Michael Myers Art deco designs influence Tiffany & Co.'s diamond and platinum bracelets, including a flexible bracelet in rouind diamonds, round diamonds with square baguette sapphires, a continuous pattern of diamond bows and an emerald-cut diamond line bracelet. Click photo for larger image.

Ladies, get ready to bring the bling this spring.

The only two rules for jewelry from spring through summer and into fall are big and plenty.

Put on giant bracelets and stack 'em high. Make a statement with huge earrings in funky shapes. Wear bunches of brooches -- a lone pin is becoming passe -- and layer strand upon strand of long necklaces.

"The bigger, the better," said Helena Krodel, spokeswoman for the Jewelry Information Center, a nonprofit industry group based in New York City. "There's a trend toward chunky, organic-looking pieces. It's translating from fine jewelry through all accessories, even gems or actual pieces of jewelry on shoes and handbags."

Crystals and diamonds, jewels and faux gems, coral and turquoise, precious metals such as silver, gold and platinum are all in vogue for day as well as evening.

For more of an au courant, artsy look, go for the super-sized deco pieces of colorful clay, wood, enamel or Lucite.

Eastern and ethnic tribal influences are seen in many pieces. Bohemian chic is major, too, with macrame and crochet bracelets and necklaces adorned with leather and patent leather flowers.

Necklaces lead the charge in the trend toward deluxe sizes.

"We're calling necklaces the next brooch," said Krodel.

The larger-than-life pieces transcend age and lend themselves well to individual styles and personalizing wardrobes, she added.

The trend began with fine jewelry, but you don't have to spend a mint to catch the wave. Check out costume jewelry makers and fashion brands such as Chico's and Ann Taylor that create jewelry lines. Scour lawn and garage sales and flea markets. Or just go through your jewelry box -- or those of your mother and grandmother (with permission, of course).

GAP clusters brooches ($16.50 each) for its spring collection. Click photo for larger image.

If you're buying, consider quartz and rose quartz, which are natural and relatively inexpensive. They're common in the beyond-large, sink-stopper-size cocktail rings that have returned to the fashion scene.

"There are so many amazing gemstones out there that don't have to be break-the-bank expensive," said Krodel.

Liz Claiborne, for example, has a 5-foot-long burnt copper necklace with garnets, gold-tone filigree stretch bracelets and antiqued gold-tone cuffs with blue, green and topaz gems that look chic in clusters -- all a modest $25 to $35 each.

And GAP makes the brooch cluster an affordable accessorizing scheme with a dozen sparkling, colorful pieces priced at $16.50 each.

Metallic charms and beads add heft to the current crop of bangle bracelets, which can be stacked on both wrists or piled dramatically on one arm up to the elbow.

"They look almost organic because the metals seem to be brushed or matte," Krodel said. "It's not so much about the shiny, polished-looking metals."

Although the jumbo trend is fairly new, Full Moon in Shadyside has always carried big and chunky jewelry. The women's boutique has several lines, including Manouk's oversized bead necklaces and local artist Penny Esway's necklaces of jade, blue lace agate and South Sea ocean pearls with crystals.

"It's for everybody," said owner Jana Cameron. "Any size, any age."

While it's true that good things often come in small packages, the giant jewelry available this spring makes a compelling case that large is in charge.