Advice for buying a necklace?
 

I've been dating my girlfriend for a year and wanted to do something nice for her, and I think a necklace is her style. I'm a fan of the subtle and simply pretty, but I think her taste is a little more flair-y...I'd just ask her, but I kinda wanted it to be a big surprise.

So, women (and men who know things) of TFP, what do you recommend in this hunt for something pretty?

Somethings you want to consider
1. what do you want it made out of?
Yellow Gold, White Gold, Silver, or purely costume jewelry
(this will be dependent on what you want to spend - I'd probably vote for silver)
2. What length do you want the necklace
This might be dependent on her wardrobe
There are chokers (which wraps around the neck, often is usually made out of a stretchy ribbon type material), a 16-17" lenth which sits right at the throat - if she wears a lot of open neck tops, this is a great length, there longer lengths, sometimes whcih can be wrapped around.
3. What do you want it made out of?
Metal, Gemstone, Pearls (freshwater or cultured, or fake pearl in color) or a combination
4. What's her style?
A strand of pearls (which can be expensive, but are beautiful, but if she's the funky type, she wont appreciate them. Does shelike pendants (which is a stone or something hanging off of a chain, or something a little fuller.)

When I have time, I make jewelry, made a beautiful amethyst and silver for a friend for Christmas - I ended up making it because I couldn't find something unique looking. and amethyst was chosen because of some of the meanings of the stone.
http://kiwijewels.com/gemstone_meanings.htm

Does she have a favorite color? Maybe a gemstone in that color...

I just did a quick google on silver necklaces - and came up with this store (among a few thousand others) This one has some interesting stuff - that might give you some ideas (The Tiffany inspired stuff - -is copies at a real price that Tiffany's sells)
http://www.evesaddiction.com/tiffany...necklaces.html

THis is their entire collection:
http://www.evesaddiction.com/necklac...laces.html#top

Browse thru them -- they have all different styles -- see what catches your eye - what you like and what you think she will like - -then that can help you narrow down your search.

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Now just remember- -you are putting thought into this-- so she is going to love it and love you (if that's OK) for taking the time to try and find something she will like. You get major points for that.

I've got a feeling that ANYTHING that you give her in that department will be a pleasant surprise, and any feelings that she might have for the piece will be amplified simply becase it came from you. On that note, whatever you get her will be perfect. Don't sweat it, go with your instinct.

Are you talking about buying actual jewelry here? Or something from Target? Target (or similar places) has a nice selection of cheap fashion jewelry, but I wouldn't go there for a purchase of a silver or gold necklace. You want to go to a jewelry store for that.

The first year lurkette and I were together (Jesus Christ, 13 years ago!) I bought her an 8-inch silver figaro chain for Christmas. She still wears it pretty frequently. I went to the store and asked the clerk for help. She had me describe lurkette, describe what she wore and her style, and together we picked out this piece. It's fairly delicate, because on someone lurkette's size, a big ol chain would make her look like an old skool rapper. It's a pretty chain, and it looks great on her. And it made a big impression when I gave it to her. Not bad for a 17-year-old kid!

thanks everyone, time to do some reading :) I'll report back later

i have bought sevral necklaces for my wife.. i based my decisions on this: she likes silver and the general color of silver. but i thought it was not tacky but cheap so i opted for white gold. now i buy her some 2 tone stuff looks verry sharp depending on wha she has on. i also got her a strand of pearls wich i love ( they are so sexxy with almost anything) on ebay a few years back. they were actually much cheaper thani thought. maybe i gotta god deal i dunnaknow but she really likes them. thickness is a factor to think about with necklaces. big and fat or super skinny. i cant remember wich i one i got here first ( so honney when you read this dont be mad) but she really likes her "1st" one its verry skinny and pettite white gold 18 inch the kind you could hang a pendant on. the only problem is our kids love it also. especially when they are being held by her. i think we have had it fixxed 3 or 4 times. anyway if she already has some maybe you can check those out to get a taste of her style. matching what she has is always a plus in jewlery. possibly pay attention to her watches earings things like that you dont want to make her "unmatch".

good luck

let us know what you do....

hmm...I've gotta admit, I think something in a Tiffany's box would be sweeeet.

They've got silver stuff not tooo pricey, i think.

I dunno tho, what's her 'style'?

How about a pearl necklace?

I think I'm definetly leaning towards a silver pendant type thing. Something fairly delicate but a little, to use maleficent's phrase, funky? I don't want to do anything too extravagent, just something on the sweet and simple side.

Can't really go wrong with a solitaire necklace, maybe silver or platinum. Just make sure you go to a reputable store, someplace that specializes in jewelry would be best. Huge retailers are probably not the best idea, you never know whats real there. Even when its labeled real gold it could just be plate, or "diamond" could mean "looks like a diamond"

Instead of going to Sears or Wal-Mart, go to some antique stores and find her a nice peice of old estate jewelry. Be sure and tell her how you went to several shops to find just the right piece.

I really don't know anything about pearl necklaces... (the literal meaning, not the figuritive one... get your minds out of the gutter!! :) )

However, I am also looking for a necklace for my wife. The rule of thumb for me seems to have always been this: You can't go wrong with diamonds.

I prefer a simple yellow gold chain with a single or 3 diamond pendant-thingy hanging from it. Locally where I live, I can get a 3 diamond 1/3rd carat total weight necklace for about $300, or a 1/2 carat total weight for 5-600 bucks.

It seems to me that with every woman I've ever dated, including my wife prior to our marriage, diamonds always work well. Be careful with it though.... too small and they may not appreciate it... too large and it could look gaudy or tacky.

The princess (square) cut diamonds seem to be pretty popular these days... although they seem to be a bit more expensive than the marquis cut because they have more facets (more sparkle, brilliance, etc.)

If you do shop for diamonds, make sure you read up A LOT or take someone with you who knows what they are doing to ensure that you don't get a raw deal.

I just bought this necklace (the white gold option) for xmas for my girlfriend of 1.5 years:

http://images.overstock.com/f/102/31...s/P1009027.jpg

Let's hope she likes it!

I'm still trying to decide on what I'm going to get for my fiancee. I'm thinking a watch or necklace. Not sure. She likes jewelry, but nothing "bling bling" so to speak, more subtle than extravagant.

http://www.zales.com/images/detail/15792195_X400.jpg
Diamonds are a girl's best friend.

..

Or (to quote Ron White):
Diamonds......that'll shut her up.




....for a minute.

Seriously though, I've found the people at jewelery stores to be immensely helpful. Just go in and tell them exactly what you said in your first post. They might ask you a few questions, and before you know it, you'll be walking out of there with a shiny new necklace and a substantially lighter wallet.

Check out the stuff she already wears. If it is small and delicate, then get her something similar. If she likes big pieces with lots of color, then get her that. I know you have an idea of what you like, but if you're in to small delicate and she's into something bigger, you might want to get her something that she likes. Although, since you are spending the money, you can get her what you think would look best on her.
=)
As someone said earlier, I'm sure she'll love whatever you get her.

Don't go too big cause it will set a standard. Each time you give jewelry it should be as good or better than the last piece (execpt wedding/engagement rings).

Hopefully your girlfriend is not like my wife. Anything less than 18 carat gold is just base metal, LOL.

Probably no one expected me to weigh in on this topic but what about Emeralds. For some reason I find Emeralds and beautiful women go together very well. And you don't see a lot of women in Emeralds. Girls with green eyes look amazing with Emeralds, the stones really bring out her eyes.

Anyway, just some thoughts I had to get out there. Long as she knows you thought about the gift and thought only of here you can't go very wrong with anything. My wife has worn an inexpensive silver American Indian motif ring since before we were married. Some 30 years now.

Have any of you had experience buying jewelry from overstock.com? They seem to have a pretty large selection, and I think I'd be able to find something I like...is there a risk making a purchase online that I should avoid by going to a store? And importantly, is the selection going to be chopped down in a store to the point where I think I found something perfect online but can't find anything as good in reality, and drive myself nuts? :)

thanks everyone! this thread has been a lot of help. Whatever happens, I will have learned a lot!

I have bought a lot of stuff from overstock -- electronics tend to be refurbished, or really - just open box stuff from stores - -which is still covered under warranty, but everything else is first quality. With overstock, the stuff you buy, is what it is, I'd be less worred about getting scammed from them then I would from some jewelry stores.

Ignore the original prices and what the"savings" are -- and really only concentrate on the price you wold pay - jewelry has a huge markup - that if they say it's regularly 400. but will sell it to you for 79.99-- know that no store would ever sell it for 400 dollars. (Overstock's stock does change regularly -- so if you've spotted something you like - don't wait too long for it.