5 sneaky ways to determine whether your ring should be yellow, rose or white gold

There are a range of metals to choose from when it comes to creating your partner’s engagement ring. The most common metals are are yellow gold, rose gold, white gold and platinum. But how do you choose?

Never fear. Here are 5 actionable ways to determine what colour your partner imagines their dream engagement ring to be (and still keep your proposal a secret).

There are three main colour groups that the precious metals sit under.

White metals:

White gold and platinum are the most commonly used white metals in engagement rings. They’re classic, easy to match and hold up to everyday wear and tear much better than sterling silver does.

Yellow gold:

Yellow gold has a warm, rich colour and is beautiful with champagne-toned stones and bright bold gems. Its popularity has waned since the 80s (your mum might have had a yellow gold engagement ring), but is now making a comeback and has become the metal of choice in many unique, untraditional pieces.

Rose gold:

Rose gold, otherwise known as red or pink gold, has a feminine, peachy hue. Currently very popular, its soft pink colour makes it highly complementary to a wide range of skin tones.

It’s time to get sneaky. Here’s what you do:            

1. Gather intel. First and foremost, check in with friends. Your partner’s bestie may be able to tell you straight out and save you a bunch of stress, time and uncertainty.
2. Raid the jewellery box. Sneak a peek at your partner’s collection when they’re not home to see which metal types are most popular. They may prefer to have the engagement ring match these pieces so they can be worn together. If your partner is the kind who mixes and matches their jewellery, give greater weight to the colours they wear most often.

Tip for the bold: If your partner likes to mix metals (wears silver with rose gold for example) you might want to consider a two-toned design. It’s great way to create an engagement ring with a more modern style.

3. Go window shopping. Head to the shops together and walk past a few jewellery store windows. Notice which pieces catch your partner’s eye. If you can, take a look inside and try on a few pieces together under the guise of searching for a gift for someone else.
4. Play the spy game. This is a great one if you can gain access to your partner’s Pinterest account. There might be an inspiration board that reveals their preferences. If you manage to sneak a peek at the Pinterest account while it’s logged in, scroll down past the public boards to the “Secret boards” section. Check to see if there are any jewellery-related boards you can take some inspiration from.
5. Go by their skin tone. Now this one is a little more technical. Take note of the veins on the underside of your partner’s arm. Someone with a cool skin tone will have blue veins. Someone with a warm skin tone will have green veins. Another way to tell is by how skin reacts to the sun. People with cool skin tones tend to burn and turn pink. People with warm skin tones tend to tan first. Warm skin tones look great in yellow gold, rose gold and any of the white metals. Cool skin tones are well suited to white gold, platinum and rose gold.

If it all seems like too much to take in, don’t worry. You don’t have to work this all out by yourself! Email fairina@fairinachengjewellery.com or book a quick phone chat where you can ask all your burning questions about the process of designing an engagement ring.

Don’t be afraid to write an email that goes something like this:

Subject: HELP!

Text: I have no idea what I want!

This happens more often than you might think. Get in touch and we’ll walk you through the process of designing an engagement ring that gets you that “yes”!