The truth about gold: the inside scoop on gold, platinum and palladium jewelry
You sit? We have to talk. There is something you should know about your white gold jewelry:
White gold is yellow.
It’s not yellow like a tortilla, but it’s yellow. It looks white in a jeweler and costs less than platinum, but over time white gold can regain its original color. Your white gold jewelry may need to be whitened over and over, a process that will put a bigger dent on your savings than a platinum ring.
To understand what’s going on, you must first learn how gold is used in jewelry. I will also explain the differences between “9 carat”, “14 carat” and “18 carat” gold and compare gold to other similar metals such as palladium, platinum and silver.
PURE GOLD
Gold is of course a soft and malleable metal with a deep yellow color.
Pure gold is often considered “too” yellow for most people’s taste, and its softness makes jewelry very delicate in its pure form. Pure gold (24k) jewelry is too soft to protect a solitaire diamond or a much worn piece of jewelry.
For these very good reasons, jewelers will mix other metals with gold, creating alloys. The metals they mix with gold create different colors, allowing for crazy combinations such as green, red and purple gold. Popular colors are rose gold, yellow gold and white gold.
DIFFERENT TYPES OF GOLD
Yellow Gold: Pure gold is yellow. Yellow gold is combined with metals such as copper and zinc to lower the price, increase durability and reduce the yellow color.
White gold: White gold is an alloy of yellow gold and at least one white metal (often palladium). Almost all white gold is rhodium plated, which I will explain in a moment. There is no such thing as pure white gold if it were yellow.
Rose gold: There is also no such thing as pure rose gold, as rose gold is an alloy of gold and copper. Rose gold, red gold, and rose gold are made from various combinations of gold, copper, and (sometimes) small amounts of silver. The varying percentage of copper used determines the color of the gold.
Karate
Different mixtures with different purities of gold are used. The term “carat” is used to indicate the percentage of gold in an alloy. “Karat” is pronounced “Carat” (which refers to the weight of a diamond), but its meaning is different. Karat is often abbreviated as “kt” or “k”. Pure gold is 24 carats, so 1 carat gold is 1/24 gold, or 4.16% pure.
9k gold: 37.5% purity. Stamped 375. Calling 9k “gold” is like calling a hot dog “meat”. It’s a golden funk with some gold. 9k is not recognized as gold in many countries, including the US.
10 karat gold: 41.7% purity. Stamped 417. 10k is still less than 50% gold, but meets the legal karat limit to be considered “real” gold in the United States. It is rare in fine jewelry and generally considered poor quality.
14k gold: 58.3% purity. Seal 583/584. 14k is the most popular form of gold because it wears well, is scratch resistant and is more durable than higher carat values. It is excellent for use in jewelry.
18k gold: 75.0% pure. Stamped 750. 18k is the minimum gold standard for sale in Italy. It is yellower and more malleable than 14k, but considered premium. It is also excellent to use in jewelry.
24K Gold: 24K gold is 100% gold and is popular in Asia. However, it is generally considered too soft for use in jewelry.