Silver or Gold: Does Jewelry Color Matter?

Jewelry is an expression of personal style, personality and beliefs.

As a silver wearer, I didn’t think much about what the color of jewelry expressed until recently.

Graphic by Madelyn Churchill

I was gifted my first pair of gold earrings as a child. In my culture, it’s customary to give young girls gold jewelry because its high value is believed to manifest wealth into the child’s future. I wore little gold hoops for years but consistently lost them. Eventually, my mom decided she had wasted enough money on expensive earrings, so she gave me a silver pair instead.

I’ve only collected silver pieces ever since.

As I grew up, I discovered my stylish friends wear jewelry that matches their aesthetic, personality or skin tone. I began rethinking my choices because I didn’t wear silver for any of those reasons. I simply wear it because I’m used to it.

Still, I didn’t have enough reason to switch things up from silver. My mindset changed when I saw girls unboxing beautiful gold pieces from mystery jars on TikTok. I remembered my first pair of earrings and wanted to reintroduce gold to my collection.

The only problem is, I don’t know where to look. Mystery jars feel like a gamble and nearby thrift stores don’t have many options.

I realized that diversifying the metals in my collection might take some time. For now, I’ll stick to silver until I have accumulated enough gold to wear a mixed aesthetic.