HAVE YOU EVER BEEN CONFUSED BY THE TERMS YELLOW GOLD, WHITE GOLD, PINK AND ROSE GOLD?
All real gold is yellow, isn't it, so how do other colours fit in—are they imitations? They aren't imitations at at all-they are alloys, new metals that are created by combining two or more different metals.
Gold Alloys
Coloured gold alloys are just as "real" as their golden coloured counterparts. Pure gold is generally too soft to be used for jewellery, so other metals are nearly always added to it, no matter which colour of gold is being prepped for jewellery making.
Chances are the ring on your finger is marked 18ct or 9ct to indicate how much pure gold is present in the mix.
Gold Carat Markings
- 24ct gold is pure gold.
- 18ct gold contains 18 parts gold and 6 parts of another metal(s), making it 75% gold.
Even 18ct gold, with its 6 parts of another metal, gives jewellers the opportunity to play around with colour.
White Gold Alloys
- Nickel can be mixed with gold to create a white (or grey) colour; it can cause dermatitis in people who are sensitive to nickel.
- Palladium is another metal used to create white gold alloys. Related to platinum, it is more expensive than nickel, but is less likely to cause allergic reactions than nickel.
Rose & Pink Gold Alloys
- Copper is added to make gold coloured alloys, but additional copper creates pink and rose tones -- the more copper, the deeper the effect.