How to mix yellow, rose and white gold in one piece, and see it before you order
The one-main-gold rule, and three combinations.
To mix yellow, rose and white gold, pick one main color and add a small accent of another. Choose the chain in your main gold, then change one charm to a second color. In Ilene Joy's builder you set the gold of each charm separately and see the mix on a model, and the color never changes the price.
The one-main-gold rule
Mixed gold looks deliberate when one color leads and the other is a small accent. Half and half tends to look undecided. A few ways to apply it:
- Mostly one, a little of another. A yellow chain with one white charm. A white chain with one rose charm.
- Let one color bridge. Rose gold sits between yellow and white, so a rose piece can link the two when you wear both.
- Match the finish. Polished beside polished looks calm. Mix a polished chain with a heavily textured charm and the colors fight for attention.
- Match the weight. A bold Jumbo chain wants a charm with presence. A fine chain wants a lighter accent.
None of this is a rule you must follow. It is a place to start, and you can see the result before you order.
Three combinations, with live prices
Chain: Petite oval, 14K, 16 inches, $635. One Small charm in 14K. The chain price is the same in yellow, rose and white, and so is the charm price. Prices are as of 19 October 2026. They follow the daily gold rate.
| Combination | Chain | Charm | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| A yellow chain with one white crescent | Yellow | Starlit Crescent Charm in white, $839 | $1,474 |
| A rose chain with one yellow key | Rose | Key To Your Heart Charm in yellow, $332 | $967 |
| A white chain with one rose dragonfly | White | Dragonfly Charm in rose, $402 | $1,037 |
If you want two accents, put a second charm in a third color. Keep the chain in the main one and leave clear chain between the charms. How many to use is covered in how many charms on a necklace or bracelet.
How to do it in the builder
- Open Design your own and choose Design a necklace or Design a bracelet.
- Choose the chain, and tap Yellow, Rose or White. This is your main gold.
- Tap a charm to add it. It follows the color of the chain at first.
- Tap the charm on the piece. A small panel offers yellow, rose or white, a size, and 14K or 18K. Choose the accent color.
- Look at the On model view. Then change the chain color, or the accent, and look again.
Our page puts it this way: charms follow your chain's color, and you can change any one of them. The preview is "a creative visualization, not an exact representation," and gold reads differently in different light, so we confirm every detail with you after you order.
Mixing 14K and 18K
Each charm can also be 14K or 18K on its own. 18K costs more. The Starlit Crescent Charm is $839 in 14K and $1,091 in 18K, in Small. If you are choosing between them, read 14k or 18k: choosing your gold. You do not have to match the karat of the charm to the chain.
Which golds go with your skin and your other jewelry
People often choose by what they already wear. If most of your jewelry is yellow, a yellow chain with a white accent looks natural. If you wear a white-gold watch every day, make white the main color. If you are unsure, try each color on the model and look at which one looks right beside your usual clothes. A simple test: hold the gold next to your skin in daylight and see whether it makes your skin look warmer or cooler.
Skin tone and taste vary widely, so we do not offer a rule. The builder lets you check.
Layering mixed gold
If you plan to layer, you can give each chain its own color and wear a rose chain with a yellow one. Keep the lengths apart, as in the guide to layering charm necklaces. For help with chain choice, read which chain is best for charms.
After you order
Each piece is made to order at our Los Angeles bench and is ready in 2 to 4 weeks, with complimentary insured shipping within the US. Custom pieces are final sale, and a custom order may be canceled within 24 hours of being placed. Open the necklace builder or the bracelet builder, or read how to design your own charm necklace.
About Ilene Joy
Ilene Joy has designed jewelry since 1996. Ilene designed jewelry for the last three seasons of Sex and the City, as WWD reported in February 2019. She relaunched the label that year with her daughter, Rae Scheer, and Vogue covered the launch. Zoë Kravitz, Gigi and Bella Hadid, Jennifer Lawrence, Sienna Miller, Priyanka Chopra Jonas, Taylor Swift, Emily Blunt, Emily Ratajkowski and Candice Swanepoel have worn Ilene Joy: see who wears Ilene Joy. Every design you build is made to order at our Los Angeles bench in 2 to 4 weeks. More on who Ilene Joy is and the press coverage.
Questions and answers
Frequently asked questions
Can you mix yellow, rose and white gold?
Yes. Choose one main color for the chain and add a smaller accent in another. In the Ilene Joy builder you can set the gold of each charm separately.
Does mixing gold colors change the price?
No. On our site the price is the same in yellow, rose and white. It changes with the karat, the size and the piece. A Petite 14K oval chain at 16 inches is $635 in any of the three colors.
Which gold colors go together?
Rose often sits between yellow and white, so it can link them. A white chain with a yellow accent and a yellow chain with a white accent both work. Try them on the model and decide.
Can I change the gold color of just one charm?
Yes. Tap the charm on the piece and choose yellow, rose or white. The rest of the piece stays as it is.
Can I mix 14K and 18K in one piece?
Yes. Each charm can be 14K or 18K on its own, and the price updates when you change it.
What if I wear other jewelry in a different color?
Many people do. Pick the color you wear most as the main gold, and treat anything else as an accent. You can see the combination on a model before you order.
