One has straight ginger hair , a fair complexion and deep blue eyes . The other has masses of curls , far darker skin and her eyes are a sparkling brown . With such opposing looks it ’ s hard to believe this striking pair are sisters . But they are much more than that – they are twins . The girls were born with radically different colouring thanks to a quirk of their mixed-race parentage . Scroll down for video . Same same , but different : Lucy and Maria Aylmer , 18 , from Gloucester are non-identical twins . Lucy and Maria Aylmer ’ s mother Donna is half Jamaican and their father Vince is white , and together they managed to produce one white twin and one black twin . The girls were born in January 1997 . Their mother was astonished when she first saw the twins , as nothing on the scans had prepared her for their different skin tones . Fair-haired Lucy , who lives with her family in Gloucester , said : ‘ It was such a shock for her because things like skin colour don ’ t show up on scans before birth . 'So she had no idea that we were so different . When the midwife handed us both to her she was just speechless. ’ Their mother , who is 47 and a warehouse worker , and their 53-year-old father , who works as a scaffolder , split up after the twins were born . Family line : The twins ' mother Donna is half Jamaican and their father Vince is white , and their siblings George , Chynna and Jordan all have darker skin than Lucy and lighter than Maria . Two of a kind : The twins , who live in Gloucester , were born in January 1997 . Different strokes : 'Outgoing ' Maria studies law at Cheltenham College , while 'shy' Lucy studies art and design at Gloucester College . All together : Maria and Lucy with their mother Donna and siblings George , 23 , Chynna , 22 , and Jordan , 21 . The 18-year-olds have three older siblings , George , 23 , Chynna , 22 , and Jordan , 21 . Lucy said : ‘ Our brothers and sisters have skin which is inbetween Maria and I . We are at opposite ends of the spectrum and they are all somewhere inbetween . Non-identical twins come from separate eggs , so inherit different genes . The girls ’ half-Jamaican mother carries genes for both white and black skin . By chance , Lucy will have inherited genes for white skin and Maria will have genes that code for black skin . People with Afro-Caribbean heritage often have some European DNA , dating back in many cases to the slave trade . This increases the chance of them passing on a gene for white skin to at least one twin . ‘ But my grandmother has a very fair English rose complexion , just like mine. ’ She added : ‘ No one ever believes we are twins . Even when we dress alike , we still don ’ t look like sisters , let alone twins . Friends have even made us produce our birth certificates to prove it. ’ Certainly at school there were no problems mistaking the twins for one another – and no way of playing tricks to confuse their classmates . Lucy said : ‘ We were in the same class , but no one had a problem telling us apart . Twins are known for swapping identities . But there was no way Maria and I could ever do anything like that . ‘ Most twins look like two peas in a pod – but we couldn ’ t look more different if we tried . We don ’ t look like we have the same parents , let alone having been born at the same time. ’ The twins ’ interests are as different as their looks . Lucy studies art and design at Gloucester College whilst Maria studies law at Cheltenham College . Lucy explained : ‘ Maria was outgoing whilst I was the shy one . But Maria loves telling people at college that she has a white twin – and I ’ m very proud of having a black twin . ’
Lucy and Vince Aylmer , 18 , from Gloucester are non-identical twins . Lucy has fair skin and ginger hair , while Vince is darker with curls . Their mother Donna is half Jamaican and their father Maria is white .