From top to bottom: Yellow Gold, White Gold, Rose Gold
Gold has been used in jewelry for thousands of years. From engagement rings to crowns, gold is the go-to precious metal for jewelers around the world. And chances are, when you think of gold, the color yellow comes to mind. However, gold has many faces and the reality of its color is not so black and white.
In order to discuss the differences, we must first group"colors" of gold into 3 not-so-distinct categories: Yellow, White, and Rose. The different shades of gold get their color from the alloys that are created during the smelting process. Due to its soft nature, gold is almost always mixed with a combination of other metals to make it stronger and more useful. Gold alloys can contain mixes of elements such as copper, silver, nickel, palladium, platinum, and cadmium. Different ratios of these metals result in distinct coloring as follows...
Yellow Gold: Generally an allow of gold, copper, and silver. Pure gold (24 Karat) is naturally a rich reddish-yellow color.
White Gold: An alloy of mostly gold, nickel, and copper. Other elements can be mixed in, such as platinum, palladium, silver, or mercury.
Rose Gold: A gold and copper alloy. Can range from red to pink depending on the concentration of copper within the alloy.
Knowing why your gold is yellow or white can help you understand how it was made, but it can also help explain some common misconceptions about gold. Not all yellow gold is pure gold. White gold is not mislabeled silver. But perhaps the biggest realization is about allergies to gold. The most common reaction (ring rash) is actually irritation caused by nickel in some gold alloys.
Hopefully this info about the different faces of gold helps you understand more about what your pieces are made of. Gold is quite possibly the most beautiful metal jewelers get to work with. Feel free to ask any gold related questions during your next visit to Tammy's Jewelry!