| Choosing Jewelry for Someone |
| A Few Helpful Notes |
| Why does no piece of jewelry look the same on any two people? Personality and hair color have a lot to do with it, but the primary reason is usually the undertone of the skin. The skin's undertone is the warm or cool hue that shows through the surface color of skin. Different metals and gems just look better against specific undertones. |
| Determining Skin Tone |
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There are several easy ways to determine the undertone. Customarily, cool people have eyes that are blue, gray, or green and have blond, brown, or black hair with blue, silver, or ash undertones. Conversely, warm-toned people usually have brown, amber, or hazel eyes with strawberry blond, red, brown, or black hair. Their hair tends to have gold, red, or yellow undertones. Another method is by observing the clothing choices someone wears. Warm-toned people will lean toward yellows, oranges, browns, yellow-greens, ivory, and warm reds. Cool-toned people will favor blues, greens, pinks, purples, blue-greens, and true “blue-based” reds. |
| Choosing the Metal |
| The foundation of a piece of jewelry is the metal. Metals can be sorted into cool and warm categories. When the tone of the metal matches the tone of the skin, the jewelry looks very pleasing on the person. Cool metals are white and silver-toned; platinum, titanium, white gold, silver and stainless steel. Warm metals are yellow or brown hues such as yellow gold, copper, and brass. |
| Choosing the Stone |
| Just as with metals, when gemstones are matched to skin undertone, they look their best. Bright colors such as pink, red, blue, purple, and green are best for cool skin tones because they brighten it up with color. Earth tones such as orange, brown, yellow, and turquoise are ideal for warm undertones. |
| Balancing With Hair Color |
| Hair color also plays a role. Ash blondes generally look best in cool toned items, and Golden blondes in warm toned. Those with dark brown or black hair with cool tones look best in cool toned jewelry, and brunettes with gold or auburn highlights usually look best in golden jewelry. |