Putting together an outfit is like looking at endless opportunities and sometimes something is missing, no matter how good the articles of clothing are. An often-overlooked part of putting together an outfit? Jewelry.

Jewelry is a staple piece in every outfit. Earrings, necklaces, rings and even anklets are the simplest yet most vital elements. A necklace can add layers and color to your outfit while rings can bring attention to your hands and complement your nails. Bracelets, anklets and even watches are small but powerful pieces that add personality to your looks. Jewelry is interchangeable and there is no right or wrong way to style it, which only makes it that much better to work with.

Jewelry can also be a collection of the pieces you love the most. For senior Nick Marquez, his jewelry is a part of who he is. His jewelry is made up of both new and sentimental pieces. His gold chains are an assortment of sentimental pieces- a pendant of Jesus on the cross that he got from his grandmother when she passed, a chain that he got for his 18^th birthday from his mom and a ring that used to be his grandfather’s.

He wears the same jewelry every day except for his watches – he never wears the same one twice. “Sometimes I choose what watch I want to wear before the outfit,” said Nick. He has a variety of watch styles ranging from sophisticated and classy to fun and intricate watches. His favorite watch? An Invicta Mickey Mouse watch that he got back in 2017 by bidding on it on eBay. It was “the first watch I bought with my first check from my first job” – yet another sentimental piece in his collection.

For me, jewelry is more than just accessories. Most of my pieces are valuable because of the sentiment that comes with them. My earrings were a gift from my parents for my 18^th birthday. I wear two silver chains that I never take off – one with a “V” pendant that I got from my parents on my 21^st birthday and a chain with a Virgen de Guadalupe pendant that I got as a gift from my grandmother for my quinceañera. My rings are another thing that I always have on – two that I got from my grandparents, two others I got from my parents, and a ring that I have that matches with my best friend.

Jewelry can take the most basic outfit and make it look like you put a lot of effort into it. There are many pieces of jewelry that we can put together to look “perfect.” There are different colors and sizes, making the opportunities for how to stack your jewelry endless.