Which should you choose: Gold or Silver?
Understanding whether your skin tone is warm or cool can help you choose the most flattering clothing colours, makeup shades, and jewellery.
Traditionally, people with ‘cool’ skin tone were seen suit silver jewellery whilst those with ‘warm’ tones were considered to be better suited to gold jewellery. These days that's not considered to be so important and you can wear which ever jewellery you want.
If you want some guidance to help you get started with co-ordinating jewellery, getting a personal colour analysis can help you find items to suit you and your personal sense of style.
What is a personal colour and should I get one?
Personal colour is a term used within the cosmetics and fashion industry to determine the colours which suit an individual when it comes to choosing their clothing and makeup. These colours should complement a person’s skin complexion, eye colour, hair colour and enhance the overall look of the individual.
This term is also known as personal colour analysis (PCA), seasonal colour analysis or skin-tone matching.
In South Korea, many people opt to get their personal colour analysis done so they know exactly what to choose and wear. Personal colour analysis is not just limited to women or those interested in fashion and cosmetics. The benefits of knowing your personal colours range from your day-to-day styling to choosing what to wear for different events.
I highly recommend you get a personal colour analysis consultation done by a professional. They can give you a detailed report of what your ideal colour palette would be and help you find a personal style which complements your hair colour, eye colour and skin tone. They can also help build a wardrobe with items that will help enhance the vibe you are going for in your overall look.
Personal Colour Type?
Generally, personal colour can be divided into 2 types:
- Warm tone (yellow base)
- Cool tone (blue base)
How to know my personal colour?
If you are unsure of what your tone is, here is a quick test you can do to help you determine the right tone.
When you look at your wrists, are the colour of your veins more green or blue?
- Green : Warm
- Blue : Cool
When you put on lipstick, which one seems to brighten your appearance? peachy/orange coloured lipsticks or pinkish coloured lipsticks?
If you are not sure, you can apply half of your lips with peachy/orange coloured lipstick and the other half with pink and see which side appears more vibrant.
- Peachy/ Orange lipstick : Warm
- Pink lipstick : Cool
When you put on a t-shirt, which one makes your skin look vibrant and healthy? Ivory/beige coloured top or white top.
- Ivory/beige : Warm
- White : Cool
Without any makeup, have a look at your face in natural lighting. Which side does your natural skin tone lean towards? Yellow or pink?
- Yellow : Warm
- Pink-red : Cool
Here is a generic description of what will suit each tone:
Warm toned skin:
- If you have warm toned skin, your skin will have a yellow, peach, or golden undertone.
- The veins on the inside of your wrist will appear green, and you may tan easily in the sun.
- Warm toned skin tends to look best in colours that have a warm undertone, such as earthy shades of red, orange, yellow, and brown.
- Warm toned skin also looks great in gold jewellery, as well as warm metallic shades like copper and brass.
Cool toned skin:
- If you have cool toned skin, your skin will have a pink, red, or bluish undertone.
- The veins on the inside of your wrist will appear blue, and you may burn easily in the sun.
- Cool toned skin tends to look best in colours that have a cool undertone, such as shades of blue, green, purple, and pink.
- Cool toned skin also looks great in silver jewellery, as well as cool metallic shades like platinum and white gold.
Neutral toned skin:
- Some people have neutral toned skin, which means they have a balance of both warm and cool undertones.
- Neutral toned skin tends to look good in a wide range of colours and jewellery metals.
It's important to note that these are just general guidelines, and everyone's skin tone is unique. Additionally, skin tone can change over time due to factors such as aging, sun exposure, and skin conditions. It's always a good idea to try on different clothing colours and jewellery to see what looks best on you, regardless of your skin tone.
Subcategories for each type:
Now you should have a rough idea of your skin tone, there are 4 subcategories you should also be aware of:
Warm tone:
- Spring warm tone
- Autumn warm tone
Cool tone
- Summer cool tone
- Winter cool tone
Spring warm tone:
- This is a warm tone with a yellow or peach undertone. Spring complexions are typically very light or fair with light blonde or red hair, and light blue, green or hazel eyes.
- Spring tones look best in warm, light colours such as peach, coral, and gold.
Summer cool tone:
- Summer cool tone have pink or blue undertones to their skins. Summer complexions are usually fair to medium, with blonde or light brown hair, blue, green, or grey eyes.
- Summer tones look best in cool, pastel colours such as lavender, pale pink, and blue.
Autumn warm tone:
- Autumn warm tones have a rich golden or olive undertone. People with this tine have complexions which are typically medium t dark, with dark brown or red hair, and brown or hazel eyes.
- Autumn skin tones look best in warm, rich colours such as olive, rust, and deep red.
Winter cool tone:
- Winter cool tones are similar to summer cool tones in that they have a pink or blue undertone. However, winter cool tones typically have complexions which are very light or very dark. They also have dark hair and have either blue, green, or brown eyes.
- Winter skin tones look best in cool, bright colours such as black, white, and jewel tones (variations of red, yellow, green, blue, and purple that range from mid-tones to deep, saturated shades).
Yoona 18K Rose Gold Vermeil Earrings
When it comes to jewellery, for my lovely warm toned individuals, gold-based items will enhance your skin tone whilst for my charming cool toned individuals, silver toned items will help brighten your complexion.
If you are still not sure about your type, you can also opt to wear rose gold jewellery. At KORYANGS we offer gold, silver and rose gold jewellery to suit all needs.
Gold Collection
Silver Collection
Rose Gold Collection
One thing to keep in mind when choosing jewellery is that gold is much more expensive than silver because gold is a more valuable precious metal. However, there are less expensive options for gold such as gold filled or gold vermeil. Learn more about different types of gold.
If you're choosing jewellery as a gift and you're not sure about which colour to pick, it's a great idea to keep an eye on what colours your gift recipient tends to wear.
Check out our guide to gift giving for the style challenged for some great tips.