Get your bling on with jewellery that matches your skin tone

In any jewellery store, you will see a plethora of jewellery pieces in different shades and materials. Besides the quality of the metal as well as purity level, the colour is something you should consider.

Whether you sport a warm, cool or neutral skin tone makes a difference in whether you're rocking that jewellery piece to the fullest.

YELLOW GOLD

Yellow gold is an alloy of pure gold, silver and copper and zinc, which results in the yellowish hue that we commonly associate with gold jewellery.

A higher karat number would denote the presence of more gold, and therefore a stronger yellow hue and higher price tag.

If you are sensitive towards metals such as nickel, opting for an 18K gold piece would reduce your risk of reacting negatively as the ratio of gold to mixed metals would be higher.

Great for: The warm tones of yellow gold would complement people with warmer skin tones as it brings out the glow of your skin.

WHITE GOLD

White gold is an alloy of pure gold with a white metal - either nickel, silver or palladium.

Because the alloy has a light grey colour with undertones of yellow, the "white" of white gold actually comes from the rhodium plating, a white metal in the platinum family. The same karat rating as yellow gold applies to white gold too.

Great for: The cool, silvery tones of white gold are complementary for people with cooler skin tones but might wash out a person with warm skin tones.

ROSE GOLD

A popular metal favoured for its pink hue, rose gold is made with a combination of pure gold and reddish-brown copper, with a touch of silver.

The higher the levels of copper (and therefore lower gold percentage) would result in a deeper, darker rose hue.

Great for: Because rose gold comes with a rosy-orange shade, it leans towards the warmer spectrum and would be better for people with warm skin tones.

However, its rich warm hue makes it virtually flattering to every skin tone, as it brings out the blush tone of your skin.

SILVER

Like gold, pure silver is far too soft to be made into jewellery.

What you will find instead is sterling silver, or 925 silver made with 92.5 per cent silver and 7.5 per cent of other metals (usually copper).

There is also Argentium silver, which consists of either 93.5 per cent or 96 per cent pure silver and metalloid germanium. Argentium silver has greater tarnish resistance than sterling silver.

Great for: The silvery white hue of this material makes it a firm favourite among people with cool skin tones, as it makes them look more luminous and healthy.

PLATINUM

Platinum jewellery is prized for its durability and being tarnish-proof, which makes it a favourite when getting a piece that is meant to be kept for a long time, such as a wedding band.

However, platinum is more expensive than gold, as it is rarer and much denser, which means you would actually be getting more platinum in an item of jewellery than in a similar piece made of 18K gold.

Pure platinum is slightly soft too, so it is usually made with 95 per cent purity mixed with other metals such as palladium, cobalt and tungsten.

Great for: It is similar to silver, and cool toned people might find platinum jewellery more flattering than people with warmer skin tones.

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This article was first published in Her World Online (www.HerWorld.com)