While most people buy jewelry based on their style or to match specific outfits and occasions, pieces that complement your natural coloring are a wiser investment. Choosing accessories that flatter a warm, cool or neutral skin tone can create a harmonious, elegant look, enhancing your appearance and confidence.
Use these tips to help you select metals and gems that sit pretty on your skin.
Identifying Your Skin Tone
Skin tone, also known as overtone, refers to the primary color of your skin. Melanin is a natural pigment that determines your hair, skin and eye color. People with more melanin have darker, warmer skin tones.
Three skin tones determine what metals and stones will look best on you.
- Light: Most people of Northern European descent have pale coloring.
- Medium: Medium skin tone, typically seen in people of Northern Asian or Southern European descent, has slightly more pigment. People with this olive skin can tan in the sun.
- Dark: Dark skin tone has a higher melanin content and is common in people living in areas with more exposure to ultraviolet radiation, such as Africa, India and the Middle East.
You can determine your skin tone by:
- Examining how your skin reacts to the sun. People with light skin tones are susceptible to freckles, moles, sunburns and other forms of UV damage, while warmer and neutral skin tones don’t react as severely.
- Observing your skin in natural light without makeup or artificial lighting reveals your skin tone.
Undertone Types
Undertone refers to the natural colors underneath the surface of your skin. You can also think of it as your skin’s muted color or shadow, which doesn’t change based on your environment or skin conditions. It determines the best jewelry color and foundation shade for you. Undertones fall into three categories:
- Cool: Cool undertones have pinkish, blue, purple or rosy red hues.
- Warm: Warm undertones have a yellow, peachy or golden apricot hue.
- Neutral: Neutral undertones are between cool and warm, resulting in an olive shade. Often, neutral undertones and overtones have a similar coloration.
You can determine your skin undertone by inspecting the veins on your wrist. Bluish veins may indicate you have a cool skin tone, while greenish veins are more common in people with warm skin tones. If your vein color is not prominent, you most likely have a neutral skin tone.
Another way to identify your undertone is to cover one side of your face with a white piece of paper. Warm undertones may make the exposed side appear off-white or yellow, while cool undertones could have a rosy, pink or blue hue. Neutral undertones will look balanced compared to the paper.
Skin Tone vs. Undertone
Here is how overtones and undertones differ:
- Overtones can change over time depending on environmental and skin conditions, while undertones remain the same throughout your life.
- People with light skin tones can have warm undertones, and people with dark skin tones can have cool undertones.
- People with similar overtones can have different undertones.
Selecting Jewelry That Flatters Your Skin Tone
Metals and gemstones may look different on you, depending on your natural coloring. Here’s a jewelry for skin tone chart.
Warm Skin Tone Jewelry
Traditional yellow gold jewelry looks good on people with a warm undertone, enhancing their complexion. Other earth-toned metals like bronze, rose gold and copper are also flattering options. Gemstones in orange, amber, coral, brown, green and turquoise will elevate any look. Golden or coral pearls make perfect warm skin tone jewelry.
Cool Skin Tone Jewelry
White gold jewelry on a cool skin tone will stand out. Choose platinum and silver jewelry for a cool skin tone to create a balanced and appealing look. White or rose-tinted pearls are a timeless, gorgeous choice. When selecting gemstones, look for ruby, garnet, sapphire, topaz, amethyst or fluorite.
What Jewelry to Wear With a Neutral Undertone
If you have a neutral skin undertone, you’re lucky — yellow gold, white gold, rose gold, copper, silver and platinum will all look good on you. Earth-toned metals add warmth, while white metals provide an impressive contrast. With a neutral undertone, you can also feel confident wearing colorful gemstones and two-toned jewelry.
Frequently Asked Questions
Here’s what else you should know about choosing the appropriate jewelry color for your skin tone.
Should I Choose Silver vs. Gold for My Skin Tone?
Silver and white gold jewelry works best for people with cool undertones, while traditional yellow and rose gold jewelry looks flattering on people with warm undertones.
What Skin Tone Does Rose Gold Look Good On?
Rose gold necklaces, rings and bracelets complement warm undertones. These pieces also look good paired with diamonds or colored substitutes like yellow, green or orange gemstones.
Does Yellow Gold Suit Light Skin Tones?
Yellow gold makes light or pale skin tones warmer. However, it mostly depends on your undertones. If you have a light skin tone and warm undertone, you’ll most likely look your best in yellow or rose gold jewelry.
Get Affordable Jewelry From The Vault Jewelry and Loan
Now that you know the best jewelry for your skin tone, it’s time to start shopping. Luxury items from The Vault Jewelry and Loan will save you money while giving you outstanding value and quality. We specialize in gold, silver and platinum jewelry and appraised gemstones, offering fair prices based on professional assessments, evaluation, competition and market values.
Our experts have decades of experience and knowledge to help you find the best jewelry for you every time. Check out our jewelry collections to choose the most complementary pieces, or contact us today if you are ready to clean out your jewelry box.
Jamie Furman
James (Jamie) F., is the manager of our Centerpointe Way location in Woodbridge, VA. With over 14 years in the pawn business, he is an expert in Diamonds, Gold, and Luxury Watches. He is fluent in Spanish and English and enjoys helping customers’ find the item they want at a great deal. Banks and Big Box stores have convinced many that new and expensive is the only way to buy. He aims to change that paradigm and provide exceptional service and quality products at a bargain price to every person who walks through our doors.
