Arra’s jewelry-making process usually involves the brainstorming of colors, styles, materials, shapes and choice of stones. However, jewelry artists and designers also consider face shapes as an important part of styling. For Arra’s August newsletter, we decided to take you behind the scenes on face shapes concerning jewelry. Ever wondered how the same piece of jewelry looks so different on people? It is because of our unique face shapes! This month, let’s deep dive into this further…
How to know your face shape?
The first step is to find out which face shape you have, to know what type of jewelry is most flattering. There are tons of resources online to find this out including apps and quizzes. However, if you won't do this in person, we’ve got you covered:
1. Pull your hair back so that it is away from your face
2. Outline your face using an erasable pen, soap, or even lipstick. Trace around your hairline, jaw and tip of the chin.
3. Compare the outlines to which shape it resembles the most: round, oval, square, narrow, heart, or diamond.
Oval:
You know you have an oval face shape if your forehead and jawline are the same widths and your chin has no sharp lines. It is usually soft and curved, equidistant from hairline to eyebrows and from the eyebrows to chin. If this sounds like you, consider yourself lucky! The oval face shape is considered the most versatile, as almost any shape or style of jewelry works in your favor.
Jewelry that complements:
Oval shapes work best with hoops, chandeliers, medium danglers, angular studs and thin teardrops. For necklaces, the soft curves of the oval face are best accented by shapes such as pearls, ribbons and open link chains. As a general rule of thumb, try to minimize using styles that are too long, as they will lengthen the oval face even more.
Round:
A person that has a round face is generally soft and curved, with equal distance all around. The nose is usually the center point of the face shape, while all other facial features are curved. If you have a round face, the key for jewelry is to lengthen the appearance- and this usually happens by going for longer, vertical styles.
Jewelry that complements:
Earrings such as dangles, drops, narrow chandeliers and ear threads work best. For this face shape, one should generally choose rectangles, trapezoids and other long vertically angular designs. The key to flattering this face shape is to choose any style that basically draws attention to a strong vertical line on the face.
Round faces should choose longer and looping necklaces, to lengthen the look of the face. Statement pieces that draw attention below the neckline and help elongate it are also flattering. Few styles that can be avoided are chokers, collars, and princess lengths, as these usually shorten the neck and add width to the throat instead.
Square:
Square-shaped faces often include a square, angular jaw with minimal curves. Usually, the face tends to be as wide as it is long with the forehead, while the cheekbones and jaw are about equal in width. People with square faces can use jewelry as a way to soften their angles and lines, as well as narrow the appearance of the forehead and jawline. Jewelry that basically adds length and camouflages the width, is key.
Jewelry that complements:
It is recommended to add jewelry that would balance a strong jawline, usually by adding long necklaces and earrings. Thus, oval hoops, long danglers, round danglers and narrow chandelier earrings compliment this face shape really well. Avoid any short button-style earrings and wide chandelier-style ones. For necklaces, lengthy and curvy shapes are ideal, as they can help soften the jawlines. This means one could wear princess, matinee, opera, or rope lengths since they create vertical lines to lengthen the face. You could even choose pendants or components with curves and swirls in terms of design, which will further help counter the jawline.
Heart/inverted triangle:
Heart-shaped faces mean that you have a wide brow, narrow chin and the width of the face at the forehead and cheekbones is greater than the width of the chin. While the facial features can be either sharp and angular or soft and curved, the overall face shape remains looking like a heart or inverted triangle. To help bring more balance to the face,
Jewelry that complements:
To help bring more balance to the face, styles that create an illusion of a narrower forehead and wider jawline are always best. The right earrings for heart-shaped faces are wider at the bottom than the top. Softly curved earrings and teardrop styles are flattering, as well as triangular and wider chandelier shapes. It's also best to avoid any small button earrings, as well as long narrow styles.
For necklaces, heart-shaped faces should wear styles that reduce the length of the jawline. Chokers, collars, and princess lengths are best for flattering looks. You could also choose necklaces that have a bold pendant to create a shorter look of the face.
Triangle:
The opposite of a heart shape, the triangle face shape has a narrow brow and a wider jawline. This also means that the width of the face between the jawline and cheekbones is greater than the width at the forehead. Similar to the heart shape, the goal for triangle-shaped faces is to create the look of a wider forehead and less focus on the jawline, to rebalance the face more.
Jewelry that complements:
Triangle-shaped people need jewelry that widest the cheekbones area, so ear cuffs, short button styles and ear thread earrings work best. Narrow statement drop earrings do well, as it helps proportion out the cheekbones and below. It is best to also go with short and curvy necklaces for the triangle face shape, to soften the strong jawline. It is preferred to choose pendants or design components that incorporate curves and swirls to give an overall softer look.
Diamond:
The characteristics of a diamond face shape are often described as having a narrow forehead and chin, both in similar width. The widest features are the cheekbones and the rest of the features tend to be balanced and angular. Fun fact: this is the rarest face shape of them all and its features are known to be very sharp.
Jewelry that complements:
The best way to complement diamond-face shape is to wear literally any shape or style or earring, as long as it is proportionate to the face. Try not to use any overly long earrings and instead find styles that have an upward momentum or angle. Dangling earrings such as teardrops, pear-shaped, or triangle drop all help in adding width to the jaw.
We wanted to provide a brief guide of face shapes with best-suited jewelry, to leave you feeling your most confident and beautiful self. Having said this, however, Arra always follows the values of self-expression and wearing what you want to and when you want to, which is why this is simply a guide to those who want to follow it or are interested in this topic. Otherwise, we love self-love energy and wearing whatever one desires!
The pairings above have been created to help highlight your naturally beautiful features, however, our design process is always created to be inclusive to all. Here at Arra, we are constantly rooting for women to feel great about themselves and own their identity, looks, and presence through what accessories they wear.
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