Have you ever found yourself at a jewelry counter, unsure whether to go with the cool shine of silver or the warm glow of gold? I know I have. It always seems like such a small choice, but it can make a big difference. Now I decided to dive deeper into the whole "silver vs. gold" debate to make it more clear and practical for your daily outfit. I will give tips to determine your tones and use examples to illustrate daily outfits.

The Difference between Skin Tones

Individuals with a warm color type typically have a yellowish or peachy undertone to their skin. Their hair often shows golden, bronze, or copper. Eye colors for warm types may include rich hazel or have golden speckles in the iris. If 2 or 3 of these features (skin, hair, eyes) show warm qualities, the person is likely a warm color type.
In contrast, people with cool color types have skin, hair, and eyes with cooler or slightly bluish undertones. Their skin might look more olive-toned or have a hint of blue. Hair colors can range from light blonde without much yellow, to brown with a grayish tone, or deep black. Eyes can be gray, bright green, blue, dark brown, or black.
Warm vs Cold Skin Tone
There's a common misconception to debunk: tan is not necessarily warm. Likewise, fair-skin is not necessarily cold. Skin depth is not correlated with skin tones.
 

Tips to Determining Your Skin Tone

  • Check your veins
Here's the trick, check your wrist! If the veins on the inside of your wrist are blue or purple, you are a cold undertone person! Silver and metals such as stainless steel and rhodium that are colorless can help you a lot. These types of jewelry highlight, rather than contrast, the natural glow of your skin. On the other hand, yellow gold can sometimes intensify any underlying redness.
On the contrary, if your veins are blue or purple, then the cold undertones are preferred, while the warm tones are the cool ones, and the metals you should wear are gold and rose gold. These warm-toned metals harmonize best with yellow undertones, giving your skin a twinkle of light. White metals, on the other hand, may lead to a slightly pale look.
In case of bleeding veins with bluish-green shades or you cannot see your veins that well, you are one of the fortunate persons that have neutral undertones! In this case, you're in for a treat. You can easily pull off all all colors of gold and even more fabulous pieces if you happen to be one of those lucky ones. And you'll look amazing!
Vein Color and Skin Tone
  • Whether you are easy to get burn
If you are someone who has the tendency to tan, then your undertone is probably warm; on the other hand, a person with the tendency to burn is likely to have a cool undertone. If you have the type of skin that burns first and then tans, you are likely to have a neutral undertone.
  • Compare it with white paper
Wear a plain white T-shirt or raise a plain white piece of paper to your head. What about the color in comparison to your face? Is it pink, or more yellow. If it is pink, rosy in hue, you are most likely cool toned. If it is more of a yellow color then you are most likely a warm tone. If you look equally good in bright white and in creamy off whites, you probably have a neutral undertone.
 

Skin Tones and Outfits

When choosing clothes and accessories, the goal is to create a matching look. People with warm Spring and Fall color types usually look best in warm colors. These are colors that have more yellow in them, like olive green or rust-orange. Gold jewelry usually looks good in these types. Silver might make them look pale or a bit worn out.
People with cool Summer and Winter color types usually look better in cool colors. These colors have a hint of blue in them, like grey or light purple. Silver jewelry often makes their features stand out in a good way. Gold jewelry might not work as well and could make any redness in their skin more noticeable.

Sometimes We Need to Ignore Skin Tones!

Even though rules are helpful, it is still important to go with your personal style and preferences when it comes to metal choices. The main point is to put on an outfit that makes you feel at ease and joyful! When it comes to fashion and style, sometimes it's about painting outside the lines and letting your personal taste take the lead!

Some Examples of Silver-or-gold Choice

We find people keep asking silver-or-gold questions, now I take some to show how it is used to determine outfits.
Silver or Gold?
Obiviously she is more cool tone and silver looks better; it also goes well with the color of your top. But I have an even better suggestion: just stick with the pearl choker. The two necklaces aren't really the same style, and they end up distracting from each other. Keeping just the pearl one will be lovely. Always remember, don't over-accessorize—sometimes less is more. If you want to add more detail, I'd recommend going for earrings instead of another necklace.
Silver or Gold?
This is an example of netual tone. Although it is brown color, remind that skin depth is not correlated with skin tones. Thus silver-or-gold depends on the outfit and the occasion, so I cannot give advice with only these pictures.
 
If you feel my article is helpful, please check our blog for more about jewelry advice for daily outfits.