Jewelry completes an outfit more than any other accessory you can wear. Jewelry is the finishing touch, the cherry on the top of the cake, that pulls an entire ensemble together into something wonderful.

Many fashion fans like to buy cheap costume jewelry for the express purpose of wearing a few times and then discarding. If you do this, then you’re always able to keep up with changing fashions, swapping your jewelry pieces just as you would revolve all other items of fashion.

However, jewelry isn’t just a fashion item– it’s something beyond that, something treasured, and something that should be built to last. While there’s no harm in the occasional piece of costume jewelry, it’s wise to invest in a few pieces of jewelry that you will love for years and years to come. This ensures you will collate a jewelry box full of wonders that have genuine sentimental value to you, which is ultimately more worthwhile than costume jewelry can ever be. This could even mean your diamond or Moissanite engagement rings or a piece of jewelry that is a family heirloom!

Are you tempted? If so, then it’s time to delve deeper into one of the fundamental basics of jewelry choices: the metal. While stones are very subjective (some of us like them big, others more serene and subtle), the metalwork of a piece of jewelry is unavoidable. So if you’re going to be investing in metal rather than plastic style jewelry, you’ll need to know a little more about the choices before.

Rose gold: overplayed or worth your time?

Rose gold is a metal that has soared into the public consciousness in recent years. While the everlasting fascination with gold among humans beings can be dated back to the metal’s first discovery, fashion trends have always looked to bring in different styles with the same metal, some of which are very familiar such as white gold, and some which are quite new as in black gold. But only recently has rose gold taken the spotlight. It’s everywhere. It’s on iPhones, notebooks, pencil cases, and — of course — jewelry itself. Rose gold has risen from relatively humble beginnings to become the metal of choice for hundreds of thousands of people.

Rose ‘gold’ is something of a misnomer, given how the finished product is constructed. Rose gold is predominantly made from gold (around 70%), with some silver (around 5%) and the rest copper– which gives it that beautiful color we all love. Here’s are the essential need-to-knows about buying and wearing rose gold jewelry.

• Rose gold will look fantastic on you if you have very dark or very pale skin.
• Rose gold is generally less expensive than yellow gold, making it more suitable if you’re on a budget.
• The color can get lost when worn by olive and medium skin tones; if you’re looking for something that will stand out more, then yellow gold or silver may be a better fit for you.
• Rose gold is a slightly softer metal than yellow gold, due to the copper element. As a result, you may find it best to stick to rose gold for earrings rather than rings and necklaces.

One Final Note…

Rose gold has been on-trend for years now, but fashion can be fickle, and it is easy to foresee a future in which this pretty metal will become passé. Keep this in mind when buying investment pieces you intend to wear again and again.

Silver: much maligned but potentially beneficial

Silver is one of the most common metals used in jewelry making, thanks to how inexpensive it is. The shiny silver color attracts everyone, and the lower price tends to bring a smile to everyone’s face.

Some people look down on silver due to its price point, but jewelry doesn’t have to be incredibly expensive to be worth having. Good silver jewelry is a great investment, and definitely worth considering if you’re looking to buy pieces that will have more longevity than the plastic options so frequently seen in fast fashion. Here’s what you need to know about buying silver jewelry.

• Fine silver is a relatively soft metal, which can mean that it is liable to scrapes and dings. As a result, fine silver pieces shouldn’t be used for everyday wear.
• Silver works best with medium to dark skintones; it can ‘wash out’ someone who is paler.
• Sterling silver, a commonly used jewelry metal, comprises of around 90% silver and 10% of other metals (copper is the most common addition). As you can see by clicking here, sterling silver produces some stunning pieces of jewelry, but without the frailty of fine silver.
• While stronger and preferable to fine silver, sterling silver is prone to tarnishing, so you’ll want to learn how to polish any pieces you buy.

Silver jewelry can be beautiful and — in the case of the reliable sterling silver — inexpensive. Silver never goes out of style, so it’s an excellent choice for a piece of jewelry that is a cut above the usual costume fare.

Gold: the metal that never goes out of style

Finally, the classic: yellow gold. For decades, yellow gold was seen as the metal for jewelry, and it’s still a metal we all associate with luxury and opulence. If you’re unsure of what to do with 200k that you have in your bank and are looking to invest in a truly timeless piece of jewelry as an option, then you can’t go far wrong with the eternally-beloved yellow gold.

Even with its popularity, there’s still a few things you will want to know about yellow gold before investing– here’s the rundown of the essentials.

• Gold is measured in karats. As a general rule, the lower the karat, the softer the gold will be. Keep this in mind when buying rings and bracelets, which are prone to scratches.
• Popular culture has furthered the idea that if a piece of gold jewelry turns your skin green, it’s fake gold. This isn’t the case; all metals can turn your skin green; it’s a chemical reaction with the acid on your skin. So don’t throw away gold jewelry just because it’s turned your skin green!
• Gold is one of the most expensive metals in the world, though 9 karat gold (the lowest) is more accessible.
• Real gold will always bear a hallmark, so keep an eye out for this when buying.

If you decide to go for gold, then you can be sure of an effortlessly elegant piece of jewelry that can withstand any future changes in fashion.

On A Final Note…

There is a well-known fashion “rule” that suggests you should not mix metals; i.e. you should not wear more than one metal at a time. This makes some women feel like there is no point in spending money on jewelry, as you can only wear one metal at once. However, the “don’t mix metals” thinking is outdated, especially in a fashion world where color blocking fashion is a deliberate choice for many people. If you want to wear two or three different metals, then go for it– it’ll look great and you’ll feel fabulous.

*This is a collaborative post