Taylor Swift's jewelry scored a hit at last night's County Music Association Awards, where she became the youngest person ever to be named Entertainer of the Year. Faith Hill looked fantastic in long diamond ropes from Neil Lane, and Nicole Kidman chose a classic pair of diamond hoop pendant earrings. Reba McEntire went trendy with a wide black bracelet packed with dangling chains.

The misses have to include Michelle Branch, whose massive bib necklace looked out of place against her gown and petite frame.

_{Photo by Frederick Breedon/Getty Images}

It takes just a few words to describe the most popular fall and winter jewelry trends: richly colored, textured and asymmetrical.  Wooden bangles and beads remain popular, and many have noticeable grain lines or metal embellishments. Stacked bracelets and multi-chain necklaces are still trendy, but the newest looks aren't quite as massive or convoluted as we've seen in the past few years.

Look for components made from hammered metal, like Anthropologie's Undulating Orbit hoops (above). All-metal jewelry is hot, and much of it is fashioned from metals that range in color from pinks to deep gold. More Jewelry Trends

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That's what it seems like Jennie Lorette Keatts does with her unique, handcrafted pottery stones and beads. Set in hand fabricated sterling silver and adorned with other metals, Jennie's pottery stones have all the depth and patina of turquoise and other semi-precious gems.

I think we often visualize the color blue when we hear the word turquoise, but it's a gemstone that exists in other colors, including my favorite, bright green Orvil Jack turquoise from the Blue Ridge Mine in Nevada. Even blue turquoise is varied though, because you'll see everything from pale shades of the gem to a bright robin's egg color, all with different amounts of the metallic veining called matrix. Turquoise is the December birthstone but it makes a wonderful gift for anyone, and many pieces work just as well for men as they do for women. Read a few facts about turquoise before you go shopping--it will help you understand the different grades of turquoise that are on the market.

Turquoise Bracelets
Turquoise Necklaces
Ancient Gold & Turquoise Brooch

_{Bracelet by Benny and Valerie Aldrich}