Mixing Gold and Silver Jewelry

Many women ask me about style rules concerning mixed metals. I always admit up front that I wear silver exclusively - my engagement and wedding rings are white gold - so I never grapple with this question myself. But I always advise those interested in guidelines for multiple metals to go one of four routes: Don't care, wear all one or the other, mix intentionally, or include a bridging piece.

DON'T CARE

I know many women who have gold wedding rings and wear other jewelry in silver or gold without giving it a single thought. A single gold piece in a silver mix - especially something as small as a wedding ring - is unlikely to seem jarring, so if you can accessorize without thinking about it, do. But if doing that bothers you ...

WEAR ALL ONE OR THE OTHER

Wearing all one or the other will look polished and chic, of course. But that limits you to one color, unless you're willing to take off your wedding ring or other daily pieces. So ...

MIX INTENTIONALLY

Creating an intentional and harmonious mix of metals mostly just means including more than one in a single area of wear. Mix gold and silver bangles, or wear a thin gold and a thin silver chain layered together. Or ...

You could certainly invest in a single piece that contains both gold and silver. There are countless watches out there that tastefully combine the two metals, and I've seen lovely bracelets, too. (Like the one shown above!) If you want to wear silver, including the gold-silver item in your outfit as a bridging piece will make your accessories seem beautifully unified.

Do you mix metals? Which of these practices do you employ? Or do you have your own methods? Do tell, if so!

Sally McGraw is the author of Already Pretty, a daily blog about the intersection of style and body image.