Jewelry Trends at the Met Gala

Forget the Oscars--the biggest fashion night of the year is the annual Met Gala, in which designers, socialites, actors, singers, and models all converge on New York City for the most elegant, most fashionable night of the year. The dresses all come from the world's top designers, and the jewelry all comes from the world's most exclusive jewelry designers. But even though the Met Gala is a night of unattainable fashion for most of us, there were still strong jewelry trends visible on the red carpet, that can be translated into your everyday and special occasion jewelry looks even if you have never even been to a ball.

The Collar Necklace--We've seen this trend on red carpets and runways a lot lately, and for good reason. The collar necklace, a short, heavily embellished necklace that sits right on the collarbone, is a simple and effective way to dress up even the simplest look. For an example, you needn't look any further than the Queen of Fashion herself, Anna Wintour, whose chunky orange topaz collar necklace set off a simple white Prada dress and fur stole. Or look at designer Vera Wang, who dressed up a simple chiffon dress with a statement collar with a large starburst pendant. Actress January Jones, who is always known to make bold red carpet appearances, opted for a vintage-1995 Cartier collar set with turquoise and rose gold, while model Heidi Klum chose a wrapped collar made of a densely woven metal that looked like chain mail.

Double-Drop Earrings -- Move over, diamond studs. There is a new go-to earring in town. Double-drop earrings consist of two similar pieces, with a slightly larger one dangling from the smaller stud. They usually drop about an inch or two from the ear, making them a perfect accessory to any outfit that complements, instead of dominating it. Double-drop earrings can be made of any metal and set with any stone or embellishment. At the Met Gala, we had Girls star Allison Williams and Dee HIlfiger both complementing bright fuchshia dresses with double drop earrings--diamonds for Williams and gorgeous contrasting aquamarine stones for Hilfiger. Parks and Recreation's Amy Poehler also rocked aquamarine double-drop earrings that picked up on her eyes and added a pop of color to her black Fotini dress, while Rosario Dawson used deep blue drops to add interest to her black leather Calvin Klein dress. Some celebrities opted for an oversized version of this style, like Hilary Swank's Fred Leighton earrings and Rashida Jones' disc-shaped drops. But the clear winner in this category was Modern Family star Sofia Vergara, whose sapphire and diamond Harry Winston double drop earrings were the epitome of modern perfection.

Cuff Bracelets - Cuff bracelets have been the number one celebrity jewelry item for a few months now, and the Met Gala was no exception. Ivanka Trump sported an unbelievably opulent diamond-studded cuff--and then explained that it was from her own jewelry line. Up-and-coming teen fashionista Dakota Fanning matched a demure gray Louis Vuitton dress with a vintage-style cuff, while Claire Danes paired a sleek white J. Mendel column with an arm full of diamonds courtesy of Van Cleef and Arpels. Smash star Katherine Mcphee chose a very simple polished yellow gold cuff, while Sofia Vergara went all out with a fabulous Harry Winston diamond-pave cuff bracelet. The only celebrity whose cuff look unfortunately looked a little too much like handcuffs was Sarah Jessica Parker, who’s matching set of yellow gold cuffs worn on top of a printed floral long-sleeved dress looked more than a little dated.