Popular Necklace Styles You Need in Your Jewelry Collection

People have accessorized their outfits with necklaces and other jewelry for centuries. Many people in the 14th to 17th centuries used necklaces to highlight social standing and prestige. 

While you may not need a chain and pendant to boast royal bloodlines, finding the perfect type of necklace can enhance your outfit, make you feel confident, and impress those around you. 

Jewelry trends are similar to fashion trends in that they come and go in cycles, so we’ve selected the current most popular types of necklaces to give you an idea of what to wear. If you love several styles, yet struggle to find the perfect design, consider creating custom necklaces with our skilled designers and jewelers. This way, you can personalize your design with extra detail and your choice of metal and gemstone.

Types of Necklace Styles

Initial Necklaces

Initial necklaces are a popular, personalized piece of jewelry and typically bear one or multiple of the wearer’s initials (though some choose to wear initial necklaces that represent the names of their loved ones). This popular necklace style suits those who prefer simple yet elegant jewelry designs and lean more toward a minimalist look. This design makes a sentimental gift appropriate for birthdays, anniversaries, or Mother’s Day, as you create a custom necklace for her using your initials, her children’s names, or the letters of anyone significant in her life. 

Tennis Necklaces

Tennis necklaces add glamour and elegance to any outfit, and they are among the most popular necklace styles right now. The continuous band of diamonds suits many styles, perfect for casual occasions or dressed-up events. While single strands with small uniform diamonds are a popular choice, some choose tennis necklaces with multiple sizes of stones to create a unique look. Tennis necklaces come in a wide range of designs, including increasing diamond size along the chain, double rows, emerald cut, and more.

Solitaire Diamond Pendants

A solitaire diamond pendant can elevate your look instantly. The classic design exudes elegance and sophistication with minimal effort. The eye-catching shimmer of the diamond creates a timeless piece you can wear with a casual outfit or dress up for a night out. With various styles, settings, and metal options, you can readily tailor a piece to your style and enjoy wearing it for a lifetime. Solitaire diamond pendants are an excellent way to repurpose or rework inherited jewelry, like an old engagement or wedding ring passed down from a grandparent or great-grandparent.

Coin Necklaces

If you love stylish jewelry with a more modern edge, coin necklaces are the perfect choice. They provide a chic yet sophisticated look that you can wear every day, whether you’re heading to an important meeting or running errands. 

Custom necklaces with a coin pendant ensure you can wear your token at the perfect length or layer with multiple chains at various lengths for a unique look. This style is also ideal when you require custom necklaces for men, as you can create a masculine version with a slightly larger coin or thicker chain.

Charm Necklaces

Charm necklaces are a similar style to charm bracelets. You can have fun displaying unique symbols of your favorite things with several fun charms. This necklace style is an easy way to create a personalized accessory, as you can mix and match trinket metals or add colorful gems on charms, and you can always add more charms in the future.

Chain Necklaces

Chain necklaces are great for layering and can yield a variety of looks. A simple, thin chain necklace can be layered with other necklaces or worn with a pendant. More modern, thick, chunky chain necklaces are worn as a sculptural statement piece. Chain necklaces are suitable for men and women alike, and the styling options are endless.

Popular Jewelry Styles

Keeping multiple styles of necklaces on hand creates endless opportunities for styling jewelry — all the more reason to add to your collection. As you consider the next necklace to add to your jewelry box, consider these styling ideas:

Layered Necklaces

Today, one of the most popular ways to style necklaces is to layer multiple at one time. While some may prefer to purchase a premade layered necklace, designed as one piece to prevent tangling, layering individual necklaces makes it possible to mix and match depending on the outfit or day. The key to achieving this style is to choose a group of necklaces that have different lengths, so that each chain lays separately. Another great styling consideration is to vary the size of the chain, combining thin and elegant necklaces with chunkier styles, such as a tennis necklace or a more sculptural design. 

One key consideration for layered necklaces is to store them properly to prevent tangling. Whenever you wear layered necklaces, take them off one at a time and lay them out to ensure no tangles remain in the chains. 

Customized Necklaces

It’s possible to customize any of the types of necklace designs already mentioned, from diamond pendant necklaces to coin necklaces. But if you’re looking for inspiration, consider creating a customized necklace that carries personal meaning. One option is to choose gemstones that represent loved ones’ birth months. A custom-designed necklace for a mother could include a pendant with inset gemstones that correspond to her children’s birthstones. Lost-wax casting makes it possible to create intricate, deeply meaningful designs in metal, like a pretty botanical design or even a family crest.

Gemstone Necklaces

Speaking of gemstones — a gemstone necklace can be worn every day or reserved for special occasions, depending on the design. Gemstones make for wonderful, single-pendant designs or can be combined in a cluster or inset into gold, platinum, or silver designs. And if a traditional tennis necklace doesn’t appeal, a string of gemstones offers a colorful alternative.  

Matching Jewelry Sets

While matching necklace, bracelet, and earring sets may be more readily associated with a traditional or maybe even old-fashioned style, a jewelry set makes a wonderful gift. A set of pieces with a corresponding design can be worn multiple ways, mixed and matched, or styled together for a cohesive look. Often, matching sets incorporate similar styles of gemstones or corresponding motifs across each piece. 

Depending on the wearer’s preferences, sets can include all three items or simply a necklace and bracelet, or a necklace and earrings — and you could even add a corresponding ring, too. A jewelry set is a great way to repurpose larger family heirloom pieces or estate jewelry that includes multiple stones, ensuring that each element of the heirloom is used in a new way — and made the focal point of an individual piece. 

Custom Necklaces by JPratt Designs

Whether you want a complementing custom gold necklace or a sentimental charm design you can pass on to your children, our skilled and talented jewelers provide exceptional service. We have extensive experience creating a wide range of custom designs to suit our clients’ requirements, and we hand-carve every piece to ensure the highest-quality finish. 

You can wear jewelry that suits your personality and lifestyle with our excellent custom jewelry service. Contact us to find out more about our custom jewelry design process.