Yellow gold vs white gold jewellery

Yellow Gold vs. White Gold Jewellery Apr 19, 2016 • By ​ Anika Pathak​ •

Overview Gold is one of the most popular metals used in making jewelry. Gold jewelry is widely popular among both women and men. Its popularity lies in its unique luster and immense durability. It looks wonderful when paired with precious and semi­precious gemstones. There are several hues of gold that are available in the market. Some of these are naturally occurring while others have to be created in the laboratory. The various colors in which gold is available are­ rose, white, yellow, green, blue and black. However, the most common color that attracts people are yellow and white gold with buyers typically opting for one of the two for their jewellery. White gold has a cool luster and works well for people who have cool skin tones whereas people with warmer skin tones prefer accessorizing with yellow gold jewellery.

If we look at the color of white gold, it resembles platinum or silver in appearance whereas yellow gold features a unique color that can only be described as ‘gold'.

Alloys Used in White and Yellow Gold In an attempt to enhance its strength and durability, ​ gold jewellery manufacturers​ often add other metals as alloys to gold. This enhances the integrity and form of gold and enables it to weather the wear and tear of everyday use. This is done by blending different alloys with yellow and white gold.

The karat of gold indicates the level of gold that has been used in making that particular piece of jewellery or gold object. Manufacturers add certain metals to gold in order to increase its durability and strength in order to create the final product. A piece of jewellery that has a higher karat represents a higher level of pure gold has been utilized in making the jewellery.

White Gold The gold used in both white and yellow gold by the manufacturers is the same. The final color of gold is determined by the alloy that is mixed with gold while manufacturing the jewellery or article. This means that in the case of white gold, palladium and silver have been used and have played a detrimental role in lending the object its final hue. However, the karat weight in both yellow and white gold remains the same.

White gold jewellery is often given a plating of rhodium. This rhodium plating add the final color to the gold jewellery and increases its hardness and lends durability and strength to the piece of jewellery. Although the rhodium plating improves the color of gold, it still remains prone to the forces of weathering and erosion. This causes the rhodium plating to weather away within a year or two leading to exposition of the underlying layer of metal.

Yellow Gold

The natural color of gold is represented in yellow gold. The intensity of the color of yellow gold is directly dependent on the amount of pure gold used in making the gold jewelry. Therefore, a gold necklace made with 14 karat gold with have a less intense color than that of a necklace made with 24 karat gold.

Yellow gold does not require a plating of any other metal on its surface to enhance its color or to determine its final color. The absence of alloys or plating also makes yellow gold jewellery less hard and more soft that gold jewellery that contains plantings or a mixture of alloys.

Conclusion Yellow and white gold are both widely popular among the masses and have a great demand in the ​ jewellery wholesale​ market. The increasing popularity of white gold also depends upon its higher durability and strength when compared with yellow gold. It is however, essential to bear the aforementioned facts in mind while indulging in any kind of sale or purchase involving the use of white or yellow gold jewellery. ​ Fashion jewelry manufacturers​ have risen to meet the vast demand for both these categories of gold.