There may be many who consider the only jewelry worth having to be that made from precious metals, like silver, gold, and platinum, or real gemstones, but that ignores the many high end pieces that happen to be sitting right next to lower quality jewelry in your favorite store.

A number of designers have been creating more playful pieces that are just as much of an investment as your diamond tennis bracelet, just without and antiquated feel. One of the foremost of those designers is Alison Lou. Working out of New York, Lou has been coming up with particularly fun and funky pieces, all the while taking advantage of traditional materials used in fine jewelry.

Some of Lou's more notable pieces include a gold ring in the shape of penne pasta and a diamond necklace that looks like an emoji. While her pieces may appear to be costume jewelry at first glance, in truth they should be treated like just as much of an investment as any other piece of fine jewelry, especially given their steep price tag.

Lou is expanding her line again this summer, with the release of her lucite and enamel earrings. Appearing in a range of colors, these new earrings will be light weight, without being boring, nor looking like pieces of plastic. Though lucite hasn't been in use of late, the material was popular in a lot of mid-century jewelry.

“LOUCITE is a natural extension of Alison Lou,” Alison Chemla, another designer explained to InStyle.com. “It showcases the playfulness at the core of my brand and has allowed me to explore new forms of creative expression. While fine jewelry will always remain my first love, being able to take enamel, something that is ever present in my fine jewelry, and apply it to Lucite was just so fun.”