooden rings house colorful stone inlays–showing off organic textures in nature-inspired lines.
Resin
Best known for creating unique, unreplicable art pieces, resin is also making a splash in the jewelry scene. Designers use clear resin to suspend small objects or flowers, and colored resin to create cell-like pendants and charms.
Resin rings are a great way to incorporate color into your jewelry look. They may contain gold flakes, suspended plant matter, or glitter to add visual texture to the smooth and flawless material.
Polymer Clay
Polymer clay finds its home in earring design. Each piece creates a vibrant and youthful look by using bright colors, flowing patterns, and pressed textures. Polymer clay jewelry designers often use geometric shapes to contrast the organic mix of colors.
If you’re the crafty type, you can make your own jewelry to coordinate with your style or as a gift for friends and family.
Mixed Metals for Ease
Gone are the days when you were either a gold gal or a silver sister–this year, you can be both. Mixing metals is a natural consequence of the “more is more” trend, as people with smaller jewelry collections wore everything they owned at once.
The key to creating a mixed metals look is to balance your usage of each metal. Wearing seven gold pieces and one silver piece can look like a mistake, but wearing four gold pieces and three silver pieces looks intentional and polished. Mix your metals evenly throughout your look, ensuring that each jewelry region (wrists, neck, ears, and fingers) has a little bit of each metal.
Stay Stylish Using the Best Jewelry Trends of 2022
By now, you should see that following the biggest jewelry trends of 2022 is surprisingly easy. Maximalism facilitates play. You can experiment and explore without ever actually getting it “wrong,” because there is no wrong!
To stay on trend, layer and stack to your heart’s content. There’s never been a better time to have many jewelry pieces because maximalism lets you get away with wearing your entire collection all at once.
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