If you’ve ever found yourself wondering what color jewelry you should wear, you’ve come to the right place. There is a whole rainbow of jewelry colors to choose from. With all those options, how do you pick the best ones for you?
Here at Cline Jewelers, we believe that everyone should embrace their natural beauty, and we believe that your jewelry should help you do just that! Whether you’re trying to add variety to your go-to colors or you simply don’t know where to begin, tapping into color science and finding your personal color palette is a good way to start.
What is My Color Palette?
In short, your color palette is a grouping of colors that suits you well based on your natural, beautiful features. Though you can (and should) rock whatever colors make you feel most confident, finding a set of colors that’s basically built to flatter you makes it a breeze to style your daily jewelry looks.
How to Discover Your Perfect Color Palette
Figuring out your color palette is a piece of cake! Let's break it down into three simple steps. First off, let's uncover your undertones. Second, let's evaluate your unique features to determine if you lean more towards 'cool' or 'warm' colors. Finally, based on your results, choose the palette that suits you best! Let's dive into each step and explore the details.
What Are My Undertones?
Understanding undertones is a cinch once you grasp the basics. It's important to note that undertones and skin tones are not the same. Your skin tone refers to the outer color of your skin, while undertones are the natural hues beneath the surface.
There are three categories of undertones: cool, neutral, and warm. Warm undertones showcase golds and reds, while cool undertones feature greens, blues, and purples. Of course, these subtle colorations might not be immediately obvious. But don’t worry, we've got two nifty tricks to help you determine your undertones.
First, take a look at your wrist veins under natural light. If they appear green, you have warm undertones. If they lean towards blue or purple, you have cool undertones. And if you see a mix of both, you have neutral undertones.
If that doesn’t settle it, grab a plain white t-shirt. You can either put it on or hold it up next to your face in front of a mirror. If your skin has a golden glow in contrast to the white shirt, warm undertones are likely your match. On the other hand, if it gives your skin a pinkish glow, cool undertones are probably at play. And if your skin doesn't react in any specific way, you have neutral undertones.
When it comes to your eye color, remember that gray, green, and blue are cooler tones, while brown, amber, and hazel lean towards warm tones. Your hair color follows similar rules. Rich reds, golds, and chocolate browns are warm tones. If your hair has ever been described as auburn, bronze, or copper, it falls into the warm-toned category. On the flip side, icy hues or hair with blue, purple, or gray undertones are considered cool-toned. Jet blacks, white blondes, and ashy browns also fall into this cool category.
Am I High Contrast or Low Contrast?
Contrast refers to the variation between colors. Your features can exhibit quite a range of colors and tones. If there are a lot of different tones and colors within your features, you fall into the ‘high contrast’ category. If your features all fit a similar palette, you are considered ‘low contrast.’
Which 4 Seasons Color Palette is Best for Me?
Now for the most important question in our quiz: which palette is right for you?
There are plenty of ways to categorize and determine palettes, but in this crash course, we’ll rely on the popular ‘color season’ format. Starting with the four seasons as a reference allows you to visualize the relevant colors more easily. Look through the following descriptions to find the one that suits your tones and contrast level best.
Remember, regardless of your results, you can always experiment with whatever colors your heart desires. This is just a quick and easy way to find colors that are guaranteed to enhance your natural features.
Spring Season Color Palette
Spring color palettes consist of three subsets: light spring, true spring, and bright spring. Certain colors, particularly pastels, work well for all three.
Light spring color palettes are ideal for individuals with low contrast features and neutral or warm undertones. The spring palette suits those with pale blue, light green, or soft hazel eyes and lighter shades of hair tend. Opt for gentle pastel colors in jewelry, including soft silvers, white golds, lilacs, and pinks. Lighter amethysts, peridots, and aquamarines complement a light spring palette.
True spring color palettes are warm and vibrant. Individuals with warm undertones, bright features like golden or strawberry-toned hair, and medium-contrast features are well-matched to the true spring color palette. When selecting jewelry, warm gem tones like rich citrine are a great fit and will make your gorgeous features pop. With warm undertones, favor gold jewelry.
Bright springs can best be described as “vibrant.” If you have highly saturated green, blue, or brown eyes and hair with vivid shades of blonde, copper, or auburn brown, you may fall into the bright spring category. Bright springs look fantastic in colors as lively as their features, including bold pinks and watermelon greens. Tourmaline, which comes in a variety of pinks and greens, make excellent gemstones for bright springs. Pair them with warm-toned metals like yellow gold.
Summer Season Color Palette
Similar to springs, summer color palettes are broken into three subsets: light summer, true summer, and soft summer. Some colors complement all groups, while others are most suitable for a specific one.
Light summers have lighter features and cool tones. Their eyes may be pale blue, gray, or green, and their hair color may be described as "ash blonde" or "ash brown." If light summer is your color season, you’ll have a blast exploring the color spectrum between green and blue. Teal and turquoise shades work wonderfully for a light summer. Blue-green gemstones like turquoise and aquamarine are a light summer’s best friend. With cool undertones, light summers shine in silver, platinum, and white gold.
True summers have cool undertones, primarily blues and grays. Overall, their appearance is soft and gentle, with medium contrast between features. True summers are complemented by subtle, refined colors. Rather than earthy shades, true summers may want to opt for grays, mint greens, lilacs, light pinks, and light blues. Topaz and amethyst, which come in plenty of cheery colors, make a great starting point for any true summer who is looking for new jewelry.
Soft summers, like true summers, possess muted and cool-toned features but with lower contrast. Dusty colors and cool blues (think sapphires) are perfect for soft summers, as are silver, platinum, and white gold. Play to your strengths by selecting jewelry that blends smoothly rather than high-contrast pieces.
Autumn Season Color Palette
For the autumn palette, warm tones take center stage, with the palette further divided into deep autumn, true autumn, and soft autumn. While all autumns generally look good in earthy tones, there are some variations between the three.
Deep autumns (also known as dark autumns) have dark hair with warm undertones–maybe even some hints of gold. Many deep autumns have hazel or brown eyes. Copper, olive, and dark green tones, along with rich, warmer purples, suit deep autumns well. For gemstone jewelry, explore the color ranges of emeralds, peridots, and jades. Rose gold and yellow gold are the ideal metals for a deep autumn.
True autumns exhibit hints of amber and red in their features. They often have a golden glow to their complexion due to warm undertones. Warm colors like olive green, warm browns, and maroons work well for true autumns, as do yellow gold and rose gold. Garnets make a great gemstone for the true autumn looking to add some colorful jewelry to their wardrobe.
Soft autumns have lower contrast features, with undertones that are neutral or slightly warm. Soft autumns look stunning in gentle, medium tones like earthy greens and dusty pinks. Like other autumns, yellow gold and rose gold will amplify a soft autumn's natural beauty. Similar to true autumns and deep autumns, a soft autumn’s natural colors pair well with garnets and peridots, as well as certain colors of tourmaline.
Winter Season Color Palette
Like spring, summer, and autumn, the winter palette is split into three groups: bright winter, true winter, and deep winter. Winters have cool or neutral undertones, and tend towards darker features such as brown or black hair.
Bright winters possess the most striking contrast within the winter color palette. They typically have dark, cool-toned hair paired with lighter eye colors. Vivid shades bring out the natural beauty of a bright winter. All gem tones, including deep blues of sapphire and radiant reds of rubies, suit bright winters perfectly. As a cool-toned color palette, silver, platinum, and white gold are attractive metals for bright winters.
True winters have blue and gray undertones in their features. Like other winters, cool and neutral tones prevail: their features may be described as icy, ashy, or neutral. True winters can show off in royal blues, grays, and purples. Stand out with silver, platinum, or white gold metals. As a medium-contrast color palette, let subtle pieces enhance your natural beauty.
Deep winters, sometimes called dark winters, have neutral or somewhat cool tones with high contrast between their features. Deep winters often have dark brown or black hair and eyes. Richer gem tones like lush green emeralds and royal purple amethysts suit deep winters excellently. Silver, platinum, and white gold are crucial for a deep winter. Explore jewelry with bold color differentiation to accentuate high contrast features.
Find Your Jewelry Match at Cline Jewelers in Edmonds, Washington!
So, you’ve figured out your color palette–now what? This is the fun part: it’s time to put together your ideal jewelry collection! As a full service jewelry shop specializing in custom design, Cline Jewelers is the place to explore the world of gemstones.
We pride ourselves on offering a wide selection of colorful gemstone jewelry, and if you can’t find precisely what you’re looking for, we’ll work with you to make something tailored to your exact specifications. With great options for any color palette, and a team of jewelry experts to help find what you need, we’re the best place for anyone hoping to update their jewelry box.