PART THREE
The Etiquette
of Wearing Jewels
CHAPTER 11
The Etiquette of Wearing Jewels
The emphasis on “casual living,” in our day, does not destroy the need for more formal occasions. On the contrary, indeed, the woman who has been informal in various types of summer apparel may feel even more thrilled at the opportunity to put on an evening gown, with the appropriate jewelry. And what jewelry, she may well ask, should be worn in more relaxed and casual hours?
Misery, they say—or at least Shakespeare said—acquaints a man with strange bedfellows; and democracy acquaints a woman with strange costumes. The variety of “casual clothes” is limited only by the panorama of color and the ingenuity of the designer. Yet, whatever garments a woman may have chosen to put on, the probability is that she will wish to add to their harmony the grace notes of a jewel.
Informal clothes are usually worn for informal hours, which naturally call for a touch of ornament. Festive occasions even more strongly suggest the glamour of jewels. Yet in no field are women more at a loss than in the etiquette of jewelry. Few need to inquire about the proper combinations of outfits and accessories. It is unnecessary to caution the young girl, putting on her first evening gown, that she must not wear her sport shoes. No more need her mother be told not to serve canapés wearing the kitchen apron she put on while preparing them. But when it comes to jewelry, to selecting the jewels that are appropriate to the occasion, most women have only the haziest idea. Yet if they discover that they are not adorned in keeping with the function, their day is clouded.