An Anklet Can Be the Finishing Touch on the Perfect Outfit

When most people think of jewelry, they tend to focus on rings, earrings or necklaces. While these items count for most forms of accessories, they forget one worth mentioning. We are of course talking about anklets. This little trinket that fits around the ankle is the perfect way of adding an extra bit of flare and style to an ensemble.

If you are curious why one little accent can have utility, the trick is in the sheer variety of anklets you can find, or make if you happen to be canny or thrifty enough to create your own style pieces. This article is concerned with highlighting all of your options when it comes to finding the perfect anklet and will serve as a showcase of all of the materials and designs available to the discerning customer. Even if you have material allergies, that is no barrier for the perfect anklet.

Metal Anklet Styles and Materials

There’s a lot of things which are commonly used to make a beautiful anklet in one of the many styles that it can be cast into. Some of the best ones include: 

• Gold. The earliest evidence of gold jewelry goes all the way back to 4,000 BCE. Gold is great to contrast with whites or primary colors.
• Silver. Silver has enjoyed just as prestigious a time in jewelry as gold. Unlike gold, silver works best to contrast with dark colors and blacks.
• Platinum. If you want an anklet that lasts forever without much damage to show on it, platinum is ideal. Platinum is highly non-reactive and also quite resilient to corrosion and tarnishing. Platinum was especially prominent as a material in jewelry around the end of the 20th Century, with some vendors marketing it as the "new gold." Despite this nickname, platinum's name is derived from a Spanish phrase for "little silver."
• Titanium. This is another notable material for jewelry because it is incredibly durable.
• Stainless Steel. This durable and anti-corrosive material is commonly found in pieces marketed to men.

These metals might be used in one of different styles. A flexible anklet is a chain that is one of the most common forms of flexible anklets. One variety common to performers like belly dancers is lined with bells that jingle with the performer's movements. An inflexible anklet is basically a rigid piece of metal shaped into a band to fit around the ankle. This sort of anklet may either be entirely metal or a composite piece of metal and other materials. A linked pair is a kind of anklet consisting of a matching pair of anklets tethered by a chain or other flexible material. The reasoning for the tether is so that the wearer's gait can be limited.

Natural Fibers and Bead Anklet Styles and Materials

While metals are popular, there are plenty of anklets made of flexible fibers or other natural products. In some cases, beads are used in the anklet. 

• Obsidian. This is a form of jet-black glass that is left behind after volcanic activity.
• Leather. Humans have been fashioning attire out of leather since we encountered the cow. Leather is possibly one of the classiest natural materials that you can find for an anklet due to the variety of treatments in tanning and curing. One last but crucial note for the stylishly inclined is that leather can be dyed, affording a great deal of flexibility in outfit types if you happen to favor it in your ensembles.
• Rubber. While rubber anklets are slightly more costly than plastic ones, rubber is more durable than plastic and less likely to chip or break. Rubber is also a tad heavier if you favor weighty accessories.
• Beads. Bead anklets are chiefly comprised of three components. The beading is individual spherical or hemispherical trinkets. Beads can be made of all sorts of material, be it plastic, resin, glass, bone, coral, wood, or even amber. Space bars are sandwiched between individual beads and break up the aesthetic by being made distinctly different from the beads. The banding is a piece of material that forms the skeleton that all of the beads and space bars are threaded through.