How Moving to Portugal Changed My Jewelry Style

Can the place you live change the way you wear jewelry?

I think it can.

When I lived in Saint Petersburg, my jewelry style was very different. The city often felt grey, cold and gloomy, and my jewelry wardrobe reflected that mood. I gravitated toward minimal pieces, muted colors and understated designs.

Then I moved to Portugal. And something changed.

I started noticing how naturally women around me used jewelry to express their personal style. Jewelry wasn't necessarily about following a particular trend or carefully matching every piece to an outfit. It could be colorful, textured, oversized, playful or simply unexpected.

And gradually, my own jewelry style started changing too.

Today, I choose much bolder pieces, brighter colors, more interesting textures and more maximalist combinations.

So what exactly changed?

From minimal jewelry to more expressive pieces

When I look at my old jewelry style, the word I'd use is minimalist. I preferred pieces that were subtle and easy to combine. Jewelry was there, but it rarely became the main character of an outfit.

After moving to Portugal, I became much more comfortable with jewelry that has a stronger visual presence. Larger necklaces. Brighter colors. More noticeable textures. Unusual combinations of materials. 

Instead of asking, “Will this jewelry go with everything?”, I started asking a different question:

“Does this piece express something about my style?”

That small shift completely changed the way I choose jewelry.

Jewelry is a way to communicate personal style

We often talk about personal style through clothes: silhouettes, colors, fabrics, shoes and bags. But jewelry can communicate just as much.

A chunky chain can make a simple outfit feel more architectural. Natural pearls can bring softness and texture. Colorful gemstones can introduce a completely different mood. A statement necklace can turn a very basic outfit into something much more intentional.

This is why I don't think jewelry should always be treated as the final detail you add after getting dressed.

Sometimes, it can be the starting point.

Your environment can influence your style

Moving to another country made me realize how much our surroundings can influence what we consider “normal” or “beautiful.”

We absorb visual references constantly — from the people around us, the colors of the city, the architecture, the climate and the way people dress.

You don't necessarily notice it happening.

Until one day you look at your jewelry collection and realize that it no longer looks like the collection you had a few years ago.

For me, moving from Saint Petersburg to Portugal was part of that transformation. My style became more colorful, more tactile and more maximalist. But I don't think this means that everyone who moves to Portugal will suddenly want to wear bigger jewelry. The more interesting lesson is that personal style is not fixed.

It evolves as you do.

How to express your personal style through jewelry

If you're trying to understand your own jewelry style, you don't necessarily need to start by following jewelry trends.

Instead, try asking yourself a few questions:

1. What do I want my jewelry to communicate?

Do you want it to feel feminine, minimal, dramatic, playful, artistic, elegant or unconventional?

2. Which textures attract you?

Do you prefer smooth metal, natural pearls, irregular stones, chains, sculptural shapes or a combination of different textures?

3. How much visual presence feels right for you?

Some people feel most themselves in tiny earrings and a delicate chain. Others come alive when they put on a dramatic necklace.

Neither approach is more correct.

4. What has changed in your style recently?

Sometimes the easiest way to discover your current style is to compare what you wear now with what you wore three or five years ago.

You might be surprised.

Jewelry doesn't have to match everything

One of the biggest changes in my own approach was becoming less concerned with whether a piece could work with every outfit. A piece doesn't have to be universally practical to be valuable.

Sometimes the most memorable jewelry is the piece that works perfectly with you — even if it doesn't work with everything in your wardrobe. That's where contrast can become interesting. A bold necklace with a simple shirt. Colorful stones with neutral clothing. A sculptural piece with a soft, feminine dress. Pearls with industrial-looking metal. The combination doesn't have to be predictable.

It just needs to feel intentional.

Your jewelry style can evolve with you

Today, my jewelry is much more expressive than it used to be. I wear larger pieces, brighter colors, stronger textures and more maximalist combinations. And I think that change reflects more than just a change in taste. It reflects a change in how I see jewelry itself.

I no longer see it simply as something that completes an outfit. I see it as a way to communicate personality, mood and individuality. And that's one of the reasons I created Transformer Jewelry.

My designs combine natural materials such as pearls and stones with steel, chains and transformable elements, allowing one piece to be styled in different ways. The idea is not to prescribe one “correct” way to wear jewelry, but to give you more freedom to express your own style.

How to find jewelry that feels like you

If you're still trying to figure out what your personal jewelry style actually is, start by looking at what you naturally gravitate toward.

Save images of jewelry you love. Notice recurring colors, materials, shapes and proportions. Look at the pieces you wear most often — and the pieces that always stay in your jewelry box.

And if you want a more personalized approach, The Stylist's Edit Box was created for exactly this kind of discovery. Instead of receiving a random piece of jewelry, you get a personally curated selection based on your features, proportions and everyday style, together with an expert styling guide. 

Explore The Stylist’s Edit Box

Because finding your jewelry style isn't really about choosing between “minimalist” and “maximalist.” It's about discovering what feels like you now.

And that can change.