Measured: Solid precious metal is declared by a fineness stamp, karat for gold and parts per thousand for silver. A plated finish is declared instead by its coating thickness in microns.
The basics
What to know about metal & tone
Two different things share one column in most listings. Yellow gold, white gold, rose gold and sterling silver name the metal a piece is made from. Gold tone and silver tone name a color laid thin over a cheaper base. That difference sets price, lifespan, repairability and what happens when the piece meets sweat.
Precious metal declares itself with a stamp. Gold is marked in karats out of 24 or in parts per thousand. So 14k reads 585 and 18k reads 750, while sterling silver reads 925. Plating is declared instead by coating thickness in microns, one thousandth of a millimeter, and that number predicts how long the color survives. Flash plating and vermeil differ by more than tenfold.
Color itself is a styling choice, and skin undertone is only one input alongside contrast and what you already own. Work through the options with two questions in order: is the metal solid or a coating, and if it is a coating, how thick.
