Wixon Jewelers in Minneapolis, MN
08.28.2013

Mixing Metal Colors in Jewelry

bracelets and watch

“Most of my jewelry is platinum. I’ve recently had my eye on some new yellow gold pieces but worry that they might look strange with my wedding rings. Is it ok to wear yellow gold and platinum?”

-Elizabeth D. | Rosemount, MN

multi-colored-bangles This week’s question is one that I hear a lot from my friends as well as our clients. For some odd reason, it’s been instilled in our heads for decades that you can only wear one particular color of metal at any given time. It has always been that you have to make a choice: either wear all white metals like platinum, white gold and sterling silver, or you can wear yellow gold. But NOT both at the same time; mixing white and yellow metals together was always a no-no.

BREAKING THE RULES

I don’t know why, it was just one of those rules like not wearing white after Labor Day. Well, times have changed. The clear cut boundaries of years gone by have blurred and vanished! In fact, wearing all the same metal color can sometimes look a bit too “matchy-matchy”.

Here are some tips to freshen up your look…

STACKING IS KEY

The “stacking trend” lends itself perfectly to the mixing of metals. Stack rings or bracelets in different shades of gold next to each other. You can even layer gold and platinum necklaces for a fashion-forward look. Just be sure to keep the styles the same. For instance, a modern chunky gold bracelet won’t look quite right paired with delicate, antique platinum earrings.

MIND THE RATIO

stacked-rings

When mixing and matching several pieces, I think it’s important to keep in mind the ratio. I personally like the look of mixing a lot of one color with just a little of the other rather than going near 50/50. Think of it like mixing any other two bright but contrasting colors, like red and blue. It can be beautiful, or it can look overdone, all depending on the ratio.

EXPERIMENT

Play around with it and have fun.  As long as the jewelry is fabulous and, more importantly, makes you feel fabulous that’s what really matters! Remember… sometimes rules were made to be broken!


Amy Meyer HeadshotAmy shares her pearls of wisdom in her weekly column, Ask Amy. Her impeccable taste helps to select beautiful, current yet timeless looks for our clients in harmony with their own personal style. She believes that jewelry should have a story to tell about the person who wears it and is delighted to commemorate life’s celebrations. If you have a question, just Ask Amy!

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