Diamonds may once have been a girl's best friend, but when it comes to what's practical for today's busy working girl, it's more the case that they are foe (and no, we don't mean faux).

Dressing in mink and flaunting a couple of white rocks to snare a millionaire a la Marilyn Monroe is so outdated.

Gals these days are focused on their own careers rather than relying on some ol' sugar daddy.

And being pragmatic women, they need a jewellery collection that can take them from the office to an evening outing later on.

Urban has some gems of tips on how you can be a dazzling success both night and day.

This guide to what every working woman needs to know in starting her own jewellery collection also has suggestions for a variety of budgets to enable you to build up a collection which will work just as hard as you do.

You glow, girl.

UNDER $3,000
UNDER $5,000
UNDER $10,000

CLASSIC PIECES GO FROM BOARDROOM TO BALLROOM

You are dashing off to work, and have a hot dinner date later on. Change of clothes in bag? Tick. Evening shoes in bag? Tick. Fine jewellery? You've already put it on.

But wait - that ornate gold necklace and the diamond earrings are way too much bling for an office shirt and skirt. Oops.

Well, the secret in making the most of your jewellery is to buy pieces that work both night and day.

One example of versatile jewellery is a pair of diamond hoop earrings (Photo 27), designed by Christina Wang-Zheng, a jewellery designer and the director of Chew Cheong Jewellery at Shaw Centre.

The $1,900 earrings, with 1.06 carats of diamonds embedded in the small, white-gold hoops, are pretty enough on their own, and have an unassuming elegance.

The magic, however, is that they come with easily detachable pieces that can be added on for extra oomph.

These range from about $320 for a pair of rose quartz add-ons to a pair of kunzite and diamonds add-ons for $2,300.

Wang-Zheng says: 'Pearls can be added for a more formal occasion, while coloured gems such as rose quartz are dressier and more whimsical.'

Soo Kee's senior brand manager, Geraldine Loh, agrees with the importance of multi-occasion jewellery: 'It should take you straight from work to a dinner event, complementing almost everything in your wardrobe.'

From the Soo Kee Jewellery line, she cites the Brilliant Rose diamond collection 'which includes classic designs suitable for everyday wear', ranging in price from $500 to $160,000.

The chain recently launched Untitled: Black Collection, a collaboration with home-grown fashion designer Wykidd Song.

It features black gold and black diamonds, priced from $498 for a pair of earrings with coloured gems to $35,468 for a bangle encrusted with black diamonds.

Over at the Poh Heng Jewellery chain, its latest collection is called ORO22 (which is Italian for 22k gold) and features yellow gold pieces.

Plus, with prices of yellow gold on the rise, you know that you'll be making a worthy investment.

Poh Heng merchandiser Eunice Lim says: 'These can take you from boardroom to ballroom.'

Just remember that less is more. If you're already wearing dangling earrings, then skip the necklace - you don't want to have too much going on.