By Colleen Jurkiewicz OnMilwaukee.com Reporter Published Mar 11, 2013 at 10:02 AM

This spring, it’s all about being bold and mixing it up. Accessories – especially jewelry – are a perfect, easy way to take an old outfit and give it a fresh gloss.

Stella & Dot Independent Star Stylist Aree Wichman recommends getting rid of the winter blahs by being brave with the color, size and texture of your spring jewelry.

"What’s on-trend is bold statement pieces with a great pop of color for spring," she says, adding: "It’s fun to not just go with one theme of metal but to mix it. We do that with ‘arm candy’ – multiple bracelets and layering in terms of necklaces."

And don’t be shy about pairing a funky necklace with an equally expressive outfit.

"It’s funny, because you would think that only bold pieces should be kept on a simple kind of a plain-type of a shirt, but really go for patterns and polka dots and bold and just mix it up," Wichman advises. "Create a statement for yourself. Nine times out of 10 the woman who didn’t think she could do bold ends up loving it and really feels good about herself with her new accessory."

She’s also happy to announce that your grandmother’s rule about never mixing gold and silver is officially defunct. These days, it’s all about the mixed metals.

"Rose gold is really on-trend, but also just mixing the gold and the silver - there’s no exact rule, and it’s always fun to stack and layer, mix and match and just have fun," she says.

Visit Aree Wichman’s website at stelladot.com/aree. She'll be appearing at Karma Bar & Grill, 600 E. Ogden Ave., this Tuesday evening with Stella & Dot VP of Training Danielle Redner, plus other area stylists, to discuss the company's part-time and full-time career opportunities for women looking to make fashion their business. 

And of course, there will be giveaways!

Colleen Jurkiewicz OnMilwaukee.com Reporter

Colleen Jurkiewicz is a Milwaukee native with a degree in English from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, and she loves having a job where she learns something new about the Cream City every day. Her previous incarnations have included stints as a waitress, a barista, a writing tutor, a medical transcriptionist, a freelance journalist, and now this lovely gig at the best online magazine in Milwaukee.