Fall Jewelry, Beach Girl Edition: How to Wear Beach-Inspired Jewelry This Fall

Summer ending doesn't mean your favorite beach jewelry has to disappear into a drawer until next May.

In fact, some of the pieces we associate most with summer—turquoise, pearls, shells, gold, colorful beads and ocean-inspired jewelry—can look even better against fall textures and colors.

The trick isn't replacing your beach jewelry with an entirely new fall jewelry wardrobe. It's changing what you wear around it.

So, before you pack away the shells and turquoise, try these ideas.

1. Treat Turquoise Like a Fall Color

Turquoise gets labeled a summer color, but take it out of a tropical setting and something interesting happens.

Put turquoise next to chocolate brown, camel, rust, cream, olive or dark denim, and suddenly it feels completely different.

Try a turquoise bracelet with a chocolate sweater. Wear turquoise earrings with a camel jacket. Stack a turquoise bracelet next to gold with a cream knit sleeve peeking out underneath.

The styling trick: Instead of matching turquoise with other bright colors, let it be the one unexpected pop of color in an otherwise warm, neutral outfit.

That contrast is what makes it feel like fall.

2. Use Your Jewelry to Create Contrast, Not Match Your Outfit

This is one of the easiest ways to make summer jewelry work in another season.

Don't ask, “Does this shell necklace match my fall outfit?”

Ask:

“Does it make this outfit more interesting?”

A tiny gold shell against a chunky charcoal sweater. Pearls with a worn-in denim jacket. A wave ring with an oversized cardigan.

Those combinations work because they're unexpected.

In summer, beach jewelry blends into the outfit. In fall, it gets to be the interesting part.

3. Let Your Sweater Become the Background

One reason jewelry can actually be more fun in fall? You suddenly have better backgrounds.

A simple pendant can disappear against bare skin or a patterned summer dress. Put that same necklace over a solid cream, black, rust or chocolate knit and it becomes the focal point.

Try wearing a longer necklace over a crewneck or fitted sweater instead of hiding it underneath.

Gold especially pops against darker knits, while pearls and silver can look gorgeous against black, charcoal, navy and rich earth tones.

Think of your sweater as the backdrop for the jewelry—not something that covers it up.

4. Break Up a Polished Look With Something Beachy

Here's one of my favorite styling tricks: if your fall outfit feels a little too polished, add one piece that doesn't quite belong.

Boots + trousers + sweater + shell necklace.

Blazer + jeans + colorful beaded bracelet.

Button-down + gold jewelry + a little ocean charm.

It keeps the outfit from feeling overly serious.

Beach-inspired jewelry has a relaxed quality to it, so one small piece can give a very put-together fall outfit that effortless I didn't try this hard feeling.

5. Don't Put Away Your Pearls—Mess Them Up a Little

Pearls are having way too much fun these days to be saved for weddings and fancy dinners.

For fall, the best way to wear them is to make them feel less perfect.

Mix pearls with a gold chain. Stack a pearl bracelet next to colorful beads. Wear a pearl necklace with a sweatshirt and jeans. Pair them with denim, leather, chunky knits or sneakers.

The more casual the rest of the outfit is, the cooler pearls tend to look.

And if you're mixing pearls with gold, shells or beads? Even better.

The goal isn't “classic pearl jewelry.” It's “I happened to throw on pearls with this.”

6. Change the Ratio of Your Bracelet Stack

You don't necessarily need a whole new bracelet stack for fall. Just change the balance.

A big stack of bright beads can scream summer. But take one or two colorful bracelets and mix them with gold, pearls, darker blues, neutral cord or earthy beads, and you've changed the mood without losing the color.

Try the 2 + 1 rule:

Two quieter pieces + one colorful piece.

Or reverse it when you want more personality:

Two colorful pieces + one simple metal piece.

It's an easy way to make a stack look styled instead of like you put every bracelet you own on the same wrist. (We've all been there.)

7. Pay Attention to Texture More Than Color

This might be the most useful trick of all.

We tend to think seasonal dressing is about color, but a huge part of what makes something feel like fall is actually texture.

Think:

Chunky knit + smooth gold
Denim + pearls
Suede + turquoise
Leather + shells
Corduroy + delicate chains
Flannel + polished metal

That means you don't necessarily have to change your jewelry palette at all.

It's basically seasonal styling without buying anything new. We like that.

8. Keep One Little Piece of Summer

Maybe the best fall jewelry rule is not to follow fall jewelry rules too closely.

You don't have to suddenly replace turquoise with burgundy, shells with leaves and every bright color with brown just because pumpkin spice showed up again.

If you're the person who feels happiest near the ocean, let your jewelry keep a little bit of that with you.

Wear the wave ring.

Keep the shell necklace on.

Add turquoise to the brown sweater.

Stack your beach bracelets next to your watch.

Your jewelry doesn't have to match the season. It can still match you.

The Beach Doesn't Have an Off-Season

Fall style doesn't have to mean saying goodbye to everything you loved wearing all summer.

Sometimes all it takes is a chunky sweater, darker denim, warmer textures and a slightly different mix to make your favorite beach jewelry feel completely new.

So bring on the sweaters, boots, changing leaves and ridiculously early pumpkin everything.

We're keeping the beach. 🌊🍂