Tips For Mixing Metals According to Your Style
Our guiding principle is "harmony through beauty", but harmony doesn't necessarily mean that everything needs to be perfectly matched or coordinated. Instead, we see harmony as achieving the perfect balance between different yet complementary elements.
Most of our customers own jewelry pieces made of different materials, colors, and finishes, but we often get asked, "How can I wear all these pieces together?" Combining them in one look is sometimes a lot more difficult than one might think. Mixing metals is like accessory alchemy; every combination yields different elements for your own unique fashion equation.
The mixing of diverse metals provides countless opportunities for you to get creative and pair some of your favorite pieces. Different metals can be combined to produce dynamic, bold looks, or even chic, polished looks; whatever you hope to achieve, the possibilities are endless.
Let us provide some tips on how to style mixed-metal tones in order to create an effortless look of harmony and balance, according to your style.
Options for Mixing Metals
First, you'll want to know about the various types of precious metal used in jewelry, which will serve as your color palette:
Yellow gold - Yellow gold is warm and sunny in color. We use exclusively 18K.
White gold - White gold is cool, a silvery tone. Our white gold is 18K.
Rose gold - Rose gold is almost pink, due to other metals in the alloy. Ours is 18K.
Platinum - Like white gold, platinum is also silvery-white. However, platinum jewelry is typically 95% platinum, so it's more pure than a gold alloy. Platinum is also more rare.
Sterling silver - More affordable than gold, sterling silver is white but needs to be cared for accordingly, since it may tarnish when exposed to air.
Complementary Colors
When combining various metal tones, your goal should be to achieve a well-balanced, pleasant, and refined look. When complemented well and confidently worn, mixed-metal combos can subtly strike the eye. Mixing warm and cool tones is one beautiful way to create this balance and contrast. Another great technique is to mix metals evenly throughout your look. Choose a dominant metal color and then add two or three more pieces in a complementary color to enhance and complete your look.
Mixed-Metal Pieces by Adel Chefridi
An easy way to confidently pull off the mixed-metals look without much effort is to start with pieces that already combine different metals in their design. Our mixed metals collection is an excellent place to discover earrings, necklaces, bracelets, and rings that harmoniously combine 18K gold and sterling silver. Mixed-metal pieces make it easier to coordinate the look and add even more pieces that match in color and style.
Some of our favorite mixed-metal pieces to help get you started are our Seeds of Harmony Charm Pendant, our Round Shooting Star earrings, or our Charm bracelet. These beautiful pieces, which combine gold and silver, can be easy starting points when you're beginning your own metal-mixing journey.
Layering Mix Metals
Have fun mixing different metals, and don’t be afraid to experiment with your fashion choices. A really dynamic way to experiment with your mixed-metal choices is to incorporate layering into your look. Common layering techniques include wearing necklaces of different lengths, or even accessorizing with earrings and bracelets that feature different textures and designs. Layering with mixed metals adds dimension to your look, and the contrast in textures and colors works to balance your aesthetic.
Options to incorporate into your layers:
- Mixing stud, hoop, drop earrings
- Shimmer Pendant Necklace (yellow, white, rose gold) (emerald, diamond, blue sapphire, ruby): Wear alone or pair with varying lengths of gold and silver necklaces
- Floret Charm (in yellow or white gold) (blue or pink sapphire): Wear alone or pair with varying lengths of gold and silver necklaces]
- Layer Beaded Toggle bracelet with Charm Bracelet
Mixed-Metal Stacks
Another easy way to combine different metal shades in close proximity is to stack rings. Combining rings and bands that vary in width, shape, texture, and color creates a pleasing visual balance. Check out this blog post for tips on stacking rings and bands.
Now that you've digested these ideas, you should have fun mixing metals in an uninhibited way. Precious metals and their color variations can be like paint on a palette, and you'll want to combine them in a way that allows you to express yourself joyfully.