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Black and gold color palettes: hex codes for luxury designs

Four black and gold palettes with hex codes, from classic black (#0A0A0A) and metallic gold (#D4AF37) to art deco, team colors and soft luxury. Black on gold passes easily, and ratios are listed for each set.

By Paul Gunder. Every value is computed from published standards; see how ColorPlum works.

Updated

Classic black and gold

  1. #0A0A0ABlack
  2. #D4AF37Metallic gold
  3. #F5E6B3Pale gold
  4. #8A6D1FAntique gold
  5. #2B2B2BCharcoal
  • #0A0A0ABlack
  • #D4AF37Metallic gold
  • #F5E6B3Pale gold
  • #8A6D1FAntique gold
  • #2B2B2BCharcoal

Preview

Classic black and gold

Body text in black on pale gold, with metallic gold as the accent.

Button

Readable text pairs (WCAG AA, 4.5:1 or more): Black on Pale gold 15.88:1; Charcoal on Pale gold 11.36:1; Black on Metallic gold 9.41:1; Charcoal on Metallic gold 6.73:1

Art deco

  1. #111111Onyx
  2. #C5A253Brass
  3. #F1EAD8Ivory
  4. #1F4E4AJade
  5. #7A1F2BGarnet
  • #111111Onyx
  • #C5A253Brass
  • #F1EAD8Ivory
  • #1F4E4AJade
  • #7A1F2BGarnet

Preview

Art deco

Body text in onyx on ivory, with garnet as the accent.

Button

Readable text pairs (WCAG AA, 4.5:1 or more): Onyx on Ivory 15.73:1; Garnet on Ivory 8.50:1; Onyx on Brass 7.79:1; Jade on Ivory 7.78:1

Team colors

  1. #000000Black
  2. #FFB612Athletic gold
  3. #FFFFFFWhite
  4. #A5ACAFSilver
  5. #4B4B4BGray
  • #000000Black
  • #FFB612Athletic gold
  • #FFFFFFWhite
  • #A5ACAFSilver
  • #4B4B4BGray

Preview

Team colors

Body text in black on white, with athletic gold as the accent.

Button

Readable text pairs (WCAG AA, 4.5:1 or more): Black on White 21.00:1; Black on Athletic gold 11.95:1; Black on Silver 9.11:1; Gray on White 8.72:1

Soft luxury

  1. #1C1A17Espresso black
  2. #B08D57Champagne gold
  3. #E9DFCFCream
  4. #5E5246Bronze gray
  5. #D8C3A5Sand
  • #1C1A17Espresso black
  • #B08D57Champagne gold
  • #E9DFCFCream
  • #5E5246Bronze gray
  • #D8C3A5Sand

Preview

Soft luxury

Body text in espresso black on cream, with champagne gold as the accent.

Button

Readable text pairs (WCAG AA, 4.5:1 or more): Espresso black on Cream 13.16:1; Espresso black on Sand 10.14:1; Bronze gray on Cream 5.74:1; Espresso black on Champagne gold 5.61:1

Every palette here in 3D color space

Lightness runs up the pole and hue goes around it, so palettes that share a mood sit in the same region. Drag to turn it.

The 20 colors on this page in OKLab
  • Black
  • Metallic gold
  • Pale gold
  • Antique gold
  • Charcoal
  • Onyx
  • Brass
  • Ivory
  • Jade
  • Garnet
  • Black
  • Athletic gold
  • White
  • Silver
  • Gray
  • Espresso black
  • Champagne gold
  • Cream
  • Bronze gray
  • Sand
On this page

Black and gold looks expensive because it combines the highest-contrast neutral with a color that suggests metal. It also happens to be technically friendly: black reads clearly on every gold. The risk is the reverse pair, gold text on a white page, which usually fails. These four palettes show the options.

The four palettes

  • Classic black and gold uses black (#0A0A0A), metallic gold (#D4AF37), pale gold (#F5E6B3), antique gold (#8A6D1F) and charcoal (#2B2B2B). It suits gala invitations and jewelry packaging.
  • Art deco takes brass (#C5A253) and ivory (#F1EAD8) and adds jade (#1F4E4A) and garnet (#7A1F2B), as in 1920s-style posters.
  • Team colors is the loud sports version: pure black, athletic gold (#FFB612), white, silver and gray.
  • Soft luxury replaces harsh black with espresso black (#1C1A17), champagne gold (#B08D57), cream, bronze gray and sand.

What the ratios say

Black on pale gold measures 15.88:1 in the classic set, charcoal on pale gold 11.36:1, black on metallic gold 9.41:1 and charcoal on metallic gold 6.73:1. Art deco has onyx on ivory at 15.73:1, garnet on ivory at 8.50:1, onyx on brass at 7.79:1 and jade on ivory at 7.78:1. Team colors tops the chart, with black on white at 21.00:1 and black on athletic gold at 11.95:1. In soft luxury, espresso black on cream is 13.16:1 and on champagne gold 5.61:1.

Gold text on dark is the form that people want, and the tool lists the pair from the other direction: black on a gold is the same ratio as that gold on black, so metallic gold type on black comfortably passes at 9.41:1. Antique gold is the darker option when you need gold on a light background, but it is not listed as a readable pair, so test it first.

Worked example

You are designing the invitation for a charity gala. Use classic black and gold. Make the whole card black (#0A0A0A) and set the event name in metallic gold (#D4AF37); the ratio is 9.41:1, so it holds up even in small italics. For the RSVP details on the back, flip it: pale gold as the paper and black as the text at 15.88:1. Add a hairline border in antique gold and keep the charcoal for shadow boxes. If you plan to print with real foil, send the printer the hex codes as a reference and ask for a proof, because foil does not match a screen color exactly.

For a gold color on its own, see gold. Red and gold is the warmer festive cousin, and navy blue and yellow shares the sports feel.

Sources

  1. W3C, Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.2: contrast minimum (checked 2026-11-10) w3.org
  2. W3C, CSS Color Module Level 4: hex colors and color conversions (checked 2026-11-10) w3.org