The Various Colors of Gold Jewelry

The Colors of Gold

Gold jewelry can be made in a variety of colors using different metal alloys; usually yellow, white, green and/or pink (rose). I say “and/or’ since a piece of jewelry can be one, two or even three colors. Some brand name jewelry manufacturers, such as Black Hills Gold, are well known for using yellow, rose and green gold together. In recent years, white gold has become much more popular than yellow gold for wedding bands and other jewelry, although it is important to note that no matter what color your gold is, the karat, or purity of the gold, is what determines its’ intrinsic value. Now, lets learn more about how different colors of gold are manufactured.

Yellow gold used for jewelry is an alloy made by combining pure gold with other metals such as zinc, copper and sometimes silver. The higher the actual gold content, the higher the karat (usually 10, 14 or 18 karat). Yellow Gold is one of the most common colors of karat gold.

White gold is an alloy of gold and a white metal such as palladium, manganese, or nickel. White gold’s purity is also expressed in karats. White gold alloy rings usually contain nickel, which provides strength. Along with yellow gold, white gold is among the most common colors of gold used in jewelry.

Pink gold's alloy composition is gold, copper and silver. The color intensity is controlled by how much silver is added to the mix. If more silver is added the paler the pink color. Less silver will result in a redder pink color.

Green Gold is a mix of pure yellow gold and pure silver to give the gold a green hue. Sometimes metals such as nickel and zinc as added to add strength to the alloy, as silver and gold are both relatively soft, dense metals.

At Rancho Gold & Jewelry, we test and purchase gold in any color or karat. Please bring your items in for a free, no obligation evaluation.

• by: Admin
• 22 Jun, 2019
• 4067 views