Silver Jewellery – My Fifty-Something Skin’s Secret Weapon

Gold is having a financial moment. Silver is having a fashion one. I’m fifty-three, menopausal, and I’m not in the mood to babysit a wrist full of gold bangles on a scooter in Koh Samui.

I’ve always been a gold girl. Until I wasn’t. It was once like asking if you’re a cat or a dog person. It’s an identity. But somewhere between the heat, travel, and wisdom, I started reaching for silver.

Silver doesn’t shout. It doesn’t need to. It gleams with confidence, much like my streak of white hair and my unapologetic refusal to dress down when boarding a long-haul flight. And with gold prices exploding thanks to geopolitical chaos—hello Trump-era tariffs—it’s not just a style choice, it’s a smart one.

Gold hit an eye-watering £2,300 per troy ounce last month. That’s the price of a flight to Milan and five nights in a boutique hotel overlooking the Duomo. Silver? A tidy £24.71 an ounce. That’s more my kind of bargain, and I’m not talking about compromise.

Silver South East Asia

Jewellers across Southeast Asia are riding the silver wave. In my travels across Laos, Thailand, Bali, and Vietnam, I’ve curated my own silver collection. From delicate lotus leaf necklaces in Hanoi to bold, sculptural cuffs crafted in Luang Prabang’s backstreets, I’ve found pieces that scream elegance without the price-tag trauma.

In Laos, I bought a one-off silver bangle shaped like a water ripple—a reminder of the Mekong’s flow and the fact that life, like fashion, always moves. It’s large, dramatic, and works just as well with linen kaftans as it does with a silk evening dress. In Thailand, I was drawn to earrings with lotus motifs, hammered by hand, worn in the markets, admired at beach bars.

Silver is practical. It doesn’t try to mimic gold, unlike those sad gold vermeil imposters. It is what it is. Pure, clean, unfussy.

It won’t melt you into a puddle on a hot day, and it doesn’t scream “rob me” when you walk into a local food stall.

And here’s something I didn’t expect—silver looks better on my mature skin than gold ever did. Its cool, steely tones bounce off olive complexions with grace. It lifts the grey in my hair and brings a glow without needing blush. It’s like finding the perfect light at golden hour—except it’s silver, and it happens daily.

Silver In The City

Sarah Jessica Parker showed up at the Torino Film Festival last year in full silver regalia. Statement earrings. Sculpted, unapologetic. She looked divine. Olivia Colman did the same at the British Independent Film Awards. These women aren’t chasing trends; they are the trend. And they’re wearing silver.

You see, silver isn’t just about being thrifty. It’s sculptural. It’s design-led. With the price point far below gold, designers are freer. Bigger. Bolder. I recently tried on a cuff so large it could double as a belt. Designed in recycled silver by Anuka, it was light on the wrist but heavy on impact.

It’s no wonder brands like Otiumberg are seeing silver sales skyrocket—244% in a year, to be exact. Even their bestselling gold designs now come in sterling silver. Because customers—especially women like me—are mixing metals, embracing cooler tones, and refusing to be boxed into one precious metal camp.

Mixing Metals

And why not? Sterling silver, 92.5% pure, is more durable than that cheap silver-plated stuff and lends itself to drama. The sculptural trend is having a renaissance. Look at By Pariah’s Luna cuff or Ysso’s shell necklace paired with a leather cord. This isn’t your grandmother’s silver. This is wearable art.

Chunky rings. Spiralling bracelets. Hoops so oversized they look like mini sculptures. American brands are even raiding their archives—like Nina Runsdorf, who brought back her ’70s kitchen-table creations and found Gen Z interns begging to borrow them. Now that’s multi-generational flair.

Silver suits every mood. It whispers on Monday mornings and roars on Friday nights. It’s quiet luxury without the nonsense. Unlike flashy gold, silver is understated power. Not trying to impress. Just being impressive.

How To Clean Silver?

I clean mine with toothpaste, by the way. Or a gentle baking soda rub. I don’t swim with it. Chlorine’s the enemy. I store it in zip-lock bags when I remember. And when I forget, a quick polish brings it back to life.

Silver tarnishes. Like all of us, it ages. But there’s beauty in that patina. In fact, a slightly oxidised ring on a sun-kissed finger has more personality than any high-polish gold band trying too hard.

So what if silver used to be the sidekick to gold’s leading role? The supporting actress has stolen the show. For those of us navigating our stylish fifties, silver is less about following trends and more about embracing authenticity.

The White Lotus Design

This summer, floral silver is blooming. Lotus leaves, water lilies, and oversized blossoms are sprouting from the wrists, necks, and ears of fashionable women from Koh Samui to London. Keira Knightley just wore a Patrick McDowell silver floral cuff like it was plucked from a moon garden. I wore mine to the fish market.

Silver’s rise isn’t temporary. It’s a reflection of a wider mood. We’re done with being loud. We want meaning. We want quality. We want jewellery that works with our lifestyle—whether we’re boarding a speedboat, sipping coconut water, or catching up on emails from a Balinese hammock.

I say, dig into that jewellery box. Polish up those forgotten silver trinkets. Pair them with linen, with denim, with kaftans, or tailored shorts. Silver’s not just for the young. It’s for the bold. For the silver-haired. For those who’ve lived—and want their jewellery to tell the story.