Besides price, value and style, did you know that the gemstone colour you pick should also be a consideration before you make your jewellery purchase?
Precious stones such as rubies, sapphires and emeralds come in a rainbow of colours and hues, and their particular shade can make or break how the jewellery piece can look you on depending on your skin tone — i.e. whether it is warm, cool or neutral.
Below, we’ve broken down three ways you can determine your skin tone and colours of gemstone you should be looking out for when you go shopping next.
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1. The white paper test: With a bare face, look into a mirror in natural light setting with a piece of clean, white paper beside your face. Spot what tones you see more of — if you see more pink or rose hues, you have a cool skin tone, and if you see more yellow, you have a warm skin tone. People with neutral skin tones will have difficulty determining either yellow or pink tones. This method however, is not recommended for people who have just washed their faces, have naturally flushed skin or have rosacea as these may skew your perception.
2. The gold and silver jewellery test: With a bare face, look into a mirror in natural light setting and alternate placing gold and silver-coloured jewellery beside your face. What makes you look glowy and youthful or sallow and sickly? If gold flatters you, then you have a warm skin tone, while silver looks good on those with a cool skin tone. Those with neutral skin tones would look good with both.
3. The vein wrist test: Under natural light setting, look at the veins at your wrists. If they appear blue or purple, you have a cool skin tone, if not they should appear green for people with a warm skin tone. Similarly, if you have problems determining whether it looks blue or green, it’s easy: you have a neutral skin tone.
Photo: Showbit
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Now that you’ve established the skin tone you have, we can go into delineating what gemstones are flattering to you. A quick way to remember which gemstone colours would best suit you is to take a look at the colour wheel.
Warm tones are rich reflections of nature, so shades include orange, yellow, gold, yellow-greens and orange-reds. Those with warm skin tones should also look great with “warmer” versions of cool colours, like olive and violet-red.
Cool tone colours are a reflection of the ocean and winter, which includes deep purple, bright blue, bluish-pinks/purples/reds and emerald. Silver and grey are also flattering for those with cool tones. People with neutral skin tones would suit them all, so, you don’t have to think twice about getting anything. Some say muted version of a colour suits a neutral toned person best, for instance dusty pink, jade green, cornsilk yellow, or lagoon blue.
When choosing your gemstone, remember: Because gemstones are naturally occurring minerals, their hues vary from stone to stone — you could have two red rubies in which one could have an undertone of blue (a cool tone) while the other leans towards orange (a warm tone). Or think of sapphire, and you’d immediately associate it with a deep blue colour. But according to The Diamond Store, sapphires are also available in pink, green, yellow, orange, purple, colourless and black. As such, when you’re choosing the gemstone, really pay attention to the individual rock’s hue.
Photo: Pixabay
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Stud earrings are versatile, simple and fuss-free. But to really up the ante, give the typical diamond studs a miss and go with this seven carat yellow gold citrine pair from Ippolita instead. Wear these with a double denim (here’s our guide to wearing denim on denim) ensemble to contrast the elegant gems with a more casual vibe.
Ippolita Rock Candy 18-karat gold citrine earrings, US$829.36 (S$) from Net-a-Porter
Photo: Net-a-Porter
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Imagine yourself walking into a ballroom dressed in a gold silk gown, with a beautiful chignon and these yellowish-green peridot and diamond Buccellati earrings shimmering on your earlobes. Elegant and glamorous, this gorgeous pair will definitely capture all the right attention.
Buccellati 18-karat yellow and white gold, peridot and diamond earrings, US$92,452.49 (S$) from Net-a-Porter
Photo: Net-a-Porter
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Not only does the turquoise shade of this Goosens ring lean towards the warmer spectrum, the flecks of yellow and brown further makes it suitable for those with warm skin tones. Wear this four-leaf clover ring with a killer LBD to your next important work presentation and who knows, you might get lucky and score brownie points with your audience.
Goosens Trèfle ring, S$$545 from Farfetch
Photo: Farfetch
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Created in a partnership between Brazilian-Armenian jeweller Ara Vartanian and British supermodel Kate Moss, these mother-of-pearl and gold drop earrings are crowned with 0.66 carats of round-cut orange-red garnets. Let them shine with a light yellow dress.
Ara Vartanian x Kate Moss garnet & gold earrings, US$4,141 (S$) from MatchesFashion
Photo: MatchesFashion
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This Lynn Ban coral orange piece is great for bringing out the vibrance in those with warmer skin tones. Bonus: It’s a piece that even those without pierced earlobes can wear. We don’t need another reason to wear this, but just so you know, ear cuffs are so in at the moment. Wear it with a leather jacket for a tough biker chick look.
Lynn Ban orbital sapphire & rhodium-plated ear cuff, US$1,348 (S$) from MatchesFashion
Photo: MatchesFashion
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This boxy, chunky pair from Fred Leighton uses over six carats worth of smoky purple amethyst that cooly contrasts against the silver collets. Show them off with a loose bun and a turtleneck sweater.
Fred Leighton Collection 18-karat gold amethyst earrings, US$1,713.09 (S$) from Net-a-Porter
Photo: Net-a-Porter
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Make a statement with this pair of Boucheron pendant drop earrings that sports over 22 carats of deep blue lapis lazuli and 0.63 carats of diamonds. Go monochromatic and pair this with a midnight blue velvet gown for your next dinner and dance.
Boucheron 18kt yellow gold Serpent Bohème diamond and lapis lazuli pendant earrings, S$20,798 from Farfetch
Photo: Farfetch
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Over four carats of pink and purple tourmaline (remember what we said about a gemstone being available in multiple colours?) are used to create this single drop earring from Irene Neuwirth. Its understated design means that it can pair well with most outfits and occasions.
Irene Neuwirth 18kt rose gold one-of-a-kind pink and purple tourmaline earring, S$$4,595 from Farfetch
Photo: Farfetch
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Part of Pomellato’s Nudo collection that uses colourful gemstones including lemon topaz, amethyst and citrine quartz, this 18kt rose and white gold ring puts the spotlight on a light blue topaz gem that is elevated with a paved 0.73 carat diamond band. Pair this with a light teal dress to bring out the smoky blue/grey tones.
Pomellato 18kt rose & white gold small Nudo topaz & diamond ring, S$7,946 from Farfetch
Photo: Farfetch
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Oval rose-cut blue tanzanite stones are placed in bezel setting to create these Jade Jagger drop earrings. This pair will add a darkly romantic vibe to an ethereal all-white ensemble.
Jade Jagger 18kt gold & tanzanite earrings, US$3,665 (S$) from MatchesFashion
Photo: MatchesFashion
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Encased in a clear sapphire glass pendant, this Aurélie Bidermann piece features 1.8 carats of deep bluish-green emeralds. Wear this sleek piece with a deep v-neck top as the pendant will definitely direct attention to your alluring cleavage.
Aurélie Bidermann Fine Jewellery Chivor emerald & 18kt gold necklace, US$2,400 (S$) from MatchesFashion
Photo: MatchesFashion
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