Get it right with jewellery

Struggling to find one that suits you the best? Vinod Hayagriv explains why it is important to match jewellery to the shape of your face to achieve perfect symmetry

When looking for a great piece of jewellery, there are many factors to consider. Colour, stones, style  — these all are important points when purchasing jewellery. To add to the mix, you may also want to consider what type of jewellery will flatter your shape of face, especially if you are in search of a piece that will go with most of your outfits. The human face is shaped in four different ways:

- Oval
- Round
- Heart shaped
- Rectangle (oblong)

How to determine face shape

- Pull your hair back and secure them with pins or a headband so that your hair is completely off the face

-Stand 12 inches away from a mirror and look straight into it. Or have someone take a picture of you facing straight into the camera with your hairline showing.

- Outline your face with a marker on the mirror with tracing paper, or on the photo.

- Now look at your face shape in the mirror or photo drawing. Choose the shape that most closely resembles your own. If your face is a combination of shapes, choose styles based on criteria which most flatter your particular shape.

Key tricks

Don’t emphasise your facial shape, but complement it with the right type of jewellery.
If you have a round face, don’t accentuate it by wearing round earrings, no matter how big or small. Stick with wings or ovals that fit close to the face without following the lines of the ears too closely. Loops are perfectly acceptable for the round face because they draw the attention down instead of around.

The woman with an oval face can wear round shapes, button or loop earrings easily, but she will look specially attractive in triangular shapes. The oval-faced woman must be careful to stay away from tiny earrings. Her shape looks much better with a slightly larger size because larger earrings help fill out the shadows from the high cheekbones.

Dangling earrings look good on an oval face if they are not too long. The oval face often is a thin face, and earrings that are round at the base and taper upward, around the rim of the ear, minimise the problem effectively.

The square-faced woman has several factors to keep in mind. This facial type usually needs a little softening. The use of oval-shaped earrings draws attention up and down, not sideways. Round earrings are a poor choice because they provide too great a contrast and look awkward. Long or dangling earrings are acceptable as long as they are not too thick. The woman with a square face should emphasize length instead of width.

The heart-shaped face needs round shapes. The focal point of this facial shape tends to be the chin. So the best way to complement the heart-shaped face is by wearing round shapes, which balance the pointed lower half of the face. For this facial shape, long, narrow earring should be avoided, and rounder wider shapes are preferred.