Jewellery is personal, but have you ever noticed how certain metals seem to instantly brighten your complexion while others feel slightly off? Finding the right tone for your skin can make all the difference, helping your jewellery feel more flattering, polished, and effortlessly wearable.
Whether you naturally gravitate towards gold, silver, or something in between, understanding your skin tone can help you discover the pieces that truly make you glow. In this guide, we explore how to find the metal that complements you best and the subtle styling details that can elevate your everyday jewellery choices.
Understanding skin undertones
Firstly, it’s helpful to understand the difference between skin tone and undertone. Your skin tone is the surface colour of your skin, which can change with a tan or lack of sun.
Your undertone, however, is the subtle hue beneath the surface, and it’s something that remains constant.
It’s the secret to choosing colours that truly flatter you, whether it’s for clothing, makeup, or, you guessed it, jewellery.
To figure out your undertone, there are a couple of simple tests you can try:
- Look at your veins: Check your veins: In natural daylight, examine the veins on your wrist. If your veins look blue or purple, you probably have cool undertones. If they look green or olive, your undertone is probably warm. If it’s hard to tell or you see a mix of both, you may have a neutral undertone.
- Consider the sun: If you burn easily and your skin turns pink, that usually indicates cool undertones. If you tend to tan and develop a golden-brown colour, you probably have warm undertones.
Cool undertones
If you’ve discovered you have cool undertones – often characterised by pink, rosy or blue hues in the skin – silver jewellery may be a great match for your complexion beautifully. Cooler-toned metals such as sterling silver, white gold, and platinum tend to enhance these undertones, creating an elegant and naturally polished look.
When choosing gemstones, lean into shades that mirror those cooler tones. Timeless stones such as sapphires, emeralds, amethyst and classic diamonds work particularly well, adding brightness and depth without overpowering your features. The result is jewellery that feels refined, effortless and perfectly in harmony with your skin tone.
Warm undertones
If your skin has warm undertones — typically peachy, golden or yellow hues — gold jewellery is often the most flattering choice. Rich tones such as yellow gold and rose gold naturally enhance warmer complexions, bringing out that radiant, sun-kissed glow and adding warmth to your overall look.
When it comes to gemstones like rubies, opt for shades that complement this richer colour palette. Stones such as rubies, peridot and citrine pair beautifully with gold, creating a luxurious and harmonious finish that feels both vibrant and effortlessly elegant.
Neutral undertones
If you’ve found yourself somewhere in the middle when determining your undertone – perhaps your veins appear both blue and green, or you tend to both tan and burn – there’s a good chance you have a neutral undertone. The good news? You can wear both gold and silver beautifully, giving you far more freedom when it comes to styling your jewellery.
Neutral undertones suit a wide range of metals, meaning you can effortlessly mix gold and silver pieces, layer contrasting tones and experiment with different styles to create a look that feels entirely your own. Whether you prefer minimalist everyday jewellery or bold statement accessories, you’re not limited to one palette.
While understanding your undertones can be a helpful guide when shopping for jewellery, the most important thing is choosing pieces that make you feel confident, comfortable, and like the best version of yourself. After all, personal style should always come first.
If you’ve just come into some jewellery from a relative or as part of a will, you might want to determine what type of jewellery suits your skin because perhaps you’re choosing whether to sell or keep. Knowing what’ll suit you – as well as foreign gold hallmarks & how to identify them – will help you make this decision. Gold is hot as anything right now and ripe for sale with a good payday attached, so make a point of selling it if you can!
Will you be opting for silver or gold moving forward? Do you currently have a preference? Let us know in the comment box below.
