Coloured gold especially white gold has been in vogue for some time now. It came in as an alternative to Platinum, which is a very dear metal. Many people have the belief that it is naturally occurring coloured gold, which is not true. So here you shall find the answers to all the questions regarding white gold.
Contrary to the belief, white gold is an alloy of natural yellow gold with naturally white metals like platinum, nickel or palladium. The most commonly used white gold for jewellery in Europe has 75% gold and 25% of other metals, that is, 18 karats. The purity of white gold is measured, like the gold, in ‘karats. In US the common variety in white gold is 14 karats. The 14-karat gold has 58.5% content of pure gold and the rest is other metals. The lowest carat gold used in making jewellery is 10 karat gold which has approximately 41% pure gold content.
Now the question arises why are other metals added to make an alloy of gold? To understand that we need to know certain properties of gold. Gold is a very malleable metal. 24 karat gold or pure gold is soft and malleable and that is the reason why rarely any jewellery is made up of 24 karat gold. To make it strong and lasting certain metals like copper or palladium, are mixed with pure gold. This increases the hardness and strength of the metal. Therefore, the malleability property of gold is used to mould jewellery of different designs and the property of hardness of the added metal is used to maintain the shape and keep the piece intact for a very long time.
Some of you might wonder, as to why was there a need to have ‘white gold’ when there were other options like platinum and silver as white precious metals. Platinum has always been a costlier metal than gold for jewellery, and silver as we know is way cheaper than the above mentioned two. White gold is a middle ground between the two prominent precious metal. It made white metal jewellery more affordable. Also, the yellow colour of gold does not particularly look good with every kind of stone or setting. Off late male jewellery pieces like gemstone or enameled cufflinks, tie pins and even rings have been preferred in white gold than yellow gold.
How to maintain the shine and colour of the white gold jewellery is also a query that we often encounter. White gold is always polished with Rhodium, another white metal, that enhances the shine of these pieces. If maintained and cared for properly, this polish lasts long. But, if your piece of white gold jewellery is for regular wear, then its sheen might mellow down with time. You can get the piece re-polished frequently at a small extra cost from your jeweller. This re-polishing infuses a radiant, new-like shine in your jewellery.
White gold is a very popular choice for diamond engagement rings, cufflinks, diamond earrings, tennis bracelets, sapphire jewellery. It is being preferred by millennials as it is best suited for modern, minimalist designs. Sparkling Stones has a wide variety of designs made in white gold, available for both male and female. We also do custom designs so contact us today to make a bespoke handmade jewellery piece exclusively for you.
