to better reflect the economic climate, consumers are busy looking for the next piece to complete their stack.  Mixing and matching  “Accessories and jewellery are the easiest way to update any outfit, they offer versatility and the opportunity to experiment with different aesthetics without changing your whole look,” Fabienne McCreary, women’s fashion buyer at Incu, told Inside Retail. Earring, bracelet, ring and necklace stacking is a tradition taken from ancient cultures and has been popularised again by fashion influencers. “I think the beauty of this type of jewellery is that customers can essentially create their own piece by stacking and mix and matching between styles and brands,” said McCreary. “With the cost of living at an all time high, consumers are looking for easy ways to get their retail fix and update their wardrobes without having to invest too much. Jewellery is the perfect way to do this,” concluded McCreary. There are many designers who are capitalising on the collectors approach to jewellery by releasing limited edition collections, surprise drops and unexpected collaborations such as Anna Lu, Crystal Haze, Mejuri and now Incu themselves. “Our newest drop from Incu Jewellery features resin charms that  you can mix/match and stack onto your hoops to create your own look,” said McCreary. “I think there will always be a customer who wants a more understated minimal piece, however, we have definitely seen an increase in demand for more playful designs in a mixture of resin, acrylic and pearl,” she added. Designing for meaning Charlotte Blakeney’s jewellery brand By Charlotte earned a name for itself with its best-selling lotus necklace which was born out of her search for self-discovery and transformation. “Stacking earrings has become so core to the brand. We even have an ear-piercing stylist at our Piercing Studio who helps customers to create their own custom earscapes,” Blakeney told Inside Retail. “I love seeing the customer be creative with how they wear our pieces, either layering them with our other jewels or those from other jewellery brands,” said Blakeney. The By Charlotte’s brand is renowned for creating and curating collections that compliment its existing pieces so consumers can thoughtfully collect over time. “When designing, we always think about which pieces from our existing collection it would look beautiful with. If it doesn’t fit, we often take it as an opportunity to design a new piece to match,” said Blakeney. The founder sees her personal  jewellery collection as a curation of keepsakes symbolising her most precious memories which heavily informs her design process. “To me, ‘meaningful jewellery’ signifies personalisation and connection to the wearer – whether through gemstones, symbols, mantras or customisation, meaningful jewellery transcends aesthetic value, resonating with the wearer on a deeper level,” concluded Blakeney. When classic prevails  Jordan Cullen, founder of Cullen Jewellery which specialises in lab grown gemstones, told Inside Retail that when it comes to fashion jewellery “there’s a lot of experimentation that people are doing”. “For fashion jewellery and more bespoke jewellery we’re seeing a lot of interest in more alternative styles whether that be coloured or different shapes,” he added.  Cullen Jewellery’s ‘fashion jewellery’ and ‘for self’ collections are very playful and experimental in design, however, consumers look for the tried and true when it comes to engagement rings and wedding bands. “We find that there is quite a lot of consistency in the jewellery industry from an engagement perspective,” said Cullen. “People are interested theoretically in things that are quite out there but when it comes to the final decision, often our consumers choose something that they are always going to like and steer clear of something that’s going to be a trend,” he added.