Silver jewellery is about to have its moment.
But does silver really work with your skin tone? Should you stick to gold? What about rose gold?
To help you work out which metal works best against which skin tone and colouring, I've put together this guide.
How to determine your skin's undertone
There are three main skin tones – warm, neutral and cool. One of the easiest ways is by observing the veins on your wrist.
If they look either blue or purple, you probably have a cool tone while greenish veins means you have a warm skin tone. If you cannot determine if they are green or blue, then you probably have a neutral skin tone. Just remember to check under natural light.
Fair skin with red undertones, fair or blonde hair
Silver, platinum, white gold and pearls are a great choice for this skin tone- you will look so fresh on very pale skin, especially if you also have pale or blonde hair. Check out our Silver Edit for some great statement earrings, necklaces and a chunky charm bracelet you'll love!
Shop all our Star Earrings
Rose gold will most likely accentuate the pink undertone in your skin, so go by how much pink or redness you show.
Fair with pale undertones, mid to darker hair
Contrary to what many fair skinned people think, if you have pale undertones you can wear gold!
Opt for 9kt or 14kt gold and your skin won’t appear pasty or sallow. 18kt gold has a much warmer yellow tone to it and this can make this tone look washed out, so try to avoid it. Silver will also be great on very pale skin tones.
Our Paloma Gold Huggie Earrings are a wonderfully delicate option here.
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Red heads with cool tones
Silver tends to be a popular choice for you ladies because it goes so well with your cool, bluer undertones. However don't be afraid to experiment with gold jewellery- it brings out the rich tones in your hair especially in medium to darker toned redheads. Aim for a warmer toned gold somewhere around 14k to 18k. Rose gold works for you too. The copper/cool pink tone can really work on you.
Redheads, try a delicate gold chain like our Luissa Multi Layered Necklace
Lightly tanned, olive or Mediterranean skin, dark hair
Because you ladies have a neutral undertone, you can pretty much wear any metal and jewel tone. You lucky things!
So go ahead and have fun with lots of different colours and styles. Why not try mixing metals? Usually pairing two colours together can work well and look coherent.
Arabic, fair African and dark African skin, black hair
Once again, either gold, rose gold or silver can look fantastic on you, but some delicate silver jewellery can look a bit lost on darker skin. Gold will look really striking on you too.
South-east Asian skin, black hair
Similar to your lightly tanned sisters, most metal and jewel tones look great on our skin. Rose gold brings a softness to your skin tone, while classic 18kt or even 22kt gold will look fantastic. Silver, platinum and white gold offer a slightly more pared back look so you can layer lots of pieces without looking blingy. You can pretty much ride most jewellery trends so really it comes down to personal choice.
Asian skin tones, black hair
It's easy to assume that you are naturally warm toned because of your yellower skin tone. Do the vein check outlined above. If you're warm toned then play around with yellow toned gold- the full spectrum for 9k- 24k should work. It just comes down to your preference and your budget of course!
Cool toned ladies here, you're not precluded from wearing gold. 9k & 14k yellow gold could work well for you as they are not quite as warm toned. Other than that, the cool tones of silver and rose gold should sit very naturally against your complexion.
Go with what you love
And that brings me to my final point. In the end, the only rule that really governs jewellery choice is “how much do I love it?” It doesn’t matter whether it’s Instagramable or trendy, if you love it, then go for it. Usually we each have great instincts as to what works with our particular colouring, so always let that be your guide.