The Perfect Jewelry for Your Winter Wardrobe

Having lived in the Northeast for a decade, I can confidently say that for much of the country, winter is a bummer. Getting dressed becomes a daily exercise in endurance: layering, bundling, wrapping oneself like a modern-day mummy. Lips stay cracked for months, and wind-blown earaches become routine.  

In New Orleans, bone chilling cold comprises about 5% of our annual weather, keeping winter a festive novelty. So, the idea of an icy existence is largely left to our imagination. As a child, I encountered winter only through books and fantasy. I imagined a glamorous frozen world, with a wardrobe worthy of Jadis the White Witch in “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.” I roamed frost-kissed mountains draped in polar bear pelts, wearing a sparkling icicle crown. My magical, foggy breath might meander through the air every time I sang a wintery tune. It turns out, that’s not really how it goes down. 

Those fantasies may belong to fiction, but today’s most beautiful winter-conjuring jewelry is very much for real. There are snowflake-inspired diamonds and prismatic aquamarines, sapphires so icy that you’ll imagine you’re on a run down the Swiss Alps. You can practically hear the howl of winter winds when you put them on. Sure, us deep southerners may not get to sport fur hats or boast cherry cold-flushed cheeks, but we always have jewelry. 

Illustration by Leo and Diane Dillon for the Lion, Witch and The Wardrobe  

Eye Of Horus Ring, Porter Lyons
Louis Comfort Tiffany Yogo Sapphire And Diamond Necklace, M.S. Rau
Vine Ring, Pilot/Powell
ANTIQUE DIAMOND FLOWER EARRINGS, FRIEND & CO 
ANTIQUE 18K WHITE GOLD AQUAMARINE SAPPHIRE DIAMOND RING, FRIEND & CO 
Sculpted Cable Bracelet in 18K Yellow Gold with Diamonds, 8.5mm, Lee Michaels 
18K WHITE GOLD PEAR AQUAMARINE AND DIAMOND DROP EARRINGS, Jack Sutton 

Diamond and White Gold Earrings, Aucoin Hart 
Longines Dolce Vita Watch, Boudreaux’s Jewelers
Invisible Set Sapphire Necklace, 100.00 Carats, M.S. Rau
5.00CTW DIAMOND PAVE’ BAMBOO 3 ROW RING, Jack Sutton 
Aquamarine Ripple Pinky Ring, Pilot/Powell
7.93 Carat Oval Sapphire & Diamond Ring In 14 Kt Yellow Gold, Wellington & Co 
14K White Gold, London Blue Topaz & 0.01 TCW Diamond Stud Earrings, Saks Fifth Avenue 

Sale & Event Picks: 

Jan. 29 (5-9 p.m.): The Closet Opening Party, The Closet By Saint Claude Social Club 

Through Jan. 29: Blow Out Sale, Ballin’s  (2917 Magazine Street) 

Jan. 31 (8 a.m. – 1 p.m.): Tag Sale, Side Haul  

Feb. 6-15: Mardi Gras Market, The Chloe