Ever borrowed a piece of jewellery from a friend that looked fantastic on her, but just didn’t seem to work on you? Even if two people look very similar in terms of complexion and facial features, chances are that certain pieces of jewellery will simply not look the same on them and this could be attributed to their different skin tones. Here’s your guide to understanding skin tone and choosing jewellery based on it.
Determining your skin tone – warm, cool or neutral
It’s important to note that your skin tone is not the same as your skin colour or even the shade of your skin colour. Skin tone is determined by the colour of your veins. You either have warm, cool or neutral skin tone and this can be easily identified by taking a look at yourself in natural light. Step out of your home during day time, when it’s neither too sunny nor too cloudy and find a spot on your body where veins are visible. Usually, most people have noticeable veins on their wrists. If it’s difficult to find such a spot by yourself, then have a friend help you.
If your veins appear green in colour, then you have a warm skin tone. If they look blue or purple, then your skin tone is cool. But if you see no apparent hue, or a little bit of both then your skin tone is considered to be neutral.
Which metals go best with different skin tones?
Different metals flatter different skin tones, and once you’ve identified your skin tone it should be easy to find a metal that will best compliment you. This is not to say that other pieces won’t, but when you have a metal that matches your skin tone it will only accentuate your features better.
Those with cool skin tones tend to have reddish undertones to their skin, and should opt for light coloured metals such as platinum, silver and white gold. People with warm skin tones have yellowish or golden undertones to their skin which would match well with rose gold, yellow gold as well as copper and brass. Neutral skin tone offers a balance between warm and cool, hence all metals tend to look good on people with neutral skin tone.
Which stones and gems to pick?
As is with metals, even gemstones work differently against different skin tones. While diamonds will suit everyone irrespective of their skin tones, when it comes to coloured gemstones, it would be wise to pick a colour that flatters the undertones of your skin.
Cooler skin tones are paired well with red stones (such as ruby and garnet), purple stones (such as amethyst) and blue stones (such as sapphire and topaz), whereas warm skin tones will look good with yellow stones (such as citrine and zircon), orange stones (such as garnet) and green stones (such as jade and emerald).
Other factors that matter
Besides your skin tone, there are other factors you should also take into consideration when picking out jewellery for yourself. Your face shape, personal style, confidence level, lifestyle and budget are all important factors that play a role in the purchase of jewellery.