GiftsWear and care
Gold or silver: which earrings suit you
Is gold or silver better for your skin tone? A mirror in daylight will tell you more reliably than any rule. The common rule of thumb pairs gold with a warm undertone and silver with a cool one. We could not find a study that backs it. So hold a gold piece, then a silver one, next to your ear and see which makes your skin look fresher. You can mix the two, as long as it looks deliberate.
In short
Is gold or silver better for your skin tone? A mirror in daylight will tell you more reliably than any rule. The common rule of thumb pairs gold with a warm undertone and silver with a cool one. We could not find a study that backs it. So hold a gold piece, then a silver one, next to your ear and see which makes your skin look fresher. You can mix the two, as long as it looks deliberate.
What does the undertone rule say?
It sorts skin by its undertone, the hint of colour that sits beneath the surface. A warm undertone reads as yellowish or olive. A cool one reads as pink. Gold is meant for warm skin, silver for cool skin, and anyone in between is called neutral and can wear both.
You will find this rule in almost every guide from jewellers and fashion magazines, usually stated as settled fact. We looked for a dermatological or colour science paper that tests it, in English and in German, and found none. That does not make the rule wrong. It makes it a rule of thumb that is often right and sometimes not, and that is how to read it.
How do I find my skin undertone?
The most familiar shortcut is the vein test. You look at the inside of your wrist in daylight. If the veins look blue or purple, your undertone counts as cool. If they look greenish, it counts as warm. If you see a bit of both, you are probably neutral.
The test is quick, and it has weak spots. Light changes how colours read, and veins show more clearly on some people than on others. Treat the result as a first clue. The real answer comes when the metal sits right next to your face.
How can I test gold and silver myself?
You need ten minutes, a window and one piece in each colour. A necklace works, and so does a borrowed earring.
- Stand by a window in daylight, with no lamp behind you and little or no make-up.
- Pull your hair back so your ear and neck are clear.
- Hold the gold piece against your earlobe first, then the silver one.
- Look at your skin rather than at the jewellery. If one metal makes it look more even and your eyes look brighter, that is your metal.
- Take a photo of each and compare them an hour later. A little distance makes it easier to see.
It works best on a slow Saturday morning in the bathroom. A gold stud in your left ear, the silver one in your right, and you turn your head from side to side while the kettle clicks off in the kitchen. Often it is obvious after a few turns, without any rule at all. And if both look good, you can choose by mood, which is the nicest answer there is.
Does hair colour matter?
With earrings it does, more than with a ring. An earring sits right next to your hair, and the contrast is the first thing anyone sees. That is our own observation, and we offer it as such. Against dark hair, silver stands out brightly while gold looks softer. Against blonde or red hair, gold can almost disappear or frame your face with warmth, depending on how you wear your hair. With your hair tied up, the metal shows far more than with it down.
Can you mix gold and silver jewellery?
Yes. The old rule that metals should never be mixed is still around, and we think it has had its day. What matters is that the mix looks intended. It does when each colour appears more than once, say gold studs with a silver watch and a gold ring. A single silver piece among lots of gold, on the other hand, tends to look like an accident.
Four ways that rarely go wrong:
- The same shape in both ears, gold on the left and silver on the right. Nobody will think it was a mistake.
- Gold in your first piercing, silver in the second, the same on both sides.
- One piece that already carries both colours, such as a two-tone watch.
- A stone as the bridge. A black stone looks just as good set in gold as in silver.
If you wear several earrings, our guide to studs, hoops and stacking goes into more detail.
Gold and silver at Baqless
Several Baqless shapes come in both colours, so you can keep the shape you like and simply change the metal. The choice is made at the head. It is always sterling silver 925, finished with rhodium for the silver tone or with gold plating for the gold one. Post and anchor offer no such choice, both are always rhodium-plated. Behind your ear it is always silver in colour. At the front, you decide.
The anchor takes the place of a back, more in Backless earrings.
Two shapes, each in both colours, so you can do the mirror test with the right pair:
- Amity Rebecca Gold Stud, knot of three loops, gold-plated, CHF 98
- Amity Rebecca Silver Stud, knot of loops, rhodium-plated, CHF 98
- Embrace Wavy Gold Hoop with a wavy band, gold-plated, CHF 98
- Embrace Wavy Silver Hoop with a wavy band, rhodium-plated, CHF 98
More shapes are in the collections gold-plated earrings and silver earrings.
Keep reading
- Gold-plated, vermeil, gold-filled: what the words mean
- How to care for sterling silver when you sweat a lot
- Five pairs are enough: earrings for every day
- Earrings for the office party and New Year's Eve
Questions
I am buying for someone else. Gold or silver?
Look at what she already wears, on her ears, her hands and her wrist. Many people reach for the same colour again and again, and that is your safest choice. If she wears both, she is open to a mix.
Does rose gold suit everyone?
Some guides call rose gold the middle ground, because it reads as warm and light at once. There is no more evidence for that than for the undertone rule. The mirror test works for rose gold too.
Does what suits me change in summer?
The rule of thumb says your undertone stays the same when you tan. What changes is the contrast. We find gold looks richer on tanned skin, and some people switch colours for the summer.
Which colour needs more care?
Silver with rhodium stays bright, without it silver can turn darker over time. Gold plating wants nothing but a soft, dry cloth, as polishing cloths and pastes take the gold with them.
Can I wear a silver watch with gold earrings?
Yes. A watch is often the largest piece of metal you wear, so it can act as the bridge. Add one more silver piece and the mix looks deliberate.
Last checked on 13 November 2026.
