Short answer: yes, you can mix gold and silver jewellery, and right now it's one of the easiest ways to make your look feel current. The old rule of "gold with gold, silver with silver" has quietly disappeared. Mixed metals feel relaxed, personal and less matchy, and they mean every piece you own can be worn together.
The trick is making the mix look intentional rather than accidental. Here's how.
Why mixed metals work
Wearing one metal from head to toe can look polished, but also a little formal. Mixing tones adds depth and contrast, the same way mixing textures does in an outfit. It's also practical: you no longer need a gold version and a silver version of everything, and the pieces you already love can finally be worn together.
1. Start with a bridge piece
The easiest way into mixed metals is a piece that already combines both. A two-tone ring, bracelet or necklace ties gold and silver together, so everything around it looks deliberate.
The Venetian Lace Sculptural Open Ring comes in gold, silver or two-tone, with irregular openwork and softly raised texture. Choose the two-tone finish and wear it as the centre of a ring stack with one gold ring on one side and one silver ring on the other.
2. Choose a lead metal
A 50/50 split can look undecided. Instead, let one metal lead and use the other as an accent, roughly 70/30. If most of your everyday pieces are gold, add one or two silver pieces for contrast, or the other way around.
3. Repeat each metal at least twice
A single silver piece in an all-gold look can read as a mistake. Repeat the accent metal somewhere else, such as silver earrings with a silver ring, and the eye reads it as a choice.
Pieces that come in both finishes make this easy. The Sculpted Tide Hoop Earrings, Dreamweave Textured Hoop Earrings and Fleur Pearl Drop Earrings are all available in gold or silver, so you can pick whichever balances the rest of your jewellery.
4. Mix by zone
If mixing within one area feels too much, start by mixing between areas: gold at the neck and silver on the hands, or silver earrings with a gold necklace. Once that feels natural, try mixing within a single area.
- Necklaces: layer a silver pendant with a fine gold chain. See our guide on how to layer necklaces for lengths and spacing.
- Rings: alternate tones across your fingers, or anchor a stack with a two-tone ring.
- Earrings: in an ear stack, try a gold hoop with a silver stud, or the other way around.
- Bracelets: a gold cuff next to a silver chain looks relaxed and modern.
5. Keep the style consistent
When the metals differ, something else should connect them. Keep a common thread in shape, texture or mood: all fine and delicate, all sculptural, or all vintage-inspired. A sculptural gold hoop and a sculptural silver ring look like a pair, even in different tones.
The Stella Oval Pendant Necklace is a good example. Its vintage-inspired oval frame and cubic zirconia star work in gold or silver, so it sits comfortably alongside either metal.
6. Don't forget rose gold
Rose gold sits naturally between yellow gold and silver, and works as a soft bridge between the two. The Honeycomb Prism Hoop Earrings come in rose gold or silver, in 925 sterling silver, with four sizes from a compact everyday hoop to a bold statement.
What about skin tone?
You may have heard that warm skin tones suit gold and cool skin tones suit silver. It can be a helpful starting point, but it's not a rule. Mixed metals actually take the pressure off, because you're not relying on one tone to do all the work. Wear what you like looking at.
Caring for mixed-metal jewellery
Different finishes can scratch each other, so store gold-tone and silver-tone pieces separately rather than in one tangle. Our Travel Jewellery Roll keeps them apart at home and away. For plated pieces, see our guide to whether gold-plated earrings tarnish.
Shop the guide
Mixed-metal favourites
Honeycomb Prism Hoop EarringsFrom A$45Shop now
Sculpted Tide Hoop EarringsFrom A$59Shop now
Venetian Lace Sculptural Open RingFrom A$79Shop now
Stella Oval Pendant NecklaceFrom A$129Shop now
Free shipping and a complimentary Travel Jewellery Roll on orders over A$75.
The bottom line
Mixing gold and silver isn't breaking a rule anymore; it's simply a way to wear more of what you love. Start with one bridge piece, choose a lead metal, and repeat your accent at least twice. Browse our earrings, rings and necklaces in both gold and silver finishes.