Jewelry is something that’s considered pretty feminine overall, which is a good thing because it’s something smaller to try as you start transitioning and can really change a look. 

I won’t get too much into the aesthetics of it in this post as this is just a guide for buying and especially when buying online, it can be rather difficult to discern what is quality and what isn’t.

The first thing to establish is which of the 3 types of ‘jewelry families’ you want.

There’s

1. Fine jewelry
2. Jewelry*
3. Costume jewelry

1. Fine jewelry is probably what first comes to mind as it’s always made with precious metals like gold and silver, as well as real gemstones. Pieces from here tend to be pricier because of the craftsmanship and materials but will usually be classic things that don’t go out of style because of their intended lifespan (a long time). Keep in mind that fine jewelry doesn’t limit itself to things you can only buy from designer brands at a store, even a plain sterling silver bracelet is considered fine jewelry. Pearls are also fine jewelry, but sometimes they’re not real (if you care about them being real, they’ll usually specify)

2. Regular jewelry* is per my definition is anything that might be a mix of fine jewelry  and costume jewelry. So for example this can include earrings or bracelets that are made of sterling silver but have ‘fake’ gemstones. I often find these are the best ‘bang for your buck’ as you can get silver rings with fake gems for about $20-30.

This category also includes things that are gold plated or just silver all the way through as sometimes brands like to reserve ‘fine jewelry’ for the fancy stuff with real sparkly gemstones, most ‘silver toned’ items in this category won’t be sterling silver but usually stainless steel which I find to be just as nice since you don’t need to worry about the upkeep of the item. This is a category where you want to pay the most attention to the details when buying because you can buy things that look nice out of the box but age poorly due to their materials tarnishing quickly.

3. Lastly, we have costume jewelry. This is basically everything that’s alloy metal or plastic, etc. Your ‘non-precious metals’. Sometimes, like in the case of earrings, the thingy that goes through your ear might still be made of silver as some people are allergic to alloy metals, but will still have plastic for the earring itself like in the case of these lollipop earrings I own. This category also typically includes things like leather and ceramic.

Now let’s move onto how to actually shop.

A lot of the time you’ll find that if jewelry is made of something like stainless steel or silver, it will be clear as day when they try to tell you that. Remember they’re trying to sell you this as a quality product so if there are desirable features to the item, they’ll tell you. 

However, the opposite is also true. If it doesn’t say anything about what the metal or whatever is made of, you can assume it is probably low quality. Alloys tend to tarnish pretty easily and once that happens there isn’t a way to clean it back to its original state like you can with silver. 

Now arguably the most important thing for buying jewelry is, can you actually put it on? This might sound like a stupid question but I would always advise going to a store to try on bracelets and necklaces to see how small of a clasp you’re capable of using. Some clasps are so small it’s ridiculous so keep that in mind when buying things, you don’t want to be like me who wanted a necklace so desperately that I spent $400 on a necklace because it was the only one in the store I was capable of putting on myself. 

On a similar note the same thing goes for bracelets and rings. As you can see with the claps on this bracelet it’s incredibly tiny, the actual mechanism on the claps is literally a millimeter so it’s basically impossible to put on your wrist. Most of us will tend to be larger sizes in these so try them in person to get your proper size before buying online if you can, ring sizers are also available online too I would just get one from a non sketchy source so ensure it’s a standard sizer so it works across multiple brands/places. 

Earrings also have a few different types of backings so if you intend on sleeping with them in because you’re lazy like I am, then keep that in mind. Here are some of the different types of backings/mechanisms you might encounter.

Source: Diamond Buzz

I find anything with a wire to be uncomfortable to sleep with or wear headphones with. Friction back is also called ‘post back’ or ‘butterfly clasp’ which are usually metal but can also come as silicone or something else; they are more comfortable for sleeping which is why your first set of earrings once pierced is usually this type.

Once you have that sorted out you should figure out if you want gold-toned or silver-toned jewelry. Silver-toned includes things like stainless steel and is much more affordable to get something quality compared to gold-toned. Gold toned jewelry looks better on people with dark skin and silver-toned on people with lighter skin because of contrast. This is my opinion though so feel free to do whatever you want 🙂 it’s definitely not a rule.

Gold-toned jewelry tends to tarnish easier in my experience when it isn’t real gold as the alloys are just more prone to corrosion from water or whatever. As I said above, silver-toned includes things like stainless steel which is great because it means you get tons of versatility in what’s available without much of a quality drop. Just always keep in mind about what material is listed on the product, basically: alloys bad, plated is good and sterling silver/stainless steel/solid gold is best

Material care is pretty important when it comes to gold and silver because if you don’t clean them properly you can end up ruining them pretty badly. If you’re new to buying jewelry I’d say just stick with stainless steel at first until you think you’re responsible enough to clean them properly, as silver and gold shouldn’t get wet either since their appearance and shine can change with repeated exposure.

This necklace I bought was silver and it gets tarnished like this within a week or so of wearing it because I also didn’t clean it properly with silver cleaner. Leaving things in the silver cleaning liquid for too long can corrode its protective coating so if you aren’t positive in your ability to follow cleaning instructions, just bring it to a store and they can clean it for you. 

The type of jewelry from the 3 categories (fine, costume and jewelry) should also fit the vibe your outfit. Usually it goes that costume jewelry is fun and playful, regular jewelry is chic and pretty looking and fine jewelry is very feminine and elegant. You can mix and match but it’s always good to have a small variety of each to change up your looks. Colored gemstones are a nice detail you can coordinate their color with when picking your outfit’s colors too!

Looking for ideas on what to buy for jewelry but don’t know what they’re called? Check out the Jewelry section in Vocabulary (link) where I give descriptions on all the styles of jewelry with pictures of what they look like.