Scott and I are getting ready for a weekend away. We’ll (hopefully) see the sun, eat great food, and peruse booths filled with beautiful, custom JEWELRY!

I know, rough life.

But, as many of you already know, business trips aren’t as glamorous as they sound. Sure, the location is wonderful. Heck, just seeing grass instead of snow and ice is a plus in January! But when Scott and I go to jewelry trade shows, We Work.

Which brings up the age-old dilemma: What kinds of jewelry should you pack (and how to pack it), for a business trip? Scott’s Custom Jewelers has you covered.

The right accessories can help you create more outfits with fewer clothes. And let’s face it, woman live in mix-and-match black. So your jewelry choices can help you personalize your look and take up next to no space in your luggage.

Here’s some of my fail-safe tips on jewelry choices for business travel.

• Skip the fussy pieces. Stiff collars-style necklaces can get damaged in your suitcases. Same with ornate bib necklaces. They tend to tangle. Instead, go for a few statement pendants that can morph from a casual vibe when worn with a leather cord, to OH WOW! when worn on a fancier chain.

• Next, grab some studs. And I mean the jewelry kind! Stud earrings are a great way to make an outfit look finished but not fussy, which is exactly what you wear to meetings. I love to bring pearl studs in the summer, because they look amazing against tan skin. But of course, diamonds go with everything!

• Don’t forget your dangle earrings! I usually pack a few fun, funky pieces in sterling silver. If the business trip includes cocktail hours, a sparkly pair of hoops is also a must.

• A sure fire way to change up an outfit is an armful of bracelets. Pile them on, and your little black dress is complete. Wear just a single bracelet for meetings so the clacking isn’t distracting. And here’s the great thing about jewelry fashion:  You can mix your costume jewelry with your “real” bracelets. The more the merrier!

• What about rings? In addition to my amazing custom wedding ring  (thank you hubby), I always pack a few others. For sure, I take my sterling silver hammered ring. It’s looks great for casual affairs. And colored gemstone rings can be just the pop of color that brings your outfits together.

• Now – how to pack it all up. I don’t use a fancy shmancy travel jewelry case. Yes, that’s a Crown Royal bag. No judgment. Instead, I use small baggies (I’ll give you some – ask me next time you’re in the store) and pack them up individually. The bags protect the jewelry from scratches. For extra protection, I stick the Crown Royal bag in my shoe.

I always say, the right jewelry can make your outfit. And they always fit!

When our customers go on an exotic vacation, we always tell them to buy that jewelry souvenir, but don’t spend a lot of money on it. Just in case…

Well, we need to start following our own advise!

While walking the streets of playa del Carmen, trying NOT to get assaulted by the street vendors, we wandered into a cute little jewelry store. It was filled with leather wallets, “handcrafted” pottery (stamped Made in China!), and, of course, lots of jewelry.

We decided that we wanted to get matching sterling silver bracelets to remember our trip. (I know, kind of hokey, but there was a lot of tequila flowing that week!)

Right off the bat, we told the store owner that we too, were jewelers. And that we ONLY wanted to see jewelry stamped 925 (which means pure sterling silver in the international world, not plated, costume pieces). We were so smug.

So Mr. Mexican Jewelry Store Owner started pulling out “the good stuff” from under the counter. We sorted through a ton of bracelets until we found a pair that looked unisex. The geometric, linked style also reminded us of Mexico and the Aztec influence. We loved them.

The bracelets were clearly stamped to be sterling silver – we even used a jeweler’s loupe to examine them. They also felt heavy like sterling silver should be for bracelets of that size. And, they weren’t magnetic – a SURE sign that they could be costume jewelry. We were not only smug, but smart!

The only trouble was that Scott’s bracelet was a tad to small. But, Mr. Mexican Jewelry Store Owner had a fabulous solution: he could cut off a link from a third bracelet and, since we were jewelers, we could attach it ourselves when we returned to the States. Awesome idea.

So we started negotiating. We weighed the bracelets, and, knowing the price per gram of sterling silver, made an offer which we felt was fair, but also a great deal for us.

Mr. Mexican Jewelry Store Owner and Scott went back and forth, until they finally settled on $300 AND a glass tequila bottle and matching shot glass set thrown in for free. Cash.

Note to self: never pay cash out of the country.

We were thrilled. We spent the rest of our trip relaxing, laughing and playing in the beautiful sunshine.

And when we went home (to 2′ of new snow), we excitedly told our staff about our great deal on matching bracelets. Jon, our talented bench jeweler, said he could put Scott’s bracelet back together right then.

All that had to be done was to solder (that’s using a torch to join 2 pieces of metal together) the new link onto the bracelet. Except, when he heated the piece up, ALL OF THE SILVER COATING MELTED OFF!

WTH?

It was fake. A good fake, but completely and professionally counterfeit. The sterling silver bracelet was actually a copper bracelet heavily plated with silver – worth $10 tops. It was made especially to fool tourists into thinking it was sterling silver and worth a bigger price tag. We were duped.

And since we paid cash, there was no recourse from the credit card company. We couldn’t even file a claim against the store.

We were initially very upset, then embarrassed. I’m sure Mr. Mexican Jewelry Store Owner was laughing all the way to the bank about the “jewelry store owners who were fooled by his cheap jewelry.” It stung.

So, what are we going to do? Well, since we’re custom jewelers – we’re going to recreate the bracelets with our CAD technology out of real sterling silver! And, we’re going to go back to Mexico and … lay in the sun! Life’s too short to hold a grudge!