Gold jewelry comes in many colors, with yellow, rose and white gold ranking as the three most common and popular. In recent years, white gold has grown in popularity as a bright and beautiful alternative to yellow gold, silver or platinum. Less expensive than platinum and sturdier and more glamorous than sterling silver, white gold especially complements certain gemstones, such as sapphires and pink citrine.
Some pieces of jewelry combine yellow and white gold for a beautiful two-tone effect. Add rose-colored gold and you have a tri-colored piece of jewelry, interesting to look at and perfectly suited for any outfit.
But what exactly is white gold? Since gold is too soft to make jewelry by itself, manufacturers blend pure gold with other metals before shaping into jewelry. These other metals contribute to the gold’s color. White gold is an alloy of pure gold, which is yellow in color, and white metals, such as palladium, platinum, or silver. Rhodium plating then gives the white gold its bright white color; pure white gold without plating actually looks light gray.
Some older white gold contains nickel alloys, but most manufacturers today don’t use nickel to create white gold because one-in every eight people has a nickel allergy. If you are allergic to nickel, use caution buying second-hand white gold. If you notice a small rash around the area of the jewelry, it could be because the white gold contains nickel.
Manufacturers grade white gold in karats, based on the percentage of gold in the piece, the same way they grade yellow gold. While yellow gold of different karats may differ in color, white gold of 10kt, 14kt, and 18kt usually looks the same because of the rhodium plating. It will, however, differ in hardness, with 10kt as the hardest. 18-karat gold is the softest. It contains the most pure gold and is, therefore, the most expensive. By law, every piece of gold jewelry bears a stamp declaring its weight in karats.
Many engagement and wedding bands today use white gold as a cost-effective alternative to platinum. None but the most experienced eyes can tell a difference between the two precious metals, so if you want to save money on an engagement ring, you can spend less on a white gold setting and put the money toward a nicer diamond.
Since white gold can wear down with time, many jewelers recommend replacing the prongs in a white-gold engagement ring setting with platinum to insure the prongs hold the diamond secure and do not deteriorate. Overall, white gold makes a lovely piece of jewelry.
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