Often considered the “oldest type of jewelry,” you may have thought brooches were a prehistoric accessory, something that was only worn by ancient royalty – and you may have been right – until now. This season brooches are making a comeback.

All of that being said, I began to think that the most green accessory, ever, was jewelry. Think about it. You would be hard pressed to find it in any landfill, at least intentionally. It gets passed down from generation to generation. It gets redesigned…and every little bit of the parts are treasured and recycled and reworked. Pretty much no part of it is ever wasted! Well, the next time I’m wrestling with picking up another pair of jeans to hang in the closet with the other five pairs I own, I might just do the planet a favor, and buy a fabulous piece of jewelry instead.

And while it certainly can be, the meaning behind a personal piece of jewelry doesn’t have to be that deep. Coco Chanel pinned a white camellia to her lapel simply because it was a flower she loved. According to Chanel’s website, she “adored the camellia for its almost geometrical roundness and the regular perfection and classic order of its pure white petals.” Now a symbol of the French fashion house, the camellia adorns some of the most jaw-dropping pieces of Chanel’s fine-jewelry collection, in the form of rings, pendants, earrings, and watches.

This was the point where I said who cares? I like to wear tons of jewelry. And I receive compliments on my quirky style all the time. People are always coming up and touching my pendant, picking it up, flipping it around in their hands or jangling my heap of bracelets which sounds like a wind chime. I think it’s all in how you wear what you wear, not how much of it are you wearing.

But therein is my dilemma: I’m not really a less-is-more gal. Yes, I am a proponent of easy style and a defender of simple chic; I believe that over-exaggerations in fashion are triumphant on the runway and tragic on the street; and I am wary of the fleeting allure of trends.

For quite some time now, we haven’t been interested in bangles, and guess what, they’re back! With a vengeance! You’re seeing them everywhere. Dressy or casual, they always fit the ticket. Try just one…and you’ll get hooked, before you know it, you too will have an arm full!