Considering buying white gold? Before you do, please continue reading this page.
White gold is increasing in popularity, but what people don't realize is that there is no such thing as "white gold." All metals exist in nature as various shades of grey with the exception of gold and copper. An alloy of metal is a combination of various metallic elements that are used in varying proportions to produce the desired color and properties.
Steel alloys for example, are composed primarily of iron, nickel and other metallic elements. White gold is also an
alloy containing gold of course (which is yellow), along with nickel, palladium and other whiter metals to make the
alloy appear white. However since there is gold in the alloy it will always appear "yellowish."
Please refer to the following page for more information on
white, yellow and rose color gold alloys
More importantly; the more gold in the alloy, the more yellowish it will appear in color. The karat grade will always indicate
the amount of gold in the alloy. For example, 18K = 75% pure gold. So for 18K, this only leaves 25% of the alloy for
other metals to make it whiter.
This is why 18K white gold is more yellowish than 14K white gold.
Please refer to the following page for more information on
gold karat grades
White gold is almost always rhodium plated. It is a common practice in the jewelry trade to always rhodium plate
white gold jewelry. Similarly, platinum can be rhodium plated but sometimes it is left in it's natural state. Rhodium is very
white, reflective, extremely hard and virtually tarnish proof. Platinum on the other hand normally appears to be
a more grayish white and not as bright which is why it is sometimes plated as well unless it has a good amount of palladium in the alloy. When the plating on platinum
begins to wear thin you don't notice it as much, but you do on white gold because the alloy is yellowish. This is
why we never recommend you purchase wedding bands made in white gold. We realize it is much more expensive in
platinum, but it is worth it in the long run. The plating will probably wear off in 1-5 years of you wearing it,
depending on how rough you are on the rings, and how much rhodium plating is on the ring. All white gold jewelry
will require maintenance at one time or another to keep it looking brand new. To have a white gold ring rhodium
plated, you're probably looking at $20-30 for about 0.25-0.50 microns (a human hair is roughly 100 microns). If it
is a two-tone ring, it has to be applied by hand with a brush rather than immersing the whole ring in the electroplating tank. So two tone rings will cost more to maintain their white gold appearance. If you want to make a white
gold wedding band very durable, you can get it plated with a layer of platinum of palladium of 1.0-1.5 micron
thickness, followed a good 2.5-3.0 micron thickness of rhodium plating. This will set you back around $100, however.
Almost all white gold fashion jewelry from Italy is rhodium plated. For example, all our
white gold ladies bracelets are rhodium
plated. This is why they look so shiny and white. In our
wedding rings page
you will see two rolling rings listed as the first items. Both these rings are not rhodium plated, because we
don't like to sell rings that are intended as wedding / engagement rings to be rhodium plated. In the picture they
do appear white, but the photos are taken in a white photo booth and bombarded with pure white light to give them
the illusion that they are floating. Also, they are 10K gold in the photos which is why the white looks whiter
and the pink looks pinker. In 18K gold, looking at them in yellow light, you will not see much of a difference in
the color. If you go outside on a bright sunny day, the color difference should be noticeable. Our
two tone gold bracelets are also not rhodium
plated. This is because to apply the rhodium, the gold smith would have to do it by hand with a brush, and it would
be costly to maintain over time.
OK you want platinum, but why is it so expensive??? The density of platinum is roughly double that of gold (so it's
double the weight for platinum for the same item cast in gold). And platinum costs about 2.5 times as much as gold
per gram. And since all metal jewelry is priced per gram, the same item cast in platinum will cost roughly 5 times
what it would in white gold. This is why you don't see very many platinum bracelets or necklaces! Palladium is
also an expensive metal, but is much whiter a metal than other grey metals. So a 14K white gold alloy with nickel will not be as white as a
14K white gold alloy with palladium. So there are cheaper and more expensive alloys of white gold. Rhodium is also
a very expensive metal as well, but when plating, very little is actually used, so it doesn't cost too much to plate
the jewelry.
So what should you purchase? Well always go with platinum whenever possible for high wear items like rings and
bracelets, or items that will be worn daily. If it is all white gold and fashion jewelry like a bracelet or necklace,
then rhodium plating will actually be best, because it will look very white and most likely never need to be
re-plated. And if it is, the cost is minimal. If you're planning on buying two tone wedding rings, we strongly
suggest you go with a platinum + yellow gold combination. It will be more costly to size, but will not require
additional rhodium plating or any maintenance to maintain it's color. Two tone fashion jewelry sometimes is rhodium
plated and sometimes is not. If it isn't, the color will always be the same but will not contrast much except in
very white light. if it is rhodium plated it will look nicer but will require more costly maintenance, so the
choice is yours.
If you are considering purchasing white gold or two tone yellow/white jewelry and have any questions, please
contact a sales associate at 1-866-389-9647.
