Celebrity stylist and fashion designer Neha Gandhi Binjrajka browses through her Instagram feed and picks five bejewelled looks she loves and tells us the stories behind them.

Sauraseni Maitra and Darshana Banik for an apparel brand

This was a shoot for Pink City. It is an Indo-western ethnic brand. They had come up with these new kaftans and the idea was to style it in a way to make it look fun. This was done for a photo shoot and the idea is to always experiment with jewellery. We could have easily gone with simple hoops or earrings, which would have made it an ordinary look. To take it to the next level and make it look attractive to the eye, we used nose rings. The idea is to know the exact amount of jewellery to use. If we would have used anything more, the kaftan look would have been very Indian.

Rukmini Maitra for an event

The black pant-blouse and ruffle dupatta has been cinched at the waist with a belt. The look is very powerful and with hair and make-up, it was a strong look. The idea is not to overpower the look with jewellery. We had so much drama happening with the eyes and the hair, we just used bold, statement earrings, which balanced the belt and complemented it to make it look elegant and classy.

Rukmini Maitra for a T2 party

This was a look I had styled on Rukmini for a t2 party. I gave her a black Vizyon co-ord set and the theme was bling. So, it was free play for jewellery. The minute you think bling, you think diamonds. It was a no-brainer that we’d be using diamonds for her look. At the same time, just having a shiny outfit is not enough. It is important to accessorise it. With a shiny outfit, you can’t put statement jewellery, but what you can always do is stack it using smaller things. We used multiple bracelets and rings which we stacked on one hand. And, we used a lighter but longer earring. So, nothing very heavy. It is also important to see the kind of hair and make-up you are doing. For the free-flowing look we had given her, it was important to have lighter jewellery to complement it. We used a lot of bling and jewellery... bracelets and rings with gaps... so that a bit of the skin peeps out.

Nibedita Karmakar for a jewellery shoot

This was actually for a jewellery campaign for Zohra. The idea is to underplay the garments and the jewellery is the most important.

Swastika Mukherjee for the Telegraph She Awards

Here she is wearing an Anamika Khanna outfit and the real polki jewellery is from Virrayaa. She had a wide neckline and with something lighter, the whole look would have been underplayed. With this statement piece, the look stands out even more. We have completed it with thin, round earrings. The hairstyle also gave us the opportunity to play around with the earrings.

“You’re not fully dressed until you add a piece of jewellery and some sparkle to it.”

As stylists, this statement is one of the cardinal rules we follow. Jewellery plays a pivotal role in any final look. Minimalistic, stacking, statement — pick the way of styling jewellery always after deciding your outfit. There are times when we want to match our outfits to the jewellery but you should only do that when you have time to sit and explore options, the other way is usually easier. It is important to not overdo or under-do the jewellery. I see brides sometimes cover themselves up with jewellery at their wedding and it overpowers their face and the outfit; it’s very important to know where to stop so that you don’t look like a jewellery shop! A lot of people are not open to experimenting with their outfits but everyone should be open to experimenting with jewellery. They help make the small tweaks that can make your outfit go from nice to WOW! — Neha Gandhi Binjrajka