DORÉ

I am one of those people whose ears are allergic to everything. I have tried to pierce them with every type of metal under the sun and they hate them all. Thus, I am relegated to ear cuffs and clip ons. So I was thrilled when I discovered Limnia, with customizable and buildable jewelry — specifically dangling ear cuffs! The founder, the adorable Annette pictured here, made it all the sweeter. Read on to hear her thoughts on buying jewelry for the holidays…

How would you describe your style in three words?
Classic, sometimes quirky, tailored

As the founder of Limnia, a buildable and customizable fine jewelry brand, what comes first when putting together an outfit? The jewelry or the clothes?
Jewelry before clothes for sure. Especially in the winter where we find ourselves wearing the same dreary coat and boots for 4 months – jewelry is where all the fun begins. It lights up your body.

For people looking to build their “jewelry wardrobe” what are your tricks of the trade to layer jewelry?
Lately, I’ve been wearing my ear cuffs to layer with everything — it adds visual interest to the ear but the ones we make at Limnia are also anchors for other pieces like dangly gold bars and pearls. But they also look great when you don’t want anything dangling off the ear – it just makes the ear cooler. For necklaces, mixing different kinds of chains in different lengths ( a station necklace with a cable chain for example) to be worn on their own or with interesting pendants. As for rings, wear an eclectic mix of rings – heirloom pieces, new rings from your travels – just don’t overthink it.

Best gift for someone looking to start their jewelry collection?
If they have their ears pierced, I would start with earrings – they are face framers and the first to catch someone’s eye. If not, a necklace that is perfect for layering with whatever they will get next. Maybe I am slightly biased here – but Limnia curates the best foundational sets for those starting a collection because every piece is multi-functional and can evolve with your collection.