A baffling question we women seem to have is deciding which necklace to wear with which neckline. Take a look at these sketches from Pinterest. So many different necklines … no wonder we’re confused.

I found these diagrams helpful, but as my co-author Janna Beatty points out:

• A person’s face shape dictates the necklace as well as the neckline.
• Try on different necklaces with different necklines–the eye of the wearer should be the determining factor when deciding which necklace looks most flattering.
• Not all tops benefit from a necklace. If in doubt, make your focal point a pair of statement earrings. (In the book, we call this EARS ONLY.)

Remember your Orientation Tour. Don’t just think about what might look good.  Physically try on the jewelry with the outfit.  You may discover combinations you never even thought of.

Here are more suggestions from style blogger Imogen Lamport:

Turtle necks –  longer necklaces

Crew necks – short necklaces, such as necklace ‘collar’ or bib styles

Scoop necks – fill in the space with multiple strands of beads or larger scale pendants

Strapless – look great with chokers or short pendants, leaving your lovely decolletage bare

Square necks – look for pendants with an angular finish to harmonize with the angular neckline

Asymmetric necklines – look for necklaces that aren’t symmetrical, instead a necklace that has it’s own asymmetry can work, alternatively a long string of different sized and shaped beads can work well.

Halter necks – these create a narrow V neck – so look for a narrow pendant with a sharper end

V-neck – ideally a necklace that matches the shape of the V – depending if it’s a wider or narrower V neck.

Collared shirt (button down) – there isn’t much space for anything too wide, so a choker style works if you have a long neck, if not a slimmer pendant that sits above the last open button.

Boat neck – a long string or two of beads is ideal for this neckline.

Cowl neck – this neckline is already detailed and has volume, so either a short and small pendant or a pair of feature earrings instead of a necklace.

Sweetheart – a curved necklace that has width that will balance the open décolleté age of this neckline.

And if you already have embellishment on your top, there is no need to add a necklace–coordinating earrings will do the trick!

Many thanks to Janna Beatty and Imogen Lamport for your great ideas!