Ask five people whether you're 'a gold person' or 'a silver person' and you'll get five confident, contradictory answers. The undertone advice is genuinely useful, but most versions of it skip the caveats. Here's the honest version.
What 'undertone' actually means
Your undertone is the underlying hue beneath your skin's surface colour — usually described as warm (yellow, golden, peachy), cool (pink, blue, red), or neutral (a mix of both). It doesn't change with a tan or the seasons, which is what makes it a more reliable style guide than skin tone alone. The general rule of thumb: warm undertones tend to suit yellow gold, and cool undertones tend to suit silver, white gold or platinum. Neutral undertones can usually wear both.
That rule is a starting point, not a law — plenty of people wear both because they simply like both, and personal style always outranks a formula.
Three tests that actually help
The vein test. Look at the veins on the inside of your wrist in natural light. Greenish veins are said to indicate a warm undertone; blue or purple veins suggest cool. It's the most repeated test online, but it's also the least reliable one — vein colour is affected by skin thickness, lighting and even how recently you've been in the sun, so treat it as a hint rather than a verdict.
The hold-it-up test. Far more reliable: hold a gold piece and a silver piece against the inside of your wrist or your jawline in daylight (not indoor bulbs, which distort colour). One will usually look like it's lighting up your skin; the other will look slightly flat or grey against you by comparison. This is the closest thing to a definitive test, because it skips the theory and shows you the actual result.
The white-vs-ivory test. Think about the clothes you already own. If crisp white looks better on you than cream or ivory, you likely lean cool. If ivory, cream and off-white flatter you more than stark white, you likely lean warm. It's the same underlying principle as the metal test, applied to something you can check in your own wardrobe right now.
If you're neutral, you're not stuck — you're free
A genuinely neutral undertone means both metals will look intentional on you rather than accidental. If none of the tests above give you a clear answer, that's very likely what's going on. Rather than treating it as inconclusive, treat it as permission: build a jewellery collection around what you love wearing, not around a rule that doesn't apply to you.
The test that beats all three: what you already reach for
If you own drawers of gold jewellery and never wear the silver pieces you were gifted, that's data. Personal habit is often a better predictor than any wrist test, because it reflects years of small, unconscious choices about what makes you feel good.
Infinity Sparkle Necklace — 14K gold-plated, warm-toned
Luna Pearl Chain Necklace — rhodium-plated silver, cool-toned
Lumina Pearl Station Necklace — gold-plated, warm-toned
Browse the full range in our necklaces collection, or see how the two tones sit side by side in our guide to platinum vs white gold vs sterling silver.
The short version
Warm undertones generally lean gold, cool undertones generally lean silver, and neutral undertones can wear either. The vein test is popular but unreliable; holding both metals against your skin in daylight is the closest thing to a real answer. And if you already know what you reach for in the morning, trust that over any test.