Jewelry for
the Not So "Average"

"Venus" heart charm from Corazon Latino.

The thing is, how many of us are actually "average"? Not many.

This means there is a real opportunity for small, flexible businesses to meet the needs of customers looking for jewellery that actually suits their physique.

"Thalassa" silver bracelet from Corazon Latino.

The first thing you have to do is to understand size and scale in jewellery. When I launched Corazon Latino, I was lucky enough to be working with my sister who is at the petite end of the scale at a lithe size 2-4, whilst I was at the plus end of the scale at a size 12. While we were trying designs, we made some interesting discoveries:

First of all, clothes size has no bearing whatsoever on wrist or neck size until you get to the very far ends of the spectrum - and even then, only marginally.

My sister and I have wrists and necks that are only 1” different in size despite being 3-4 dress sizes apart. At the same time, we have friends who are even smaller than my sister with wrists up to 2 inches bigger.

So if you are designing jewellery you need to understand the commonly occurring wrist and neck sizes.

"Larissa" crystal leaf silver necklace from Corazon Latino.

Secondly, scale is far more important than size. You need to make sure you provide a range of jewellery that offers customers both bold and dainty pieces. If you don’t, you risk missing a large segment of the market.

Then, you need to look at the style of pieces you offer. Bangles and chokers are a good choice. They can always be adjusted slightly to fit (although customers should only open or close this once to avoid damaging the metal).

Bracelets are more difficult as they are rarely adjustable. So the trick is to go for a good mid-range size that will fit most wrists and offer variations in scale and impact. Another option is to offer elasticated pieces. These are not only flexible in terms of size, but they are also easy to wear (but make sure you use high strength elastic to ensure the bracelets are robust enough to survive the wear and tear most people put them through).

Necklaces also need to be flexible. There are a couple of options you can try.

Firstly you can offer necklaces in several lengths (but this means more stock holding).

Secondly, if you have the facilities, you can offer to tailor your necklaces, adjusting sizes to specific customer orders. It’s time consuming, but a superb service if you can do it.

The easiest option is to offer your necklaces in a practical length, which can then be long on a petite frame or a shorter choker length of a bigger build.

You can also offer exceptional lengths on a made to measure basis but you must explain to your customers the time and on-cost associated with this.

To give you an idea of what is possible, here are the top 10 pieces in the Corazon Latino range to suit a Petite or Plus size build:

"Phoebe" silver bangle from Corazon Latino -
a favorite of petite-size customers.

1. Cressida Silver Bangle – A simple silver bangle with a twist at the centre. Plain, understated and elegant.


2. Helene Silver Bracelet – A dainty, elasticated bracelet. Only 0.6” wide. Designed to fit wrist from 6 to 8” around.


3. Larissa Crystal Leaf – A dainty Swarovski crystal leaf with a single silver bead on black suede.


4. Phoebe Silver Bangle – A heavyweight piece but with a small diameter that works best on wrists under 6.5”. Dainty enough to look good on the most petite figure.


5. Mercury Silver Necklace – A silver droplet on a simple black suede cord. Dainty enough not to overpower, but big enough to make an impact.


6. Catharina Silver Necklace – A very contemporary design. Spiky and eye catching, but fine enough not to swamp a smaller figure. Matching necklace and earrings also available. Fits wrists 6-7.5”


7. Delphinus Silver Bracelet – This row of little silver fishes is a charming bracelet. Ideal for teenagers, or more petite wrists.


8. Naiad Silver Earrings – If dangly earrings don’t work for you, then these pretty studs are ideal.


9. Alexandra Silver Bracelet – This is a dainty, silver sweetie bracelet. Pretty silver beads and textured rings on a strong elastic wire. Designed to fit wrists from 5.5 to 7.5” around.


10. Dorado Amber Pendant – If you like our amazing handmade amber pendants, but find the other a little too busy for your small build, then the Dorado is perfect for you. Available in 3 lovely colours (honey, milky and pale green) and only 1.6x2.4”.

"Caliban" silver pendant from Corazon Latino -
a favorite of plus-size customers.

1. Jupiter Silver Necklace – A big bold beaten silver disc on black leather with unusual oval shaped beads.


2. Pandora Silver Bangle – A big silver cuff with a twisting almost organic shape. This works for wrists from 6 to 8” around, and is big enough to look good on bigger boned frames.


3. Himalia Elasticated Silver Bracelet – Ideal for all wrists sizes with its strong elasticated base. The Himalia will stretch to fit wrists from 6 to 8” around. If you want a really big impact wear 2 together to create a 2” wide cuff.


4. Galatea Silver Choker & Bracelet. The choker is big enough to sit on the collarbones of the petite, but form a lovely choker on bigger frames. The bracelet has been specifically designed for a bigger wrist, looking best on 6.5 – 8.5” wrists.


5. Thalassa Silver Bracelet – Big bold retro squares. Designed to make a real statement. This works on 6 to 8” wrists.


6. Caliban Amber Pendant – This stunning handmade pendant is made from natural Baltic amber, hand wrapped in a beautiful silver cage. Each one is slightly different, but they tend be around 2x3” in total, guaranteeing a big impact.


7. Cybele Amber Pendant – Another of our exclusive amber pendants. Like the Caliban each one is unique and comes in 3 stunning natural colours. Over 3” long, it is a stunning piece.


8. Cassiopeia Silver Necklace – A beautiful necklace with clusters of silver beads strung along a handmade silver chain. Big and bold, for maximum sparkle. BUT beware. It is only 16.3” long, so if your physique comes with a wider neck, this may be too tight.


9. Antares Silver Bracelet – A sparkling silver bracelet made of 3 interlocking rows of textured rings. A little bigger than our standard bracelet size. This fits wrists between 6 and 8” around.


10. Massalia Silver earrings – At nearly 4.5” long from the top of the loop to the end of this string of dainty silver leaves, this is the perfect set of earrings for the taller woman.

"Massala" silver earrings from Corazon Latino -
a favorite of plus-size customers.

For me, the key to successfully catering to the not so average is to offer variety, flexibility and to clearly communicate the dimensions of your jewellery to your customers so they can make the best possible choice for themselves.

Author Catherine D'Arcy is the founder of Corazon Latino ("Latin Heart"), an online retailer selling handmade silver jewellery. The range is designed and developed by Catherine, working with skilled silversmiths in Latin America and Eastern Europe.

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