Gold, silver, both — we get it. Choosing a metal shouldn’t feel like a personality test, but somehow it does. The truth? There’s actual color theory behind what looks best on you, and it starts with understanding your undertone. Here’s your cheat sheet to understanding tone, reflection, and why one metal might make your skin look alive — while the other just sits there.
THE BASICS: WHY TONE MATTERS
Undertones are the subtle colors beneath your skin — usually warm, cool, or neutral — and they affect how metals reflect light on your complexion.
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Warm undertones have hints of yellow, peach, or golden hues. Veins appear greenish, and skin tends to tan easily.
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Cool undertones lean pink, rosy, or blue. Veins appear bluish or purple, and skin burns before it tans.
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Neutral undertones fall right in the middle — a balance of both.
Color theory tells us that warm tones complement other warm hues (like golds and ambers), while cool tones look best with cooler shades (like silver and slate). When translated to jewelry, that means metals can either enhance your natural coloring or compete with it — which is why one necklace can make you glow, and another can make you look washed out.
GOLD JEWELRY
Featured: Liana Shaker Hand Chain, Violet Bracelet, Lavender Bra Chain
Gold jewelry tends to enhance warm undertones, the kind that naturally pick up sunlight. Research in color science shows that yellow-based metals reflect longer light wavelengths, which create a “soft focus” effect on golden and olive skin tones. Here's the translation: if the sun looks good on you, gold probably does too.
It’s also the perfect partner to earth tones, ivory, tan, caramel, or rust — colors that echo its depth. And for deeper complexions, gold amplifies contrast in the best way, adding dimension without glare.
Hailey Bieber’s a perfect example of a gold girl through and through — minimal, sun-lit, and always wearing something that catches the light. Think soft glow, dewy skin, and gold jewelry that feels more like skin than accessory. See our Sierra Belly Chain for how she rocked gold with NAiiA.
SILVER JEWELRY
Featuring: Alexa Shaker Body Chain
Silver, on the other hand, works in the opposite spectrum: think Bella Swan. Its cooler reflection complements pink, rosy, or bluish undertones, creating contrast and clarity. In basic optics, silver reflects shorter light wavelengths — meaning it bounces cooler tones back onto the skin, brightening without warmth.
It’s especially flattering on fair to medium complexions, or on anyone whose veins read blue in natural light. Silver pairs beautifully with crisp colors: navy, charcoal, black, icy blues, and jewel tones.
And because silver reflects more white light, it plays well under artificial lighting — restaurants, night events, or anywhere the lighting makes you question your foundation shade.
MIXED METALS
Here’s the part they don’t tell you — most people aren’t purely warm or cool. Skin shifts with seasons, light, and even your makeup undertone. That’s where mixed metals come in.
Featuring: Willow Huggies
Blending gold and silver balances reflection: gold warms, silver sharpens. Together, they add dimension that feels lived-in — the way tone actually behaves in real life.
Even Who What Wear called it: mixed metals are officially having a moment. Their Autumn 2025 jewelry trend report highlights that designers are embracing silver-and-gold pairings as the new neutral. What used to be "can’t-pick-a-side” is now a style choice, not a dilemma.
HOW TO FIND YOUR JEWELRY TONE
If you’re not sure where you land, here’s the quick test:
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Check your veins. Greenish? You’re warm. Bluish? You’re cool. Both? You’re neutral.
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Look at your wardrobe. Do you gravitate toward camel, ivory, and browns (warm), or black, gray, and blues (cool)?
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Think about the sun. Tan easily? Warm. Burn first? Cool. Somewhere in between? You’re balanced.
And if none of this helps, that’s fine too. Remember: at the end of the day, wear what you love. Life's too short. Shop all the tones here.