No End to the Rainbow

Seasonal Style: Gold For Winter, Spring, Summer, and Fall

To effectively sell gold jewelry, jewelers should know that the names of the seasons gauge a lot more than just the temperature on the thermometer.

With women focusing on jewelry as a fashion accessory, salespeople must understand the relationships among jewelry, fashion, and beauty. One of the best ways to accomplish this is by understanding what the beauty industry has understood for decades—that each woman has a distinct complexion that's best complemented by certain colors and hues. These various groups have been defined by seasonal category: winter, spring, summer, and fall.

Jewelry is very much a beauty purchase, according to Maxene Pollack, a sales and marketing consultant with more than 20 years' experience in fine jewelry. Selecting the right gemstones and gold color is closely related to choosing the correct makeup. It's also a beauty purchase because it's traditionally associated with wealth and status.

"Adornment is a symbol of success, and success feels good," she says. "If success makes us feel good, and feeling good makes us happy, then who could argue that when we are happy, we are beautiful?"

On the sales floor, it's important to remember the purpose of gold jewelry. Aside from the power and status associated with fine jewelry, women today want jewelry for one basic reason, says Pollack: "It enhances the way we look."

With various shades of gold available and increasingly used by designers, it's important to understand the relationship between a woman's coloring and the color of the gold she wears. Remember and share with customers the basics of the four "coloring" groups, as identified by the popular "Color Me Beautiful" cosmetics campaign:

Autumn

Coloring: Skin color is warm with golden undertones. Hair and eyes are medium to dark. These women commonly have brown or auburn hair, with red tones evident.

Best Colors: Warm colors with earth tones work best for Autumns. Think of the colors of a fall landscape: amber, rust, brown, olive green, camel.

Best Gold: Yellow gold works best on these women. Subtle shades of green gold make an interesting complement to their complexions.

Winter

Coloring: Skin has a cool, bluish undertone. Eye color varies, but hair is dark, especially black, dark brown, or salt-and-pepper.

Best Colors: Strong, vivid colors with high contrast work best for these women. Red, royal blue, and green are popular.

Best Gold: Two-tone white and yellow gold are a great combination for Winters, Pollack says.

Spring

Coloring: Skin is warm with golden undertones. Springs are fair with light- to medium-colored hair and pale, light eye colors. These women often have blonde, strawberry blonde, or golden brown hair.

Best Colors: Soft colors work best for this group. Pastels, along with warm neutrals, look best on these women.

Best Gold: Yellow gold complements Springs, but pink gold is radiant against their fair skin.

Summer

Coloring: Skin has a cool, bluish base and hair usually is platinum blonde, light brown, or gray.

Best Colors: Summer women look best in cool shades like mauve or slate blue, and cool neutrals like charcoal.

Best Gold: White gold is the best metal for Summers.