White Gold

When shopping for gold jewellery, it’s not necessary to stick with the traditional yellow gold. Gold can be found in a few other colours and the one colour that is gaining more popularity these days is white gold. White gold is an alloy of yellow gold with one or more other white metals, the most common of which are nickel, manganese, or palladium.

When white gold is made using nickel, the combination makes it perfect for making rings and pins because this alloy is particularly strong and hard. When gold is combined with palladium, the result is a very soft and malleable alloy, making it easy to use for setting gemstones. Occasionally, yellow gold is made with silver, platinum, or copper because of the durability factor of these two metals, plus the weight. White gold is usually plated with rhodium that gives white gold its colour. The rhodium also protects the finish so that it won’t scratch or wear out in other ways.

The purity of white gold is measured in carats in the same manner as yellow gold. But the way the number of carats is determined has much to do with which alloy was used in the mix. This means that white gold that contains silver or palladium will have a higher carat weight. While nickel makes the gold more durable, it also will give any piece of jewellery made from it a lower designation of carats.

White gold that is 10-carat, 14-carat, and 18-carat looks very much the same because they have all been treated with the rhodium plating to give them their colour. But each of these carat measurements is different in hardness. The 18-carat is the softest because it contains the most pure gold. The 10-carat is the hardest of the three grades.

One of the reasons that white gold jewellery has been getting more popular is that it resembles platinum but is not as expensive and is more durable. White gold is very popular for engagement rings and wedding bands because of the lower cost and generally only an experienced jeweller can tell the difference between white gold and platinum. The money you save by buying white gold instead of platinum can be put towards a higher quality diamond for your engagement ring.

If you purchase engagement rings or any gemstones set in a white gold ring, jewellers often will recommend that you have the prongs replaced with platinum to make sure that your valuable stone is secure.

Another reason many people choose white gold is that it is more elegant looking that silver and it is complimented well by many different varieties of gemstones, including citrine and sapphires. There are many jewellery pieces that combine white and yellow gold for an interesting two-tone look. Rose-coloured pieces of gold, which are another alloy of gold and another metal, may also be added to make a unique tri-coloured item. An example of this is the Valentino-style of gold chain.