Which jewellery metals are best suited to your skin tone?

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Jewellery should always be worn for the feeling it gives you whether that be sentimental reasons, because it’s the perfect addition to your outfit or that you just love the colour of the gemstone in it. But much like make-up, jewellery has the ability to accentuate certain features depending on the colours used based on your skin tone, hair, and eye colour. Knowing which jewellery metals to wear based on these factors can have surprising results that will illuminate your skin’s natural tone, and bring out the flecks of colour in your eyes and hair.

Sadly I have yet to discover a piece of women’s jewellery that can make us look ten years younger and 20lbs lighter, but much like a previous article on Handmakes and Keepsakes about how the right earrings based on your face shape can flatter your features and draw the eye’s attention away from or towards a particular area, we can use these little tricks of the light to enhance what we have. 

Now if you don’t really care about this type of thing, then I salute you my friend and encourage you to go forth and wear whatever you wish, because after all, jewellery is an extension of our fashion sense, which is used to express individual personality and style, and that is what makes you unique.

Deciding whether a jewellery metal works for your skin tone

Have you ever bought a piece of jewellery online because it looked amazing on the woman wearing it or that you just absolutely love it, but once it arrived and you put it on it left you feeling a little disappointed by how it looks on you, even if you were able to recreate the rest of the outfit worn by the model online wearing that piece of jewellery?

Don’t worry, I too have fallen prey to it years ago. With internet shopping getting ever more popular and COVID-19 forcing us to do the majority of our shopping online, it’s hard to know what jewellery will look like on yourself and before you know it you have a huge stash of unworn items hidden away at the bottom of your jewellery box. 

I hope by giving you these little tips and tricks it will reduce the chances of you buying a piece that doesn’t make you feel every bit as amazing as you are. 

Ready to dive in? 

Let’s start with the different skin tones, the metals that compliment and which ones to avoid.

How to determine your skin tone

This isn’t an exact science but the following things can help determine what skin tone you are most likely to have.

You have a warm skin tone if:

• You have green veins on your wrist.
• Your skin tans easily and rarely burns.
• You have brown, green, or hazel eyes and naturally have brown, red, or black hair.

You have a cool skin tone if:

• You have blue veins on your wrist.
• You find it hard to get a tan but your skin burns easily.
• You have blue or green eyes and naturally have blonde, brown, or black hair.

If you can’t decide between the above two options or you have a mixture of these colours then you’re most likely somewhere in between and neutral-toned. 

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Tanned, olive & mediterranean

These are warm skin tones and can be anything from olive all the way through to dark African skin. If this is you then I am super jealous! You’ve been blessed by the jewellery gods indeed as you’re able to wear any metal colour. Rose gold, white gold, silver, and all the yellow golds, you’re able to wear all of these along with mixing your metal colours at the same time. Watch out for the gemstone colours and which ones will ignite your eyes colour.

Arabic, fair African and dark African skin

Much like tanned, olive, and Mediterranean warm skin tones, you can wear pretty much any colour, although silver can sometimes get lost on darker skin especially if the piece is super dainty. Gold on the other hand looks so striking on dark skin. 

South-east Asian skin

Asian skin tones are flattered so well by classic golds like 14K and 18K which have a more yellow colour to them. Rose gold also works really well and can add softness with that little blush of pink. 

Fair skin-red undertones

Cool skin tones like fair skin with red undertones should stay away from rose golds as it will bring out the pink tones of your skin. Instead you want to wear silver or platinum, especially if you have blonde hair. 

Fair skin-yellow undertones

For cool tones like fair skin with yellow undertones you want to try and avoid really yellow golds like 18k gold, instead go for 9K gold and white gold as they will prevent very pale skin from looking pasty but still give it a radiant glow. Silver is also a great choice for very pale skin. 

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What about hair and eye colour?

This is more to do with which gemstones and other coloured components outside the shades of metal which can really ignite flashes of colour in your eyes and hair. 

Hazels and brown eyes look alluring with garnets and darker ruby stones. Amber eyes paired with amethyst are a striking combination as well as deeper yellows of topaz and other earthy gemstones, while paler eye colours like blues and greens are perfect for sapphires, aquamarines, blue topaz, and turquoise. 

After all is said and done, wear what makes you happy. Wear what connects you to a feeling, and your inner beauty will shine brighter than any piece of jewellery ever can. 

Win a Handmakes and Keepsakes Tiny Star Necklace

To help add a little something extra to your jewellery box we are lucky enough to have a Handmakes and Keepsakes Tiny Star Necklace (with .925 Silver Vermeil chain) to giveaway.

Prize: Handmakes and Keepsakes Tiny Star Necklace – winner to select colour

To enter simply complete the Gleam widget below, all entries are optional and each one completed will gain you more entries into the random draw.

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