Gold vs silver jewelry: how to choose
Gold or silver: how to choose
The short answer: match the metal you already wear most. Gold reads warm and adds to the skin; silver reads cool and sharpens it. Gold sits well against warm skin tones, tan, olive, cream, brown and earth colors. Silver sits well against cooler skin tones, black, gray, navy and white. If your watch, your belt buckle and your glasses are already one metal, matching them is the safe call, and matching your everyday pieces to each other matters more than matching any single outfit.
What gold and silver actually mean at Elaré
Neither is solid precious metal, and we would rather say so plainly. Every piece is built on 316L stainless steel. Gold pieces are finished with 18K gold plating over that steel. Silver pieces are rhodium plated, a bright hard white finish from the platinum family. The result is a piece that is harder than solid gold, waterproof, hypoallergenic, priced for daily wear, and backed for life.
How each one wears in
Gold plating is a surface. Over years of daily wear it thins at friction points, usually the inside of a ring band first. It can be kept a long time by keeping it off polishing compounds, ultrasonic cleaners and bleach, and abnormal peeling or flaking is a defect covered by the lifetime warranty.
Rhodium is harder than gold plating and holds its shine well. Like any finish it can pick up fine surface scratches over time, which most people read as character on a textured piece like CRUSHED.
Mixing metals
Mixing gold and silver is fine, and has been for a while. It works best when it looks deliberate: repeat each metal at least twice across the body, for example a gold chain and a gold ring against a silver bracelet and a silver ring. What looks accidental is one lone piece in an odd metal. If you want a rule, keep the metals matched within one zone, hand or neck or wrist, and mix across zones.
Which Elaré pieces come in which
- Every core line comes in both. CRUSHED, SANCTUM, SILEN and CRUCIFIX all ship in gold and in silver.
- Gold is 18K gold plating throughout. See the gold collection.
- Silver is rhodium plated on every piece. See the silver collection.
- Prices are the same in both metals on every piece we make.
Still deciding
Buy the metal that is already in your drawer. If you genuinely cannot choose, silver is the easiest to wear with anything, and the CRUSHED ring in silver at $38 is where most people start. Read the materials and care page for the full detail on both finishes.
FAQ
Is gold or silver better for everyday jewelry?
Neither is better. Gold reads warmer and more visible, silver reads cooler and more neutral. Match the metal you already wear most. Your pieces are seen together far more often than any one of them is seen alone.
Does Elaré gold jewelry contain real gold?
Yes, as plating. Our gold pieces are 18K gold bonded to a 316L stainless steel core. They are not solid gold, which is what keeps them hard enough for daily wear and priced the way they are.
Why rhodium plating?
Rhodium is a hard, bright white finish with more depth than bare steel. It is waterproof and tarnish-resistant.
Can I wear gold and silver together?
Yes. Make it look deliberate by repeating each metal at least twice across the body, or by keeping metals matched within one zone, such as the hand, and mixing across zones.
Does the price change between gold and silver?
No. Every Elaré piece is the same price in either metal.
Will gold plating turn my skin green?
No. Green marks come from copper-based alloys. 18K gold plating over 316L stainless steel does not cause them.