Mixing Metals: How To Pull Off Mixing Gold And Silver Jewelry

Jewelry may be one of the last things you put on when you're getting ready, and it can pull your entire look together and leave you feeling ready to conquer the world. Whether you're going for timeless or trendy or edgy, your jewelry can help make that statement. You may have a piece that you wear when you want to feel confident or you may have jewelry that comes with a special connection to loved ones — like Princess Charlotte's brooch that she wore to Queen Elizabeth's funeral.

When you're choosing what jewelry to wear, if you start by selecting, say, a silver necklace, you may think that all the rest of your pieces should be silver. Nope! Why should you limit yourself? Feel free to mix gold and silver jewelry together to create a unique, stylish look. If you've never tried to mix your silver and gold jewelry together or just need some new inspiration, here are some options.

One of the easiest ways to mix gold and silver jewelry is by choosing a classic piece that is two-tone to begin with, like a watch. There are high-end options like the Cartier Tank watch, and you'll be in good company if you wear one. Meghan Markle bought herself a two-tone Cartier Tank watch when she was on "Suits," and she told Hello! that she would be giving it to her daughter one day. Princess Diana was also a fan of the Cartier Tank watch. If Cartier isn't in your budget, there are plenty of other options, such as ones from Fossil and Timex.

Another royally approved combination of gold and silver jewelry can be seen in engagement rings and wedding bands. It's been a royal family tradition to have wedding bands made with Welsh gold, and Queen Elizabeth, Princess Diana, and Kate Middleton all paired the gold wedding bands with platinum or white gold engagement rings. It's not just for the royal family. Jeweler Colleen Montague told Brides that "mixing white gold, yellow gold, and rose gold has proven to be really stunning." 

Even if you didn't go with the royal family's approach of mixing metals between the engagement ring and wedding band, you can also embrace the mixed metal look with a two-tone engagement ring. Choosing a yellow gold band for your engagement ring and pairing it with a white gold or platinum setting for a colorless diamond will help show off the stone's brilliance and make it seem like it's almost floating on top of the band. Though there are plenty of alternative gemstone options for engagement rings. 

When it comes to earrings, you can go for two-tone options from the start, like these hoop earrings by celebrity loved brand Jenny Bird. And if you have multiple ear piercings, alternate metal colors as you go up the ear to create a dynamic look. Start with the largest earring in the bottom piercing and move your way up from there with contrasting metals. That way you'll keep your look balanced while also making it visually interesting with the combination of colors.

If you're going to wear rings on both hands and on multiple fingers, don't wear all silver on one hand and all gold on the other. To keep the look cohesive, choose rings of similar widths or designs. You could start small by mixing metals on your rings with just one finger. If you have narrow banded rings, you can sandwich the rings based on metal color — a silver band between two gold ones, for example. Or stack two different color rings on just one finger to build your own statement ring look.

The trend of layered necklaces is still going strong. Here's how to layer your necklaces for each type of top. For an effortlessly chic layered necklace style, combine similarly weighted necklaces in silver and gold. You can also try playing with different lengths and different textures. If there are any non-metallic colors in your necklaces, make sure they're the same or complementary for a unified appearance. And if you're layering up with necklaces, it's already a busy look near your face, so keep it simple with earrings or skip them altogether.

Layer differing metals on your fingers and on your wrists for a luxe, bohemian feel. As you're choosing pieces, don't be afraid to incorporate gemstones and pearls as they tie together the different metal colors. But make sure it all blends well. Since you already have contrasting gold and silver colors, don't go for stones that are too saturated with color — think clear gemstones and luminous pearls or opals. You want it to look like the pieces were chosen with intention, not that you grabbed the first things you could out of your jewelry box.

Overall, silver is a brighter color than gold, so if you want to keep things balanced as you blend your metal jewelry, you might want to go for fewer silver pieces compared to the number of gold pieces. Another way to think about which metal should feature more predominantly as you mix your gold and silver jewelry is what metal looks better on your skin tone, particularly for the jewelry that's closest to your face. People with cool undertones generally look better in silver while those with warm undertones look better in gold.