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What Exactly Is White Gold ?

With my daily interactions with CLAYTESS JEWELLERS customers, I get a lot of these questions: What is white gold? How is it made? And how does it differ from yellow gold?
This article takes an in-depth look at white gold, it’s pros and cons – and gives you buying tips for selecting your perfect Whitegold jewellery!

WHAT IS WHITE GOLD?

White gold is an alloy of gold. This means that it is made up of pure yellow gold, mixed with alloy metals that have a silvery-white colour, such as palladium and silver.

WHY IS IT MIXED WITH ALLOY METALS?

In all gold jewellery, pure gold has to be mixed with harder metals for added durability and strength. This is because on its own, pure gold is a very soft metal. Without the harder alloy metals keeping it rigid, pure gold would easily bend out of shape – and that’s no good in jewellery.

It adds further strength and durability, and importantly, a really lustrous white surface sheen – making it the ideal metal to coat and protect jewellery.

white gold bracelet

WHY DOES WHITE GOLD EVENTUALLY START TO LOOK YELLOW?

white gold turning yellow

Over time, the rhodium coating on your white gold jewellery becomes worn, revealing the yellow gold colour underneath.

 Is this normal? Yes. Eventually, all white gold jewellery begins to show a yellow gold colour. How quickly this happens depends on many factors such as the pH level of your skin, and what toiletries or household chemicals the jewellery comes into contact with. Even environmental factors, like how much pollution there is in your area, can influence how quickly the yellow gold begins to show through.

What can be done about it? This can be resolved easily by getting the jewellery re-coated with rhodium every so often. This can be easily done at @Claytessjewellers. The cost of re-rhodium plating is around Usd 40.

HOW DO I KNOW HOW MUCH PURE GOLD IS IN MY WHITE GOLD JEWELLERY?

Full eternity rings have stones set in a continuous line all around the band. This makes them the most luxurious and sparkling rings you can buy. As a slight downside, the diamonds can catch on things as you use your hands, so you have to be careful while wearing a full eternity ring. The gold content of all gold jewellery – whether white, yellow or rose gold – is measured in “karats”.

 Karat is often expressed with the letter KT. For example, 9KT or 18KT gold.

All 9KT gold jewellery items contain 37.5% pure gold, while 18KT gold items contain 75% pure gold – regardless of the gold colour. The bigger the overall karat weight, the larger amount of gold is present.

TO RECAP, THE ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES OF WHITE GOLD…

Advantages:

  • White gold is a beautiful, precious metal. It has the same appearance as platinum and silver, but has a more affordable price than platinum and is much more hard-wearing than silver.
  • It is the perfect choice for those who prefer a white, silvery appearance over yellow gold.
  • Its neutral colour and durability make it the perfect setting for all gemstones. It looks beautiful and classic, suited to all outfits and events.

Disadvantages:

  • As white gold is made from a mix of pure yellow gold with alloys and coated in rhodium. Over time it will need recoating to maintain its colour.
  • Although this is an easy and fairly inexpensive process that can be done by most jewellers, it could mean that you’ll need to be without your engagement or wedding ring for a period of a few days while it’s being done. Over time, it will add to the overall cost of your jewellery.

CONCLUSION – IS WHITE GOLD FOR ME?

Whether white gold is for you is ultimately a personal choice. Overall, it makes for a stunning choice if you love the neutral, classic look of silver or platinum.

It has much more durability and value than silver, but if you’re on a budget, it is less expensive than platinum.

Over the last half a century, it has become much more popular than classic yellow gold and is, in fact, the most often chosen metal for rings. This attests its contemporary, versatile look, exceptional value and high quality feel.!

Tess The Jeweller (GIA)

This post originally appeared on tessthejeweler.wordpress.com

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