Jewellery lovers may be attracted to handmade gemstone necklaces yet may hesitate to wear them because they are unsure how to style them. They may then prefer to play it safe with a simple gold or silver chain with a discreet pendant instead.

Yet handmade stone necklaces offer something rather different. Through their combination of colour, texture, form and natural materials, plus design, they can bring individuality and character to an outfit in a way that is difficult to replicate with other kinds of mass-produced jewellery. Many may also be one-of-a-kind, making them distinctive means of personal expression.

As someone who has long loved wearing handmade gemstone necklaces, and now designs them, I would like to share my insights about styling and wearing handmade stone necklaces.

There are some practical considerations for you to keep in mind if starting out on acquiring or wearing beaded gemstone necklaces, and I would list these as: length of necklace, bead size, weight of necklace, and what activities you might be engaged in while wearing the necklace.

In our Manik shop, the necklaces fall into three lengths – short, from 46 cm (18”) to 51 cm (20”), medium, from 53 cm (21”) to 58 cm (23”) and long, 61 cm (24”) to mostly 69 cm (27”). A few may go up to 76 cm (30”). These would also be the approximate lengths of most other beaded gemstone necklaces out there.

A 46 cm (18”) necklace would sit comfortably at the base of most necks, while a 53 cm (21”) necklace would fall within your decolletage, though where exactly, would depend on your height. At 58 cm (23”), the necklace lies above your breast, though it may be higher up or lower down, again depending on your height. A 69 cm necklace would lie between your breasts.

What is your preference? There is no right or wrong length for a necklace - it depends on what you feel comfortable with, your personal style. You may also like different lengths for different occasions and with different clothes! However, this brings me to the point of what you would be doing while wearing the necklaces – if you are a parent with a toddler, you may prefer a shorter necklace simply because it is less likely to be grabbed. And if you are bending and moving frequently, know that the long necklace could be swinging around quite a lot, which is fine if you don’t mind it, but if that bothers you, perhaps a medium length necklace might suit better? So, lifestyle factors may influence what you choose to wear.


There is also the matter of collars or necklines, and which length goes better with your outfits. You do want your necklace to have space to be seen, so if you lean towards U shaped necklines, a medium length necklace would be nicely framed. A crew neck is fine for most lengths of necklaces. If you wear shirt collars, a shorter necklace sitting inside the collar works. But if you prefer a longer length, then remember to make allowance for the fabric of the collar, so that the necklace does not feel too short in front.

Next, bead size. Our Manik necklaces, for example, seldom use beads smaller than 12 mm because I do prefer bigger beads for presence, and because most of our necklaces are generally meant to be worn singly. The round blue and purple chalcedony beads in our necklace One Year On (in our shop) are 12 and 15 mm respectively. But if you like the idea of layering several necklaces, then smaller beads work. Then there is also the matter of weight – gemstone beads can vary in weight – amber can be very light, while others such as malachite, turquoise, etc. can be heavier. So for our necklaces using heavier beads such as the pieces of ruby zoisite and amethyst in the necklace called Contrast, or the big rhodonite and rose quartz in Audacious in Pink (both in our shop), I make them short. Are you open to bigger beads, or would you like them more discreet?

Another thing to think about – what kind of gemstone beads do you lean towards? Do you prefer stone beads that are more translucent, as in our Manik necklaces, Chill, or One Year On, or Smoke & Ice, or those that are more opaque, such as in Earthbound, Topography, Gilded Grove? Sometimes, necklaces may have a mix of both of course.

Perhaps you may have heard the comments that handmade gemstone necklaces are only meant for special occasions, that statement necklace are flashy, and that smaller women should wear smaller necklaces? I want to debunk these myths. You really can wear handmade stone necklaces any time, all the time, just as you would other jewellery, and women do! A string of pearls can be stylishly worn with a tee and jeans. Sometimes the most interesting combinations come from contrast. And you could certainly wear a handmade stone necklace to work, for a meeting with your kid’s teacher, for a concert, to the supermarket, to a party, for a picnic, though perhaps different ones.

Not all statement gemstone necklaces are flashy either – our necklace Painterly for example (sold, but photos are in the shop), is a dreamy but characterful piece in muted greys. And ditto Renewal (sold), of cornflower blue vintage agate and silver beads, distinctive yet elegant. There are various styles of handmade gemstone necklaces, a point I’ll come back to later.

As for the advice that smaller sized women should stick to smaller jewellery – not at all! I am small-sized, but I often wear necklaces that feature substantial stones. On paper they may seem oversized for me, yet in practice, they feel and look entirely natural because they reflect my aesthetic preferences and personality. I often get strangers stopping me to say how much they like what I am wearing. So don’t let your size stop you, if you like the idea of wearing beaded necklaces with bigger stones.

Forget rigid styling rules – they can be useful starting points but are not commandments. Consider your own personality and preferences. Some people prefer bold pieces, others may prefer quieter forms of expression. Or you may have different tastes in jewellery for different parts of your life, preferring elegance and sophistication at work, and expressing yourself more boldly out of office

This brings me to the final point I wish to make about the wearing of handmade gemstone necklaces. Design matters as much as materials. This is particularly so for artisan handmade gemstone necklaces. You should be paying the price not just for the beads (although the stones and the quality of the stones matter of course) but also for the overall look and feel, the artistry of the design.

What is your style preference – do you prefer a clean visual flow and architectural forms, symmetry or asymmetry, a more timeless, elegant look with quieter colours, or something bolder and more expressive, with bigger bead scale? Or perhaps you are looking for more heritage-inspired pieces, and pieces that feel more fun and organic? Knowing all this would help you to make more thoughtful choices, leading to purchases that you could wear over and over again.


Different necklaces can create different effects, and for our Manik necklaces I have come up with a soft taxonomy of five different style families: the contemporary sculpturals, the refined classics, the bold expressions, the heritage-inspired, and the curated casuals. The necklaces called Chill, Cubes and Orbs, Splash, Pale Cadence (all in our shop), Painterly (sold) all belong to the contemporary sculptural family, while Renewal and Luminous (both sold) as well as Earthbound and others are refined classics. Ten Stones (sold), Contrast, and Audacious in Pink
(in the picture of this article) are bold expressions. The necklaces in our Manik shop can give you an idea of how the designs can be differentiated, and if interested in finding out more about necklace design, please browse our blog article “The Style Families of Manik’s Necklaces” as well as ”Manik’s necklaces and Personal Styles” There is no right or wrong in choosing a particular style in handmade stone necklace – go for something that you feel expresses you, or that you are drawn to. Or if you would like to explore a style that you have secretly yearned to try out, please do. Wear what you choose with confidence and authority. Express yourself in your glorious individuality😊!