There comes a time when you must make one of the most important decisions in your life: gold or silver? For some of us, specifically those from Caribbean and African countries, that decision is often made for you from about .0000001 seconds after you’re born. Fresh into the new world, my hands and neck were decked in bangles of Guyanese gold, soon to be accompanied by two gold studs in my earlobes. From miles away, I, and other babies like myself, could be recognized by the way our motherland’s gold gleamed on our tiny hands and ears. 

Well into my tweens I continued to wear gold jewelry, often from my mom’s collection, making a pair of hoop earrings with hieroglyphics my staple piece. They were a precious piece of jewelry to me because of them being from Guyana, but also because of how unique they were. I wore them everywhere… until I lost them at my grandfather’s 4th of July BBQ. We searched the streets tirelessly, even turning the house upside down in an attempt to find them, but they never turned up. Defeated, I confessed to my mom that I’d lost them, which she still talks about in the big 2026. After that, I went earring-less for several weeks, until I decided to wear a set of silver earrings as a placeholder. Before I knew it, that placeholder became something more permanent. 

In a gold-adorn house, silver jewelry wasn’t something as favored. It was a cooler tone, and not only more basic, but less culturally rich. However, in spite of this, I found myself growing more fond of silver. I felt it blended with my skin tone, creating a cooler toned aura, hence the silver septum in my nose currently. Wearing silver jewelry began to feel more natural for me, and still does. Weirdly, gold felt like it stood out too much and overall didn’t match my outfits. At about 14, my clothes became very important to me and with that, accessorizing. Even in my collection today, I have significantly more silver than gold pieces. And this wasn’t a problem for me, until recently when I felt myself being called over to the gold side again. 

It was during the summer of ’25 when I was doing summer research on campus and desperately in need of a change to the mundanity of Lewisburg. I had just returned from studying abroad in Greece for the summer session, where I had purple braids and a calling for more colorful things in my life. I wanted to change my septum ring, and ended up opting for gold. I wore the ring until the end of the summer, even adding gold necklaces, earrings and rings to compliment my facial jewelry. Additionally, with my skin tone darkening and evening out, the gold adornments shone even brighter than the silver, making me feel even more beautiful. Gold felt very ‘summer,’ reminding me of warmth, cultural connection and beauty, winning a place in my heart again. 

While I did revert back to my silver bias, I do admire and still incorporate gold into my wardrobe. Some outfits do look better with gold accessories, while others look better with silver. I’ve even grown accustomed to mixing the metals, creating an even better combination than wearing them separately. Honestly, I’ve concluded that neither is inherently better than the other, but rather serve different purposes for different people. If anything, I think the coolest people are the ones who can pull them both off. It takes a special skill to do that and make it look cohesive. 

So, if my two cents matter to anyone in the debate of gold vs. silver jewelry I conclude that the answer is: yes. Gold or silver? Yes.