Making Career-Style Jewelry

Summer is almost gone, and that means vacation time for many of us is at an end. It's back to the regular work-grind. For my "day job," I'm a teacher, and though I have been teaching summer classes, it has been a much more casual atmosphere at school since so many people take time off during the summer, but that will be changing very quickly.

Along with meetings and administrative stuff that takes time away from my classroom duties, I also have to start being more aware of what I wear: suits, pantyhose, high heels (or at least kitten-heels which are as high as I can handle). And, this also includes careful consideration of the jewelry I wear. Since most people know I make jewelry, they often give it a quick inspection when they see me. The school I work at is very conservative, so while I am known as artsy/crafty, I have to still stay within certain boundaries when it comes to my appearance.

So, what do you do when you want to make and wear artistic jewelry but you have to be careful that you don't cross a certain line? Here are a few ideas for you:

• Updated Classic Pearl Earrings (pictured above)
• Woven Pearl Bracelet
• Mansfield Park Earrings

Pearl jewelry offers you a way to stick to the classics but still add a little something extra. I have a lot of other pearl jewelry projects. Most are fine "as is," but you can always tone-down a design. For example, with my Swarovski Pearl Glam Earrings, you can also make them just a little shorter and still get some glam without crossing the line.