How to Choose Jewelry That Looks Good With Your Skin Tone
Jewelry is the one thing that sits closest to your skin and what most people notice first about your outfit. When buying jewelry, most people only consider their style and preferences. However, another important factor you need to consider while choosing your jewelry is your skin tone. If you’ve ever noticed that your friend’s gold or silver necklace looks much better on them but doesn’t have quite the same sparkle as you, it’s probably because it doesn’t match your undertone.
So how does knowing your skin tone help with picking jewelry? Well, that’s because certain metals and stones perfectly match certain skin tones. But learning how different jewelry can flatter your skin tone, you’ll be able to find the perfect pieces of jewelry that looks best on you. By understanding how different metals flatter different skin tones, you'll be able to find more pieces of jewelry that you feel confidents in wearing.
What is Skin Tone?
The first thing you need to bear in mind is that skin color and skin tone are two different things. Your skin color (the overtone) is the color of the skin you were born with. It can change due to environmental factors like getting tanned or burnt in harsh sunlight. Skin tone (the undertone) never changes. It can be traced back to your ethnicity and biological makeup, which consists of pigmentation, melanin, etc.
Determining your skin tone
There are three broad categories of skin tones – cool, warm and neutral. While there are a number of ways to figure out your skin tone, the easiest way to do so is by standing under natural light and looking at the veins on your wrists. Here’s what you will find:
Warm skin tones
Take a good look at your wrists. If your veins look green, then you have a warm skin tone. If you stay out in the sun for too long, you get tanned very easily.
Cool skin tones
People with cool skin tones will have blue or purple veins. Alternatively, people who have cool skin tones will burn when exposed to too much sun, rather than get tanned. This is because they have a lower melanin count.
Neutral skin tone
Your veins will be both blue and green, in equal measure or leaning towards one or the other. When exposed to the sun, you will either tan or get sunburnt. Sometimes, this could depend on the part of your body exposed to the sun.
Matching Skin Tones to Metals
Now that you’ve determined your skin tone, it will be easier for you to find the perfect piece of jewelry. People with cool skin tones look best in light metals like silver, platinum and white gold. Those with warm skin tones will look good in gold, rose gold, copper and brass metal. Those with neutral skin tones have the best of both worlds – both yellow and white metals will suit for them.
Matching Skin Tones to Gemstones
Matching metals to your skin tone always ensure that your jewelry doesn’t look odd when you’re wearing it. However, the metal is not always the focal point of your jewelry – it’s the gemstones. When the gems in your jewelry match your skin tone, they give your piece a more cohesive look.
Cool tone
Cool skin tones work well with bright colors like blue and purple as they add some brightness and liveliness to cool skin. So if you have a cool skin tone, opt for gems like sapphires and amethysts.
Warm tone
Those with warm undertones will have a yellow hue to their skin. Yellow being an earthy color will match well with other earthy tones like red, yellow, orange, brown and turquoise. Reach out for jewelry set with rubies, garnets, coral, citrine, etc.
Neutral tone
Since you are a mix of both, you have free reign to choose any gemstones, as all of them will look flattering on you.
Shine Bright like a Diamond
If you’re still in doubt about your skin tone and can’t decide what will complement you the best, turn to diamonds. They are the one gemstone that looks stunning on both warm and cool skin tones and can instantly lift any outfit.
Once you've determined whether you have warm or cool undertones, it's easy to find a metal color that will flatter your skin tone. People with cool skin tones look good in light or white metals such as white gold, platinum and silver. People with warm skin tones look good in yellow and rose gold, copper and brass jewelry. If you have a neutral skin tone, you'll look good in both white metals and yellow metals.
While we hope this guide has given some clarity on your skin tone and how to balance it with jewelry, the whole point of donning jewels is to feel special, unique and beautiful. When buying jewelry, make sure it holds some meaning whether it is a birthstone, something you’d like to wear on a date with your special someone.