Meditations on What Makes a Necklace Right For Someone

My sister has been visiting for a week and she is leaving tomorrow. She came in for a writing conference and book-ended her time with seeing family and friends. She has continued a trend this trip by bringing along various necklaces she has owned for many years for me to restring for her. These are necklaces that seemed right at the time and then due to various reasons---mostly length--she rarely wears them.

Last trip she brought me one bead necklace to restring for her because she wasn't happy with several of the beads. I was hoping to never see that necklace again since it took me 3 hours to restring it. And of course, there it was with the other three pieces she brought, needing to be restrung because it was the wrong length and several of the beads didn't line up to her satisfaction. I must be getting better, since this time it only took 2 hours. It is the necklace above. I removed the end beads that she didn't like and added a good length of leather to make it long enough to dangle properly without choking her.

Now, I get this. I think about this sort of thing a lot. I want each and every one of my pieces to be special enough that someone will buy it and then wear it and be happy with it. What makes someone buy jewelry? Is it because they like the piece especially or because the piece will make them look better? Is it color, shape, length, or just a non-specific something that draws people to some pieces more than others?

Below is a hand of Fatima that broke off a key chain and she wanted it made into a necklace. I decided to have a little fun with my reclaimed tin since the other pieces look fancier and more formal.
This may be something I will never figure out. Some necklaces I finish and then I wear them once, look at them for a while, and then either take apart or never wear again. Even I am not sure what I want in my own jewelry! Usually I notice that most of my friends wear the same pieces over and over again. Are we comforted by wearing something familiar that might be slightly talisman-like, or do we all lack confidence to try new things? OK, or just plain lazy?