What Jewellery Should You Wear on Holiday? A Guide to Holiday Jewellery

Holiday jewellery has a slightly different job to do.

It comes with you from slow mornings to dinners that stretch into the evening, from the sea to somewhere you dressed up for simply because you could. The best pieces are the ones that make a small holiday wardrobe feel different every time you wear it.

So, what jewellery should you actually take on holiday? We would choose a small collection of pieces with colour, character and enough versatility to move between the moments you have planned — and the ones you haven't.

What jewellery should you take on holiday?

Rather than packing an entire jewellery box, start with a few pieces that can change the feeling of an outfit.

A pair of statement earrings, one beautiful necklace, a sculptural ring and something with colour can take you surprisingly far.

Our Holiday Jewellery Edit brings together pieces chosen with holidays, dinners and occasion dressing in mind.

Choose jewellery that brings colour to simple clothes

Holiday wardrobes often revolve around pieces that are easy to wear — linen, white dresses, neutral separates and uncomplicated evening looks.

That makes jewellery one of the easiest places to introduce colour.

Ocean-blue mother of pearl, turquoise and colourful gemstones can transform an otherwise simple outfit without requiring much styling around them.

Explore our Gemstone Jewellery for pieces shaped around colour, or discover luminous shell in our Mother of Pearl Jewellery collection.

Sea-inspired jewellery belongs particularly well on holiday

Shells, pearls and ocean colour have an obvious connection to summer, but sea-inspired jewellery does not need to feel novelty or overly literal.

A sculptural shell in warm gold can work with an evening dress just as easily as it can with something worn beside the coast. Blue mother of pearl brings the colour of the water into a look without needing everything else to match.

Wander through The Shore for our sea and ocean-inspired jewellery, or read our guide to styling sea-inspired jewellery for more ideas.

Pack one pair of statement earrings

If luggage space is limited, earrings can do a remarkable amount of work.

A stronger pair can turn a simple dress into an evening look without needing a necklace, bracelet and rings alongside it.

Look for interesting shapes, pearls, shell details or colour — something that can become the focal point rather than simply filling a space.

Explore our Earrings for pieces made for exactly those kinds of moments.

Take something for dinners and occasions

Holidays often contain at least one evening that asks for a little more: a beautiful restaurant, a celebration, a wedding abroad or simply somewhere you have been looking forward to going.

This is where a statement ring, pearl earring or more sculptural necklace earns its place in your suitcase.

You do not need to save occasion jewellery only for formal events. Sometimes being somewhere beautiful is reason enough to wear it.

What about pearl jewellery on holiday?

Pearls work particularly beautifully on holiday because they can move between daytime and evening without feeling out of place.

Worn with linen or a simple white dress, they can feel soft and relaxed. Set into sculptural gold or worn as statement earrings, they can become something entirely different after dark.

Discover our White Pearl Jewellery or explore The Tide for pieces inspired by pearls, water and the movement of the sea.

Should you wear jewellery in the pool or sea?

Always consider both the metal and any natural materials within a piece.

Parisa's PVD-plated stainless steel pieces are selected for their durability and resistance to water and everyday wear. Pieces containing natural materials such as mother of pearl, however, deserve a little more care.

Chlorinated pools, salt water, sunscreen and other products can be harder on natural materials, so removing those pieces before swimming is the gentler choice.

If you're travelling with mother of pearl, our guide to caring for mother of pearl jewellery explains this in more detail.

How to pack jewellery for a holiday

Keep chains fastened before packing them and give pieces their own small compartments where possible. This helps prevent necklaces from tangling and harder pieces from rubbing against more delicate surfaces.

For natural pearls and mother of pearl, keeping them away from abrasive jewellery while travelling is particularly worthwhile.

A little gold for somewhere else

The jewellery you take away often becomes attached to the place where you wore it.

A shell necklace from one dinner. Blue earrings from somewhere beside the water. A ring that appears in every photograph from the trip.

Perhaps that is why choosing holiday jewellery is about more than finding pieces that pack easily. Choose the ones you would like to bring home with a memory attached.