What Color of Gold Should You Wear ?

As far as nature is concerned there is only one answer to the question,

GOLD COLORED.

Gold nugget from Alaska

There is no such thing as white gold or rose gold in nature, or any other shade of gold, it is all the same color, gold. For some reason in today's market there is an extremely high demand for 'white gold'. Many people believe this is a natural option. The true demand for this white color comes from two other metals, Platinum and Silver. The cost of Silver is still somewhat low, but it will need cleaning as it will tarnish over time. Platinum on the other hand will not tarnish, but the cost is even more than gold.

White gold was created to be able to sell people a white metal that does not tarnish at a lower price than platinum. This was a keen marketing idea as people would pay the same or even more for it than traditional gold, while the cost of this alloy was far lower than normal gold alloys, thus boosting profits. However, this idea came with a number of problems. To become white, the gold had to be alloyed with a large amount of a base metal, specifically nickel. Many people are allergic to nickel when it is placed against their skin. To further complicate matters, the white color from a nickel gold alloy is not really pretty, as it is more accurately described as 'gray gold', thus the marketing plan was doomed to failure. So this marketing idea of 'white gold' had two problems to overcome, people were allergic to it and it was ugly. So to overcome these problems in order to sell 'white gold' they came up with the idea to plate it with rhodium, one of the members of the platinum family. Rhodium is an extremely expensive metal, far higher than plain platinum, but plating uses such a tiny amount, that the cost is negligible. It is a very strong metal and is very chemically resistant. A thin plating of rhodium over the unappealing white gold makes it look fabulous, so many people now select 'white gold' as the color of choice in their gold jewelry. A considerable amount of market trickery was employed and continues to this today. However, it is all in ones eye, and what the public likes is what the public will get.

Ironically, the same rhodium plating over silver keeps the silver from tarnishing. It looks and wears exactly like the finished rhodium plated nickel/white gold jewelry at a small fraction of the cost. It also has another advantage, silver is much less likely to create an allergic reaction as the nickel/white gold when some of the plating wears off, plus the silver looks whiter and prettier than the nickel/white gold when the plating wears off.

And plating does wear off, regardless of what it is, so any plated jewelry needs to be returned to the jeweler periodically for a new 'dip'. Often they will do this for 'free' or just a small cost as many times customers will make a new purchase when they take the item in to be replated. This is a win-win situation for the jeweler, as it requires very little skill to plate something once you are set up to do it.

For some unknown reason, more people in Europe have a problem with the allergic reaction to the nickel in the white gold. So another metal, palladium, which is a precious metal, which people are not allergic to was added to the gold. The cost is much higher than nickel and is even much higher than the traditional gold alloys, but there is much less allergic reactions with palladium compared to nickel, but the old problem remains that the color is just too gray. The finished project has little eye appeal as it is not as white as even inexpensive silver, thus the same solution is again employed, a rhodium dip.

Can you see the difference in plated jewelry versus non-plated by your eye? Most people can spot it very easily. All our lives we have seen cheap costume jewelry plated with gold, silver and rhodium and many people automatically think 'cheap' when they see that plated look. But nothing can compare and have the elegant look than a highly polished piece of precious metal, which plating can never hope to duplicate. Plus plating cannot, or really should say, should not be polished, as it will simply wear off, so once it is plated, it is 'done'.

So now we have our "rose gold" buffs. Rose gold is also called pink gold or red gold. This is simply a gold alloy with a lot more copper and less silver. Copper is the lower grade of the metals used in traditional alloys. When it percentage is increased, it causes the gold to have a redder color, but it can also give more people an allergic reaction and may tarnish a little as well. It is very pretty alloy all by itself, so it requires no plating.

Ever hear of green gold? It is more of a light yellow as it contains only two metals, gold and silver. In 18k it is great to work with as a smith and a purist in the trade, but the paler color is not very popular.

The color of the gold most people are used to seeing today in the United States is really 58.5% gold with the remainder split between silver and copper. This is called 14k yellow gold. The color can be improved by adding more copper and less silver, but this also makes it more brittle, more likely to tarnish, turning green when worn by some people, and a bit more difficult to work with. Usually the remaining 41.5% of 14k gold is split evenly between silver and copper, thus producing a rather washed out gold color.

People generally trend towards the traditional 18k gold alloys as the color is more golden than the 14k. Traditional 18k gold is 75% gold with the remaining 25% being half silver and half copper. At a recent Gem Show, a gold dealer was showing the various grades and colors of gold, all in all he had 66 different shades.

Some goldsmiths make jewelry that uses almost pure gold such as 23k which contains over 90% gold and a small amount of silver. It is a very rich golden color and is often thought of as too soft by most American standards. The most common carats used for gold in bullion, coins, jewelry making and goldsmithing are:
999 (24 karat) (millesimal fineness 999)
916 (22 karat) (millesimal fineness 916)
833 (20 karat) (millesimal fineness 833)
750 (18 karat) (millesimal fineness 750)
625 (15 karat) (millesimal fineness 625)
585 (14 karat) (millesimal fineness 585)
417 (10 karat) (millesimal fineness 417)
375 ( 9 karat) (millesimal fineness 375)
The use of the carat (karat in North American spelling) is a system of denoting the purity of gold by fractions of 24. The carat (karat) term is only associated with gold, millesimal fineness is used for all other precious metals. The United States currently issues 22k and 24k gold coin.

United States 22k Gold American Eagle and 24k Gold Buffalo coins

In the jewelry business, I believe that it has become necessary that full disclosure of what is being bought is made, whether it be about gemstone treatments, natural or man made gemstones, metal treatments, or what the grade the metal being used is. It is simple honesty at it's best. Many people, especially at markets and craft shows have been misled about the gold, the silver and the gemstones being purchased. That is disturbing trend. Educated customers are happy customers. They will come back and buy more, because they know what they are getting, andthey are making a fully educated choice.

METALS used in Jewelry !

After several questons as to what metals are being used in Jewelry with the price of Gold going over $1600/oz and Silver at $40/oz, I thought a listing with short explanations, of the most commonly found metals used in the jewelry business, would be appropriate. Which ones are used most commonly these days, who knows, you will have to ask the person making the jewelry..
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Aluminium or aluminum is a silvery and ductile member of the metal group. Aluminum is found primarily in bauxite ore and is remarkable for its ability to resist corrosion. Although aluminum has been used in jewelry, it is not widely accepted or used frequently.
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Argentium or ARGENTIUM™ Sterling Silver is an alloy of silver made to a higher standard than traditional sterling silver and is guaranteed to be not less than 92.5% pure. It can be made nearly twice as hard as annealed standard sterling silver by a simple heat treatment. With this most important advance in silver technology in modern times, unlike standard sterling silver, Argentium is virtually tarnish-free and stays how silver was meant to be: forever beautiful. Argentium does not require the chemical treatment to maintain the high luster, therefore it does not have the allergic effect on some people as does normal Sterling Silver.
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Brass is the term used for alloys of copper and zinc; the proportions of zinc and copper can be varied to create a range of brasses each with unique properties and color. Brass has a yellow color, somewhat similar to gold. It is relatively resistant to tarnishing, and is often used as decoration, jewelry and for coins.
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Bronze refers to a broad range of copper alloys, usually with tin as the main additive. It is strong and tough and has myriad uses in industry. It was particularly significant in antiquity, giving its name to the Bronze Age. Common bronze alloys often have the unusual and very desirable property of expanding slightly just before they set, thus filling in the finest details of a mold.
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Copper is a ductile metal with excellent electrical conductivity, and finds extensive use as an electrical conductor and as a component of various alloys used in jewelry. Copper oxidizes easily giving it its green coloration. NOTE: some people will cause Copper and Copper Alloys to turn a bright green.
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Elegente gives jewelry the gorgeous look of platinum, without the price tag. This unique sterling silver and 1% platinum blend offers incredible luster in vintage and classic jewelry designs.
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Gold is the most highly sought-after precious metal which, for many centuries, has been used as money and in jewelry due to its value. The most common carats used for gold in bullion, jewelry making and goldsmithing are:
999 (24 karat) (millesimal fineness 999)
916 (22 karat) (millesimal fineness 916)
833 (20 karat) (millesimal fineness 833)
750 (18 karat) (millesimal fineness 750)
625 (15 karat) (millesimal fineness 625)
585 (14 karat) (millesimal fineness 585)
417 (10 karat) (millesimal fineness 417)
375 ( 9 karat) (millesimal fineness 375)
The use of the carat (karat in North American spelling) is a system of denoting the purity of gold by fractions of 24. The carat (karat) term is only associated with gold, millesimal fineness is used for all other precious metals. NOTE: some people will cause Gold, especially Yellow Gold, to turn green.
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Gold Filled jewelry or any other item with a sheet of gold applied to its surface, can be called Gold Filled.
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Gold Plated jewelry or any other item that has a very thin layer of gold applied to it. The thin layer normally wears away more quickly than gold in a gold filled item.
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Nickel is a silvery white metal that takes on a high polish. It belongs to the transition metals, and is hard and ductile. It is chiefly valuable for the alloys. WARNING - nickel plated jewelry, especially earrings can cause allergic reactions on many people.
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Palladium is a rare silver-white metal resembling platinum. Palladium has a great affinity for hydrogen and is used in catalytic converters on cars. As a precious metal, it is sometimes used in jewelry. Quite often Palladium is used to cover Silver to prevent tarnishing.
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Pewter is a metal alloy, traditionally between 85 and 99 percent tin, with the remainder consisting copper, acting as a hardener, with the addition of lead for the lower grades of pewter. Physically, pewter is a bright, shiny metal that is very similar in appearance to silver. Like silver, pewter will also oxidize to a dull gray over time if left untreated. Pewter is a very malleable alloy, being soft enough to carve with hand tools, and it also takes good impressions from punches or presses. Because of this inherent softness and malleability, however, pewter cannot be used to make tools itself. Duplication by casting will give excellent results especially in jewelry making. Pewter is many times the base metal for Silver or Gold plating.
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Platinum is aheavy, malleable, ductile, precious, grey-white metal resistant to corrosion. Platinum is used in jewelry, laboratory equipment, electrical contacts, dentistry, and coinage. Platinum jewelry achieves the highest value of all the jewelry metals. Platinum's wear and tarnish-resistance characteristics are well suited for making the finest of jewelry. Platinum is more precious than gold.
999 (also known as three-nines fine)
950 (the most common purity for platinum jewellery)
900 (also known as one-nine fine) 850 (rarely seen any longer)
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Rhodium is a rare silvery-white hard metal. The primary use of rhodium is as an alloying agent for hardening platinum and palladium. This metal finds use in jewelry and for decorations. It is electroplated on white gold and platinum to give it a reflective white surface. This is known as rhodium flashing in the jewelry business.
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Silver is a soft white lustrous metal and has the highest electrical and thermal conductivity for all metals, and like gold, occurs as a free metal in nature. Its main use is as a precious metal for currency, ornaments and jewelry, and as utensils (hence the term silverware).
999 (Fine silver used in bullion bars, also known as three-nines fine)
980 (common standard used in Mexico ca.1930 - 1945)
958 (equivalent to Britannia silver)
950 (equivalent to "French 1st Standard")
925 (equivalent to Sterling silver)
900 (equivalent to "Coin silver" in the USA, also known as one-nine fine)
830 (common standard used in older Scandinavian silver)
800 (minimum standard for silver in Germany after 1884)
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Silver Plated jewelry or any other item that has a layer of Sterling Silver applied over a base metal.
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Sterling Silver is an alloy of silver containing 92.5% pure silver and 7.5% other metals, usually copper. The minimum millesimal fineness is 925, although all grades of Silver are used in jewelry. Silver is also a common coinage material. . WARNING: Care should be taken when purchasing Sterling Silver jewelry as the chemical treatment used on Sterling Silver to maintain the high luster does have an allergic effect on some people.

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Surgical Stainless Steel is an alloy of iron and carbon, with chromium (12–20%), molybdenum (0.2–3%), and nickel (8–12%). The chromium forms a passivation layer of oxide when exposed to oxygen (air), so even though there is still nickel in the mixture, the chromium forms a layer that is too thin to be visible, which means that the metal remains lustrous. The oxide provides an impervious barrier to water and air, protecting the metal beneath thus it does not react to the human body. Mixtures of these metals are used for short term medical implants but are not considered for longer term (20 to 30 years). In cases where the implants are to be “permanent”, titanium alloys are preferred. Titanium is a reactive metal, the surface of which almost instantly oxidizes on exposure to air, creating a microstructured stable oxide surface. This provides a surface into which bone can grow and adhere in orthopaedic implants but which is incorrodible after implant. Thus “surgical steel” may be used for temporary implants and the more expensive "titanium steel" for permanent ones. Either can be used for people alergic to other metals for their jewelry, especially pierced earrings.

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Tin is a silvery, malleable poor metal that is not easily oxidized in air and resists corrosion. It is found in many alloys and is used to coat other metals to prevent corrosion. Tin is malleable at ordinary temperatures but is brittle when it is heated. The primary use of Tin in jewelry is for solders, but is normally combined with other jewelry metals for more durability and color match.
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Titanium is a light, strong, lustrous, corrosion-resistant metal with a white-silvery-metallic color. Titanium can be alloyed with other metalselements to produce strong lightweight alloys for aerospace, military, industrial applications, to include strengthening of jewelry pieces, especially rings.
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Vermeil also known as silver gilt, is a combination of sterling silver, gold and other precious metals. It is commonly used as a component in jewelry. A typical example is sterling silver coated with 14-carat gold. To be considered as vermeil however, the gold must also be at least 10-carat and be at least 1.5 micrometers thick. Vermeil, Gold Plating and Gold Filled are many times used synonymously in the jewelry business, but should not be.
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Also be careful. As plastics and resins have become harder and more heat-proof, they are also being coated with fine layers of gold, silver and platinum, and are passed off as solid or plated metals in jewelry pieces. The weight of the item quickly identifies if it is solid metal or a metal covered plastic/resin. Cost savings lends it's self to using plated items and as long as they are properly idenified, pose no problem and in many cases can be more decorative than solid metal counterparts.