Excerpt from Instant Holiday Glam: Color Palettes of Splendor. Available as a downloadable PDF.

©iStockphoto.com/Luis_A_Pena

Were you taught the crazy idea that one should never mix metals when wearing or making jewelry? I was. It took me a long time to shake the feeling that I was breaking the law when I combined copper, silver, and gold. But this is a “law” worth breaking! And it is all the rage now: look at any jewelry or clothing catalogue.

Metals form the core of holiday glam: shiny, reflective, and dazzling. Their rich glimmer elevates anything! Work consciously with metals’ warm or cool undertones: gold is related to yellow, a warm color; silver is cool because it has a bluish cast, or is void of color and warmth.

So many metals, so little time!

True metallic finishes like hematite, copper, and bronze add richness and depth. Muted in color, their non-distracting reflectivity lends an air of traditional elegance. Mix them with more brilliant golds.

• when mixing metals, choose one to dominate the overall color scheme

• try clear facted crystal accents with metallic palettes

• work with different metallic textures, such as filigree, brushed, matte, etched, and patterned

• texture, texture, texture! (see the photo to the left)

• add chains anywhere possible!

• vitrail finishes emulate the luxurious look colored metals because of a rainbow finish over a silver coating

Try these suggested palettes of mixed metals:

Copper, Bronze, Gold

Hematite, Pearl, Black, Gold

Silver, Black, Gold

Silver, Galvanized Copper, Gold

 

Suggested Delicas in Metal and Metallic finishes