When you are building or adding to your jewellery collection, one of the questions you might have is: should I wear gold/gold-plated or silver jewellery? While this is a very personal decision, and I firmly believe you should just go with your gut feeling, there are a few things you can keep in mind when choosing between these two metal finishes.

Do you have cooler or warmer skin undertones?

One of the things that is thought to determine the type of metal you should be wearing is whether the undertones of your skin are cool, warm or neutral.

Look at your veins under natural light. If your veins are greenish in colour then you likely have warm undertones, whereas if they are bluish in colour then you likely have cool undertones. If you have a mixture of both then it is likely you have neutral undertones.

It is generally thought that people with warm undertones are more suited to gold or gold-plated jewellery, while those with cool undertones are more suited to silver jewellery. If you have neutral undertones, you may find that you can easily wear both types of jewellery.

What are your hair and eye colour?

Some people also think that certain hair and eye colour combinations are better suited to gold, and others to silver. 

Those with blonde, brown or black hair and cooler blue or green eyes might find themselves gravitating towards silver jewellery, while those with brown, red or black hair and brown, amber or hazel eyes will potentially find that gold or gold-plated jewellery suits them best.

What metal is your existing jewellery?

Another factor that you may take into account when choosing between gold or silver jewellery is your existing jewellery. If you want pieces that match one another, you might want to buy new pieces in the metal that you already have your existing favourites in. 

On the other hand, if you feel like you want more options in your jewellery collection or like the idea of mixing and matching, you can choose the opposite metal to the one that is most common in your collection.

What are the main colours in your wardrobe? 

Clothes are also important when you are choosing jewellery. Many of us gravitate towards certain colours in the clothes we wear and these can also be matched with the colour of our jewellery.

Outfits with rich and earthy tones, for example, will look great with gold jewellery, and white also pairs well with gold as it will stand out. On the other hand, if you wear outfits with pastels or cooler colours, then you should probably opt for silver jewellery.

If you wear more neutral colours such as black, grey, navy blue and dark green, either gold or silver jewellery will work.

What (if any) make up do you tend to wear?

As with the colours in your wardrobe, you can also choose jewellery based on the makeup shades you tend to wear most. Rich and warm colours will pair wonderfully with gold or gold-plated jewellery while cooler-toned makeup is suited to silver.

What is your personality and how do you want to express it?

I’ve spoken a lot about matching warm and cool tones with the jewellery you wear, but that is not a hard and fast rule for choosing jewellery. In fact, the most important thing is being able to choose the jewellery that best expresses your personality. If you feel comfortable in a certain type of metal, then go for it.

Ultimately, you can throw the “rulebook” out of the window and just go with your gut! Wear whatever you like best, or wear both metals together (I certainly do).It is all about feeling confident and comfortable. 

I hope this guide to whether you should wear gold or silver jewellery has been both helpful and reassuring.

Here at Milina London, we sell silver, gold, and gold-plated jewellery in a range of different styles to suit every personality.