White gold jewelry is a wardrobe essential for both men and women. It’s bold luster makes it a luxurious statement piece, but its neutral color means it pairs well with numerous skin tones and fabric shades. Understanding how to style it properly can make or break your outfit. Discover how to complete your ensemble with these simple white gold styling tips.
1. Wear Neutrals
Pair your white gold jewelry with cool neutrals like dark gray, navy blue, light caramel, or black for a timelessly chic look. The cool tones in the fabric pick up the icy hues in your jewelry. The subtle color palette also offers the perfect opportunity to wear a white gold statement piece, such as an iced out Cuban link chain, without overwhelming your outfit.
You can make understated neutrals pop with the addition of a white gold chain. Pair a navy blue turtleneck sweater with a 24” to 30” long white gold cable or curb chain and a pendant. Or wear white gold and diamond dangle earrings with a little black dress for an instantly glam evening look.
2. Use Minimal Accessories
White gold jewelry pieces are flashy and eye-catching on their own, so you’ll want to avoid over-accessorizing when styling these items. Keep your look minimalistic by choosing solid colored clothes, avoiding busy prints, and donning only a few other jewelry items to complement your white gold statement piece.
For example, if you select a chunky white gold chain as the focal point of your outfit, accessorize with simple white gold pieces like small hoop earrings or a signet ring.
3. Add a Pop of Color
White gold has cool undertones and looks fabulous when paired with a pop of color. If you want to add some vibrancy to a neutral outfit, choose items in cool colors like violet, navy blue, or seafoam green. These beautiful tones elevate your white gold jewelry and ensure you don’t look washed out or pale.
Avoid colors with yellow undertones, which are better suited to complementing yellow gold than white gold jewelry. For example, while seafoam green looks stunning with a cool white gold piece, olive green is best worn with yellow gold accessories.
4. Pair Your White Gold Pieces With Gemstones
You can also pair a simplistic white gold necklace or earrings with gemstone pieces like sapphire, plum garnet, or emerald. The deep tones of these sophisticated gems pair beautifully with all types of gold, but when you wear them with white gold pieces, you’ll emphasize their cooler tones.
Incorporating gemstones into your style creates a regal, glamorous look, and the simplicity of white gold lets the gemstones take the spotlight. Besides rings set with gemstones, you can work these jewels into your look with emerald earrings, a sapphire necklace, or a colorful gemstone bracelet. The bolder the gemstones you select for your look, the more simplistic your white gold statement piece should be.
5. Accessorize for Your Skin Tone
People with cool skin undertones typically look best in white gold jewelry pieces. However, if you have warm skin undertones and a cherished piece of white gold, you can still rock the look by accessorizing intentionally.
Bring out the warmth in your skin tone by pairing your white gold earrings or necklace with clothing in autumn hues like burnt oranges or burgundies. Use your makeup to offset the cool tone of the jewelry, such as opting for vibrant reds and pinks in your lipstick rather than cooler purples.
6. Mix Metals
While wearing a white gold ring with a yellow gold bracelet may once have been a fashion faux pas, mixed metals have fast become an on-trend look that can elevate your outfit from bland to banging.
To successfully mix white gold jewelry with other metals, you need to follow a few simple guidelines, including:
- Balance the number of different metal pieces you wear on each part of your body. For example, wear a white gold necklace layered with a rose gold chain instead of yellow gold earrings.
- Wear a white gold chain paired with a two-tone piece of jewelry like stainless steel, and a rose gold watch to act as a bridging piece.
- Opt for metal jewelry with different textures: Pair chunky Cuban link or curb chains with delicate herringbone or hammered white gold bracelets with a sleek bangle.
7. Keep Your Look Modern
While yellow gold jewelry is typically associated with a more traditional aesthetic, white gold looks best with a more contemporary style. Select pieces that are simple, have clean lines and have solid colors. White gold jewelry looks great with loose-fitting clothing like peasant blouses, oversized Victorian sleeves, and flared pants.
You can also accentuate your white gold jewelry pieces with your shoe choice, creating a pairing that works with any outfit. Square-toed heels and chunky boots are two options that are stylish, contemporary, and look great with chunky white gold chain or medium-sized hoop earrings.
8. Switch Your Jewelry with the Seasons
While the warm tones of yellow and rose gold jewelry is ideal for summer, white gold jewelry is the perfect choice for accessorizing winter ensembles. White gold jewelry has a naturally icy hue, reflecting the chilly temperatures outdoors.
Change your accessories to match your clothing by selecting cool-toned white gold pieces to match the darker colors typically worn in winter. A sparkling white gold tennis bracelet is worn over a pair of black leather gloves for a glamorous retro look. Or wear a pair of glittering white gold and diamond studs for a touch of shimmer without becoming swamped by your heavy winter clothing.
For men, a thick white gold Cuban chain worn over a black cable knit sweater is a chic, modern way to accessorize for the season. You can also try a white gold signet ring and a matching slim bracelet for a little sparkle showing out from the sleeve of your winter coat.
9. Layer Your Look
The key to styling your white gold jewelry is to layer your pieces for an intricate look that showcases your ability to accessorize. This applies primarily to necklaces and rings but can also work with your earrings and bracelets.
Layer your white gold necklaces to show off multiple pieces at once and make them the statement of your outfit. Choose varying designs such as a choker necklace, a simple white gold chain and pendant, and a chunkier chain for a 3-fold necklace arrangement that can dress up any basic black t-shirt.
When wearing white gold rings, stack several smaller rings to create a dazzling accessory that garners compliments. You’ll want to vary the design of the rings, choosing some plain white gold bands, a few diamond-encrusted bands, and perhaps a single slender ring that is set with a gemstone.
Many men and women are also embracing the stacked or layered look on their ears by wearing multiple earrings on one ear at a time. Even if you only have a single piercing, you can try this style by wearing an ear cuff.
Add White Gold Jewelry to Your Collection
White gold jewelry pieces are versatile additions to your jewelry collection. You don’t have to wait for a formal event to bring out your best white gold oversized linked chain, edgy layered coin necklaces, or pinky ring. Have fun adding a touch of white gold whimsy to your everyday outfits for a fashion-forward look and an easy mood boost.
