The 3 Spring Jewelry Pieces I Can Actually Manage as a Busy Mom

As a mother to a young child, I usually get dressed daily using a formula as simple as: underwear, socks, sweater, pants, and a watch. It sounds boring, and it kind of is, so I do aim to try new ways of wearing things in an attempt to exercise my sartorial brain—and to serve the purpose of this column as well. But on days of survival mode, dressing up and, gasp, accessorizing, especially with jewelry, can often get left behind.

This spring, I added only a handful of intentional clothing pieces to my seasonal wardrobe, which, in my New England climate, meant warm, layerable tops in pops of color to wear with jeans and cargo pants until it’s warm enough for bare legs and sockless feet. Jewelry is also an easy way for me to refresh some of the ho-hum transitional wardrobe that serves me well in fall, too. So I focused on three easy pieces to add a little oomph to my day-to-day baubles that, even when paired with jeans and a big sweater, make me feel like I have my sh*t together.

They are as follows: a big, beautiful beaded choker; a long, ’70s-inspired pendant necklace; and whimsical studs in a playful shape. None of these require any real styling or second thoughts, and they look great all together as they do separately, which usually depends on how quickly I end up getting dressed in the morning.

With that said, if it’s easy enough for me to add them on while also getting a toddler dressed and out the door, these will work for anyone. Here’s how I styled them, along with a few other ways I plan to wear them as the weather gets a little warmer and we all get a little happier, too.

Big Beaded Necklace

Last summer, I realized how much of a go-to a beaded necklace really is for all seasons, so, in prepping a jewelry refresh this spring, I decided to level up this style. This Presley Oldham rainbow beaded necklace made from big vintage glass beads is the playful pick-me-up that is getting me through the cooler rainy spring days on our way towards warmer weather. The pops of color go with pretty much everything, and the scaled-up proportions lend a “one and done” approach to accessorizing quickly in my toddler-mom lifestyle. If I do have time, I love layering it with my smaller chains and being more intentional about wearing similar colors pulled from the necklace, like this pop of sunny yellow above. I cannot wait to wear it with a white or colorful tee and maybe, if I’m childfree for an evening, a tube top (!) in the summer.

Long Pendant

All this long winter long I was craving a long pendant necklace but had a hard time deciding on what that looked like. A pendant on a cord or beaded strand felt a little too retro for me and not easy enough to layer with my other shorter beads and go-to charm necklace. Finally, I tried out a personalized heart pendant from Pandora on a 23.6” thin chain and this combination satiated my long search for a long necklace. The length of the chain depends on your personal preference of comfort and where it falls on you, but nearly 24” was just right for me to wear with some other shorter pieces and let it still command its own attention. At about one inch high and one inch wide, the pendant makes for a super wearable statement that pops against a crewneck sweater or a colorful turtleneck layer I’m still wearing into a chilly spring. I’m also excited for the prospects of wearing it over a bikini top at some point too.

Whimsical Studs

I took a break from my go-to hoops (shout out to my friend Fay Andrada for the “backless” hook hoops that are so comfy I’ve slept in them for almost three years) that I layer with a very simple huggie I received as a bridesmaid gift in my second piercing (shout out to my friend Caraline for getting married and having great taste). I love this combo but I had been thinking about polishing up a pair of Elsa Peretti Tiffany Co silver starfish studs I had since high school. They shone up great and are just too cute. I added a pair of Mikimoto pearl studs from that same era in the second piercing to play on the nautical theme we’ve been seeing for years and years. Sometimes that trendy piece just already happens to be in your closet! While I’ll eventually go back to my “set-it-and-forget-it” set of hoops, I am loving this playful stud duo for extra texture and as a conversation-starter that adds another layer of personality to my jewelry story.