I have always loved jewelry and see it as a powerful part of self-expression.
When I was younger, I would shop at stores like Claire’s and Justice with my mom, excited to buy those tacky clip-on earrings, charm bracelets and necklaces that inevitably turned your skin green.
When I was nine years old, I was finally allowed to get my ears pierced and from that moment on my love for jewelry of all kinds grew.
Jewelry was not cheap though, so most of my earlier pieces were silver because it was the most affordable. As I got older and started spending my own money, I began experimenting with different styles and metals, trying to figure out what really suited me.
At first, I had no idea what actually complimented my features. I learned there’s a general guideline: people with darker hair or warmer skin tones tend to look best in gold, while those with lighter hair and cooler complexions often suit silver.
But, of course, it is not that simple. Everyone’s unique combination of undertones, style and personality plays a big role in what looks best on them. This is a simple guide of how to find the jewelry metal that will compliment you the best.
If you are completely lost, the best way to start is to determine if you are warm or cool toned. To do so, under natural light, look at your veins to see if they are clearly blue or teal. If your veins are blue, you are cool toned meaning skin has pink or bluish undertones. If your veins are teal, you have a warmer skin tone and you most likely have golden or peachy undertones.
Now that you have determined if you are warm or cool toned, you can explore even deeper into your tones.
Start off with skin color.
For those with fair skin, stick to plain silver or white gold jewelry since it looks really fresh on pale skin. Avoid any gold or rose gold metals because it will bring out the pink in your face and can cause your complexion to look pasty.
If you are someone who is lightly tanned or has olive skin, almost all metals look flattering on your complexion. Since olive skin has undertones of yellow and green, it creates a versatile canvas for all metals. Warm metals like gold and rose gold will harmonize with the skin’s natural tones, while cool metals like silver will produce a very natural looking contrast.
On darker skin tones, gold is the way to go. It really comes through naturally against darker skin tones and will make you look more luminous. While silver is not completely off the table, it can get a little lost, especially if you are wearing a really delicate piece.
If you want to go even further, consider hair and eye color as well.
For blond hair, go for a light toned metal. A silver is always best to stick to, or a very soft gold. If you want to add in gemstones, go for an aquamarine, morganite or a pearl since they maintain a subtle, graceful look and bring out the shine in blond hair.
As for brunettes, darker hair creates a strong contrast that helps jewelry stand out, so explore bold golds and bronzes. Deep colored gems like sapphire, emerald and ruby look especially vibrant against brown hair.
If you have red hair, stick to warm and earthy tones like copper, rose gold and yellow gold. These harmonize really well with the warmth in red hair. For gems, consider earthy greens like peridot or a deep blue like lapis lazuli. These give a great contrast and bring the vibrant tones of red hair to life.
Working off of your eye color can also help decide which metals suit you best.
For brown and green eyes, yellow gold or a rose gold will contrast really nicely beside your eyes.
For blue eyes, silver and white gold are great choices because they create a striking contrast, making your eyes appear more vibrant.
And for hazel eyes, both gold and silver work very well. Gold jewelry will highlight the golden flecks in hazel eyes, while silver can create a contrast against the eye.
Harmonizing your jewelry metal to your physical features does not have to be daunting. With this guideline and simple steps, you will easily be able to figure out what works best for you in order to really highlight and bring out your natural features.
