Antique treasures, glitzy jewelry, and vintage fabrics carry an elite air from decades past that always inspires modern luxury. Old money sets the gold standard for timeless style that looks expensive effortlessly.
For a manicure with true pedigree, take notes from historic high society and real antique influences. Channel the glossy neon brights of the jazz era, the gilded sparkle of priceless heirloom jewels, or the organic imperfections of weathered architecture and artwork.
Whether going for a minimalist French manicure, textured tortoiseshell tones, or decadent embellishments like lace prints and diamonds, these 25 old money nail ideas will instantly level up your style to appear well-bred and cultured.
Pull inspiration from past centuries and decorative arts to make your nails look rich for your next big event or girls’ night out.
The Most Inspired Old Money Nails for This Year
Here’s the list of the 25 inspiring old money nail styles:
1. The Classy French Manicure
A classic french manicure featuring nude pink base color on nails with bright white free edges to create a clean, elegant look.
The base creates a clean canvas to showcase the crisp white free edges that are the signature element of a french manicure. The white tips contrast beautifully with the pink base for a timeless, polished look.
Each nail is expertly shaped and filed into a squared oval that complements both long and short nail beds. With its versatile neutral colors, understated silhouette, and slightly retro vibe, this refined french manicure is ideal for any occasion when you want to look pulled together, rich.
2. The French Manicure with Red Tips
A french manicure with the usual style, but instead of the bright white free edges on the nails, it features narrow red tips for a fun, feminine take on the classic style.
This playful french manicure puts a fun twist on the classic style with the unexpected addition of vibrant red tips. The nails are painted in a soft, muted nude pink that allows the pops of crimson on the tips to really stand out. The red is true and rich, almost resembling the color of red roses.
3. Lip Gloss Nails
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This glossy nude manicure is made to resemble the sheen of lip gloss. The nails are lacquered in a pale, warm beige shade that closely mimics the color of polished nude lipgloss.
The polish has a creamy finish that appears moist and conditioned, much like fresh gloss-coated lips. When the light hits the nails, it reflects as though it’s bouncing right off a slick layer of lip gloss.
There’s depth and dimension in the color as well, with hints of pink and gold hidden beneath that glossy nude exterior, reminiscent of glistening multidimensional lip gloss. The glossy nude shade flatters a variety of skin tones.
With its lip gloss-inspired sheen and softly alluring neutral color, this manicure pulls off the perfected bare nail look while still catching the eye with its slick, rich, reflective shine.
4. Opal Accents
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The nails are painted in a creamy pale pink base color that complements most skin tones. The true showstoppers are the opalescent tips that look like oval gems.
The opal accents manicure is the luxurious statement of old money nails.
5. Metallic Accents
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This eye-catching manicure features a high-shine metallic polish that glimmers and reflects light, mimicking the radiance of chromed metal.
Each oval-shaped nail is lacquered in a silver chrome that appears almost liquid-like as light dances across the smooth surface. Slight shifts in angles reveal flashes of steel blue, rose gold, and icy lavender locked within the mirror-like metallic base. When the nails catch the light, they gleam with an intense jewel-toned radiance.
The chrome effect looks modern and edgy, resembling custom metalwork adorning the nails. But the variation in undertones provides warmth and depth that keeps the manicure sophisticated.
With substantial shine and luster worthy of fine metalsmithing combined with a futuristic, fashion-forward chrome finish, this manicure is ideal for making a sleek, standout statement. The light-reflecting polish ensures all eyes will be admiring the dazzling chromed effect.
6. The Red Manicure
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This daringly bold red manicure turns up the glamour with its sleek, rich lacquered finish.
The nails are painted a deep crimson shade that leans subtly into burgundy tones.
The rich red color saturates each almond-shaped nail for maximum impact. When light hits the nails, dimension and warmth become apparent with subtle hints of wine and black cherry buried beneath the primary red hue.
The lacquer itself has a gently creamy texture, applying smoothly to help the color appear especially saturated. It has an elegant, glossy shine as well.
The shade is universally flattering, blending blue undertones into its vibrant red base to harmonize with cool skin tones while still carrying enough depth for warmer complexions. Bold and eye-catching yet smoothed out with a creamy, moisturizing formula, this full-coverage red manicure is made for making a standout statement. It pairs perfectly with dark or neutral wardrobe palettes to feel commanding and powerful or with lighter looks for an exciting pop of color.
7. The Espresso Cream Manicure
This mellow brown manicure creates an elegant look that evokes the vibe of an upscale coffeehouse while maintaining an understated, classic shape perfect for everyday indulgence.
This glossy smooth color reminds of the espresso machiato we all love and cherish. Simple, yet rich, this is one of the best representations of the old money manicure trend.
8. Pastel Colors Spring Nails
This lively pastel manicure features an array of soft, faded tones with each oval nail lacquered in a unique creamy shade.
The palette ranges from a snow cold white on the thumb fading into a bright yet dusty peach on the index finger.
The middle nail transitions into a soothing mint green while the ring finger takes on a hazy lavender polish.
Finally, the pinky culminates the rainbow with a adorable baby blue hue gracing the nail.
Despite the variegation of colors, the entire manicure flows together seamlessly thanks to the consistently light and muted pastel tones. It’s both playful and delicately sweet, evoking imagery of Easter eggs, ice cream parlors, and springtime blooms.
When viewed altogether, the assorted colors have a joyful harmony while still allowing each nail its starring shade without overpowering its neighbors.
9. Absolute Nude
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This effortlessly minimalist “no polish” manicure puts the natural nail front and center for a contemporary bare nail look.
Each nail is shaped into a squared oval silhouette that flatters both short and longer nail beds. They are expertly cared for to create a pristine canvas that looks positively healthy and strong on its own.
The surface of each nail has a freshly buffed texture, but with a subtle natural shine that reads as glass-like when the light catches it. The natural hue of the nail beds and lunulas is still visible, creating an undeniably polished and rich, yet natural look.
10. All Glazed
Credit: minea.nails
This high-gloss manicure alternates between a shiny French style tip and crystalline textured nails for an overall glazed donut effect.
The index, middle, and pinky fingers are topped with clean, bright French tips over a sheer pink base coat.
The tips appear lacquered in a thick coat of stark white polish with the clarity of porcelain glaze. This contrasts elegantly against the translucent, buffed nude base visible underneath.
Finely milled silver particles amp up the shine factor even further with a bright, frosted effect. When viewed altogether, the alternating styles complement each other beautifully while still making a statement on their own.
11. Baby Blue & French
Credit: minea.nails
This playful manicure pairs a soothing baby blue lacquer alternating with classic French tips with a base made from tiny light-catching crystals in white and blue.
Altogether, this manicure feels undeniably girly and youthful yet still refined enough for any occasion with its hint of sparkle.
It calls to mind lovely vintage toys and pastel confections but carries a level of precision with those meticulously decorated nail beds that balance out the overall aesthetic.
12. Sparkly Unicorn Nails
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This magical manicure brings the whimsical unicorn theme to life with a holographic base and rainbow glitter ombré.
Each long, almond-shaped nail begins with a shimmery silver holographic polish that reflects bright flashes of pink, blue and violet – resembling a unicorn’s ethereal coat.
Pale iridescent glitter starts subtly at the base of each nail and transforms into a brilliant dusk-colored gradient.
13. Glossy Black Heart Nails
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The pink and black pairing has clear Valentine’s Day vibes but feels grown up with the true inky noir hue versus pastel-purple black.
The alternating nails provide high contrast – while the pink nails with inky hearts are sweet and light, the black polished nails offer serious seductive allure with a lacquered onyx gleam so dark they almost absorb light.
The dark nails ground the sparkling girly pink shade wonderfully.
14. Play Your Cards Right this Valentine’s Day
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This good fortune-inspiring nail set features a clear, high-shine lacquer base with charming miniature ace of hearts decals. The transparent polish creates a glossy blank canvas to let the tiny card suit symbols make an impact.
14. Play Your Cards Right this Valentine’s Day
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This good fortune-inspiring nail set features a clear, high-shine lacquer base with charming miniature ace of hearts decals. The transparent polish creates a glossy blank canvas to let the tiny card suit symbols make an impact.
15. Precious Pink Crystals & Glitter Nails
Credit: merlin_nails
This ultra-feminine manicure features a soft and shimmery pink polish with fairytale-esque glitter details on every nail except the ring finger, which sparkles with various hues of pink crystals instead.
A ballet slipper pink lacquer coats each almond-shaped nail, serving as a romantic base color. Delicate rosy gold and iridescent glitter is artfully swirled into the polish, concentrated heaviest at the cuticles and dissipating into a sparse starry scatter of sparkle towards the tips.
On the accent ring finger, rather than glitter, there are decadent hot pink, baby pink and fuchsia crystal embellishments in oval, cushion, hexagonal and round shapes. The intense pink crystals provide ultra feminine contrast next to the ethereal shimmering sheer pink. Altogether this manicure has a precious quality made for a princess, perfect for glamorous events