Gold
Richness and warmth, like the edge of an old picture frame.
About gold
Gold tends to suggest richness and warmth, like the edge of an old picture frame. It feels grand but soft.
- What color is gold?
- Gold is a warm, slightly dull yellow, the flat color of the metal. Its hex code is #D4AF37.
- Is gold warm or cool?
- Warm: it sits on the warm side of the color wheel, with the reds, oranges and yellows. It is a light color, value 7 of 10, and its opposite is periwinkle. More in warm and cool colors.
- Where the name comes from
- From the metal, though flat paint can only suggest its shine.
- Value and codes
- Value 7 of 10, in the yellow-orange family. RGB 212, 175, 55. OKLCH 76.7% 0.139 91.1.
Where to use gold
In a room
Frames, lamps and cushions. As flat paint it reads as a warm yellow.
In an outfit
Jewelry, evening shoes and embroidery. Lovely with black or navy.
In art
A warm yellow. A metal shine needs dark and light around it.
In design
Too pale for text on white, at 2.1 to 1. Use it as a background instead: dark text on it reads well, at 7.6 to 1.
What gold pairs with
- Navy
Deep blue, rich and formal.
- Oxblood
A dark red for an old-master feel.
- Ivory
A soft light beside it.
- Forest
A deep green, classic and calm.
The opposite of gold: Periwinkle #9A8FC7
Opposite gold on the color wheel sits periwinkle. Side by side, each makes the other look stronger; mixed, they turn each other gray.
Side by side
Gold around periwinkle
Periwinkle around gold
Often confused with gold
How to mix gold in paint
- 10 parts
nickel azo yellow - 7 parts
titanium white - 1 part
green gold
Golden Heavy Body Acrylics. This is a calculated mix and comes very close, so adjust by eye as you go. It needs a more specialist color. Practice in our Paint Mixer game.
Gold tints, tones and shades
Tints
Tones
Shades
Tap a color to copy its code. A tint adds white, a tone adds gray of the same lightness, and a shade adds black. More in tints, tones and shades.
Gold in paintings
Colors similar to gold
Gold inspiration
Find your own colors
Add the pictures you love to Color Taste to see which colors they share, or make a palette from one photo in Image to Palette.