Gold or Silver? What Color Jewelry Should I Wear?

When we buy jewelry, it’s usually a choice between silver or gold pieces. Jewelry is a necessary addition to both casual and elegant outfits, and a wardrobe just isn’t complete without some beautiful jewelry pieces.

The age-old question has always been: is silver or gold jewelry more popular? However, popularity shouldn’t even be a factor when you’re treating yourself to a new necklace. The truth is, it’s more important to buy a piece of jewelry in a metal that suits your skin tone.

If you’re wondering whether it’s better to wear silver or gold jewelry for dark skin or what looks best with pale complexions, we’re here to answer your questions. No longer will you wear jewelry that looks dull and lackluster against your skin!

Determine Your Skin Undertones

When it comes to picking the color jewelry to wear, the first thing that you want to check is your skin undertone. There are three different undertones - cool, neutral, and warm. Each skin tone has different qualities and coloring to them.

Warm Undertones

Warm undertones will vary from yellow to golden. If you have a lighter skin tone, it will be more towards a shade of yellow. If your skin tone is darker, it will resemble more of a peach or golden color.

Cool Undertones

Cool undertones will vary from pink and blue to purple and red. If you have a lighter skin tone, it will be more towards a shade of pinkish-blue. If your skin tone is darker, it will resemble more of a purplish-red.

Neutral Undertones

Neutral undertones are exactly what they sound like. It’s a mixture of warm and cool undertones. This is usually an olive-colored tone. It also means that your undertone is like the color of your skin tone.

Tips for Checking Your Skin Tone

If you don’t know your skin tone or are looking to figure it out - here are five different ways that you can find out. Once you have your skin tone, you can start matching your jewelry to it!

The Color of Clothing
If you have a plain white t-shirt, you can check your skin tone. All you have to do is wear a white t-shirt and look at your complexion. If you start to see your skin turn a pink color, then you have a cool tone. If the white shirt makes your skin look a yellow color, then you have a warm tone. If there is no change, then the tone is neutral.

You can also take a look at which color of clothing compliments you the best. If you find yourself looking best in yellows or orange mixed with red, brown, or ivory, your undertone is warm. If purple, blue, red, and black are your go-to colors, your undertone is cool.

Hair & Eye Color
Your hair and eye color can also be an indicator of what skin tone you have.

When it comes to hair determining your skin tone, it depends on your natural color. This should be the color that it is without any dye treatment. If you are a natural brunette or have black hair, then your skin undertones will be warm. You will more likely see those yellow/golden colors. If you were born with blonde hair, you will have a cooler undertone. This will lead to that pinkish-blue and purplish-red colors in your tone. If you happen to have ash or natural hair, you most likely have a neutral undertone.

When it comes to eye color, it’s a little easier to figure out since you don't have to take dye jobs into consideration. If you have blue, green, grey, or dark brown eyes, your skin tone most likely has cool undertones. Green, amber, and hazel eyes usually correlate with warm undertones.

Check the Color of Veins
As silly as it may sound, checking the color of your veins is a great way to get a full understanding of your skin tone. When you flip your wrist over, take a look at your veins. The color will tell you everything you need to know about your skin tone. When you look at your veins, you want to pay attention to see if they look more blue or green. If you see more green, than you have more of a warm tone. If you see more blue, than you have more of a cool tone. If there is an equal amount of each color, this is an indicator that you have a neutral skin tone.

The Color of Makeup You Wear
When we wear makeup, we always make sure that the color of our foundation works well with our skin tone. We want to make sure that it blends in and looks natural. When it comes to determining your skin tone for jewelry colors, the color of makeup is helpful. If your foundation has a pinkish tint in the bottle, you have more of a cool undertone. If you see a yellow or golden tiny in your foundation, then you have a warmer undertone. When it comes to neutral you may have trouble determining exactly which color you see.

Think About How Your Skin Reacts to the Sun
How your skin reacts to the sun is another indicator of your skin tone. If you easily burn or even end up turning a shade of pink, you have a cool tone. If you end up getting a good tan, then you have a warm tone. If you end up getting a little burn but also a little tan, then you have a neutral tone.

Jewelry for Skin Tones

Now that you’ve found out your skin tone, you may be asking “What color jewelry should I wear?” Each color compliments a certain skin tone, so I'll guide you through the ones that work best for each.

Rose Gold Jewelry for Any Skin Tone
Rose gold jewelry is becoming a favorite jewelry color. Although rose gold jewelry works with any skin tone, you may want to be careful. If you have any pink that pops out in your skin, you may want to avoid rose gold. This color can end up making the redness much more visible. If you want to try out a rose gold, a great piece is our Love Letter Envelope Locket.

Gold Jewelry for Warm Skin Tones
Gold jewelry works very well with a warm undertone. It matches the skin well and doesn’t take away from it or downplay it. On someone with a cool undertone, gold jewelry may make the wearer look sick. It makes cool undertones look pale and does not work as well as it does with warm undertones. OurKey of F Necklace is a meaningful gold piece for those with a warm undertone.

Silver Jewelry for Cool Skin Tones
Silver Jewelry is the best match for someone with a cool tone. It compliments their skin tone and doesn’t overpower it. Warmer undertones clash with silver jewelry, making it not as good of a fit for them. Our silver Heart + Arrow Locket is a great complement piece for those with a cool undertone.

How To Know Which Color is Right for You

What's in Your Closet?
Take a look at your current wardrobe. What you wear can influence what color metal looks the most desirable on you. Do you see lots of reds, oranges, and sunset hues? In that case, you may want to start building out your jewelry collection with yellow gold pieces to add to your naturally golden color palette.

On the other hand, you might look at your collared shirts, scoop-neck tees, cardigans, and suit jackets and notice more cool-toned colors in the mix. If you see lots of lighter colors along with blues, pinks, and purples, silver jewelry may be more suitable for you.

What if you find a majority of neutral colors in your daily apparel? In that case, yellow gold and silver both match perfectly. You can select the jewelry color you feel most stoked about or stock up on both so you never run out of options.

What Looks Best on Your Skin?
One of the spectacular things about humankind is that each person represents one out of a vast array of skin tones. Each person has a unique undertone that causes specific colors to look incredible next to their skin.

When you look in the mirror, do you notice a pink undertone to your skin? If you tend to see a pink or neutral skin tone in your skin, you may enjoy the way silver jewelry looks on you. If you observe a more olive or warm tone to your skin, you might feel that yellow gold jewelry fits your essence most.

What Matches Your Personality?
Did you know that you can subliminally influence how people perceive you before you ever say a word? Gold and silver have different psychological associations, so you can select the metal that makes sense with the qualities you want to represent most to the world.

Let's look at the feelings and themes associated with each of these colors:

• Gold: This color typically represents royalty, passion, and enlightenment. Most people associate gold with material and immaterial riches, making it a terrific choice for jewelry.
• Silver: This color of jewelry tends to represent modernity, wisdom, and sophistication. Wear this color to represent a future-focused spirit and a calm, experienced essence.

What Color Jewelry Goes With Everything?

You can find all different pieces of jewelry in different colors. This can make it easy for any skin tone to find any piece of jewelry to wear. For example, if someone with a cool skin tone wants to wear gold, they can find a yellow gold that will match well. Although, you shouldn’t let your skin undertone be the reason you don’t buy certain pieces. Jewelry is for everyone.