How to Style a Mixed Metal Ring Stack
Let’s talk about how to style a stunning mixed metal ring stack. While there aren’t any rules, these clever silver and gold styling tips can help!
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Let's talk about how to build the perfect mixed metal ring stack. This is perfect if you have a combination of yellow gold, white gold, rose gold, and sterling silver rings in your jewelry collection – or your lust list. With the layered look, you can show off your personality while showcasing your favorite pieces. Read on to find out how to mix metals in your ring stack for a dazzling and daring style!
It’s the perfect time to try a mixed metal ring stack
Across the jewelry spectrum, the layered look is simply everywhere these days. Gleaming hoops and huggies adorning the ears, delicate chains and pendants draped around the neck, and eclectic ring stacks are making mini-maximalists out of us all. And we’re living for it.
The most dazzling ring stacks seem to be simply effortless – but to be honest, it takes quite a bit of thought to get the look just right. These curated looks ask an awful lot of our jewelry collections and our styling expertise. But the results? Ever so chic.
As much as we’d all love to buy an entire ring stack straight out of an Instagram ad, this isn’t always possible. And, while it’s terribly clever how each piece is designed to work harmoniously with the others, a single-brand look can border on matchy-matchy. Plus, it doesn’t necessarily show off your individuality – which is what the best jewelry pairings do so well.
If you’re a ring-lover, you may have been expanding your collection over the years. But with the trends swinging from “white gold, what else?” to “hello, yellow!” what’s a girl to do?
Mixing metals for a ring stack style you really love isn’t the easiest fashion feat. But with the following tips and tricks, you’ll achieve a completely original and stylish stack, regardless of whether you have (or want to have) white, yellow, or rose gold rings in your jewelry box.
First things first: There are no ring stack rules
One of the top reasons to love a good mixed metal ring stack is that it can be such a liberating and creative way to explore style in a way that’s uniquely you.
Historically, rings have been worn in accordance with strict social guidelines, like the idea that you can only wear wedding rings on your left-hand ring finger. Now, that's not necessarily true.
With the arrival of the curated ring stack and layered, mixed metal styling, this new approach to accessorizing is unmistakably modern and fresh. It’s also a welcome expansion of the minimalist aesthetic that’s prevailed over the past few years. Chic, pared-down outfit and a riot of rings? Yes, please!
And, now that we’re free to mix and match, it seems like there are so many more ring styles, stones, and settings to swoon over – from minimal metal bands and monochrome gemstones to dazzling clusters of statement rings. Really, anything goes. If you love your look, then go ahead and love it!
In this spirit, remember that there really are no rules for how you mix and match your sleek bands and sparklers. But, if you need a starting point, try these strategies when curating the perfect mixed metal ring stack.
Don’t fret about your wedding set
It’s a wonderful feeling to wear an engagement ring and wedding band in a style that you love. But the metal they’re made out of shouldn’t inform the rest of your jewelry choices for the rest of your life.
After all, your wedding rings aren’t exactly fashion fads. They’re forever pieces that represent your lifetime commitment. (And we’re talking about the commitment to your significant other here – not to a limited style of jewelry!)
While marrying into a lifelong relationship with white gold and white diamonds might sound pretty luxe, it’s even better knowing that you’re totally at liberty to try different metals and gemstone colors. Just stay away from the cute jewelers and you should be fine! 😉
Feel free to curate your ring stack around your engagement ring, choosing a wedding band or eternity band in coordinating styles but with different metals. Or, save the mixed metal stacking for your opposite hand. Your choice!
Look for cohesive design details
If you're not sure where to start with your mixed metal ring stack, try combining rings that have similar design elements or aesthetic qualities.
A great way to do this is to stick with complementary band textures, like a twisted rope style, a beaded band, or vintage-inspired milgrain edges. An assortment of engraved geometric markings can add interest as well. For more sparkle, white and yellow gold rings featuring pavé bands can harmonize beautifully.
These design elements certainly don’t have to match. In fact, it can look more dynamic and dazzling when they don’t! Even starting with a basic motif or aesthetic can be effective. Depending on what look you love best, you could combine rings featuring different circular details, botanical motifs, or ornate Victorian scrollwork.
Just be wary of pairing pieces that look too similar to each other. For instance, if you add a cocktail ring (or three!) to your stack, it’ll be more visually interesting if the center stones aren’t set into the exact same halo as your engagement ring.
If you strike the right balance between similarity and variety, you’ll be able to pull together a ring stack that looks like it was meant to be.
Unite mixed metals with colorful gemstones
If you’re going to be mixing metals, you might as well try combining different color gemstones, too! Just be thoughtful in your approach to color and limit your color palette to hues that harmonize.
One elegant option is to stick with white diamonds and allow the yellow, rose, and white gold bands to play together. This works really well, and here’s why: When frosty-white diamonds are set into warmer-toned golds, they pick up the cool tones of white gold and sterling silver. It's a great way to pull a high-impact mixed metal ring stack together with little effort.
If you prefer to be slightly more adventurous with color, try a limited color palette with white and blush pink. This way, you could introduce gems such as morganite, opal, rose quartz, or pink sapphire.
For even more vibrancy, combine colors that live near each other on the color wheel. Settings that hold dazzling droplets of green and blue can look heavenly in a mixed metal ring stack.
Or, take things a step further and mix and match hues you know you love wearing together. For a vampy look, you might combine black onyx, deep red garnet, and champagne diamonds with rose gold and white gold.
If, when joining gemstones, your ring stack starts to look a little too eclectic for your taste, remember that a few plain metal bands can help offset these splashes of color. And a cohesive design element will help tie a multicolored collection together.
Add contrast with different ring shapes and sizes
When you’re curating a mixed metal ring stack, play around with scale and band size. A great way to do this is to set off a thick statement piece by sandwiching it between slender bands of a different metal. Alternatively, you could stack up a few rings with similar band thicknesses – the similarity in size can help tie the mixed metal look together.
And don’t forget that rings aren’t just skinny round bands. There are so many unique shapes and sizes to try – go ahead and incorporate curved, pointed, and asymmetrical bands into the mix. Try wearing several pointed bands together for a dramatic stacked chevron, or add modern contrast to a few traditional bands with an X-shaped ring or open O. When done right, negative space between rings can look ultra-modern and give a classic ring stack an edge.
Make a statement with a mixed metal ring
Consider a mixed metal ring your free ticket to mix-and-match heaven. With a ring that weaves yellow, white, and rose gold together, you’ll be more easily able to repeat those tones across the rest of your ring stack.
There are plenty of vintage and contemporary rings alike that feature white diamonds set in white gold, surrounded by yellow gold accents or centered on a yellow gold band. Just take a look at this mixed metal engagement ring roundup by Brides magazine for inspiration.
Or, if you prefer something a little less bridal, consider a faux-stacked ring that combines multiple bands into one, or a woven-style ring that features equal parts white, yellow, and rose gold.
Stack vertically, horizontally, or both
When curating your stack, feel free to create a vertical stack and load lots of rings onto just one or two fingers. You’ll see that there’s plenty of space between the base of your finger and the first knuckle to layer up all of your favorite metal finishes.
Feel free to sprinkle midi rings into your look to really double down on the maximalist trend. Since these will sit above your main knuckle, they’ll need to be in smaller sizes than those sitting at the base of your finger. But a few midi rings can add a little playfulness and pizazz to your mixed metal ring stack.
Instead of filling up a few fingers, you can stack horizontally and wear a few rings on a few fingers. You might want to adorn three fingers on your right hand and just one finger and a thumb on your right hand, or some similar combination.
Of course, it’s also possible to do a hybrid of both horizontal and vertical stacking methods, where you’d layer more than one band on a few fingers. With a little trial and error, you’ll soon discover what looks and feels the best to you.
As a rule of thumb, (pun intended!) asymmetry works well with a mixed metal look. Opt for odd numbers of rings, or an odd number of decorated fingers. This is a classic design trick – things just look more balanced in sets of three, five, and seven. So, if your stack feels like it’s missing something, slip on another ring and see if that does the trick!
Play around with different ring pairings
If you’re pressed for time and only have a moment to slip on a few random rings on your way out the door, the results might look a little more haphazard than what you’re going for.
Now that you know some tricks for curating a fabulous mixed metal ring stack with white, rose, and yellow gold sparklers, grab your jewelry box and get ready to play dress-up! Have fun pairing different ring styles, shapes, and metal and gemstone colors into different ring stack configurations until you find some options you love the look of.
When choosing which rings to layer, don’t forget that comfort is important to a successful ring stack. If the pieces you’re wearing don’t sit well together on your finger, they might scratch each other or drive you crazy.
Also, if you’re shopping around for more pieces to add to your collection, don’t feel pressured to buy multiple rings at a time or stock up at just one jewelry store. It’s much better to take it slow and steady, finding meaningful pieces that really speak to you and building your collection over time.
Of course, if you see the perfect stackable trio out in the wild, by all means, go for it! But it’s totally okay to wear just a few bands while you continue your search for the ring that’s just right.
For additional inspo, check out Esqueleto’s Stack of the Week. There, you’ll see some dazzling and unusual ideas, themed ring pairings, and mixed metal magic. The brand’s creative ring stacks prove that you can never really go too far outside the (jewelry) box!
Wear what makes you happy
We might have started with the “no rules” rule, but there is one teensy little bit of guidance we should all try to live by. When you’re experimenting with style, avoid telling yourself that you can’t “pull off” a new look you love!
At its best, jewelry should be about expressing your best self – your personality, your story – through accessories. If your mixed metal ring stack feels a little more bold than usual, well, be bold for a day and see how you like it! If you love your layered look and the rings you’re wearing, mixed metals and all, that’s all that matters.
It might help to remember that you’re probably already mixing metals throughout the rest of your look, from the hardware on your leather handbag to the zip on your jacket or boots. You might even be wearing different metals in the form of necklaces, earrings, belts, and hair accessories. Even eyeglasses and sunglasses might feature a glint of silver or gold.
And, of course, your rings will be set off against whatever’s in your hand, whether it’s a gold phone case or sleek silver laptop – or perhaps a rose-gold rimmed cocktail glass after hours. Practically speaking, it’s impossible to escape the mixed metal mélange anyway – but there’s something so very liberating about that.
Let’s start stacking!
Maybe you’ve been lusting after a rose gold ring but have been concerned that it might not look good alongside your white gold wedding band. Or perhaps you inherited a yellow gold heirloom piece but have been strictly sterling silver until now.
Hopefully, these strategies have given you a starting point on how to wear and pair these different metals and ring styles together. Now you’re all set to start creating the mixed metal ring stack of your dreams with silver, yellow gold, rose gold, white gold, and even colorful gemstones.
And, as you fill up your jewelry box with new additions, you should now feel empowered to choose pieces that will endure and that you really, truly love – on their own and mixed with other pieces from your collection. Just remember, don’t let the metal color hold you back. You’re free to mix, match, and curate to your heart’s desire.