Before settling down to consider details of individual jewels, there are two more general aspects of jewelry that may be pondered: the metal and the design. Gold, especially of eighteen karat, has come back into favor. It is extremely becoming to many complexions for wear during the day and, provided that it is set with at least a few diamonds, it is appropriate as well for the more formal jewels of the evening. The whiteness of platinum, however, has made it a more favored setting for diamonds. In this connection the new metal palladium must not be overlooked; its shimmery satin finish makes a superb background for precious stones. It is lighter than platinum. _The Basic Designs_ The most general division of designs distinguishes the ornamental or abstract, and the floral. A tailored type will be drawn to and embellished by the ornamental design. The petite person will find that a flower motif enhances her essential femininity. The sophisticated person may well employ a combination of the ornamental and the floral, seeking style from the ornament, softness and depth from the flower motif. She can venture further, too, toward extremes of style and color. Every piece of jewelry should of course be tried on before it is selected. However well it looks in its individual box, in the arranged setting of the jeweler’s window, or on the velvet cushion in the store, the important question is how it looks upon the one who wears it. It should be tested against the background of a dark dress, in the direct rays of daylight and in the soft artificial light under which it will usually be worn. CHAPTER 5 _The Earclip_ _The Supreme Importance of the Earclip_ Among the various articles of adornment that a woman can acquire, the one that can make the most startling changes in her appearance is the earclip. Properly chosen, earclips can do more to bring out a woman’s best features than any other jewel, and one can play more tricks with a pair of earclips than with one’s make-up. A few generations back, the ears were beneath consideration; that is, they were beneath the hairdo. Daguerreotypes of our grandmothers show coiffures that completely cover the ears. The “problem of the ear lobe,” that least attractive feature of the face, did not arise. But when the horse-and-buggy days were succeeded by our time of streamlined cars and jet planes, hair styles were also streamlined. The contour of the face is thus more fully revealed, and the function of the earclip is to give that contour distinction and style. _Earrings Through the Ages_ In earlier periods when the hair was piled high on the head, or left to flow behind, the earring was also prominent. Indeed, the history of adornment might be summed up in the story of the jeweled appendages attached to the ear.