For centuries, the precious metal choice of royalty and power has been gold. It is a symbol of wealth and forms the basis for many world economies as an original form of currency. In the modern world, gold is most popular in jewelry of all kinds from rings, necklaces and earrings to bracelets, pendants and charms. Gold or Au which is its elemental symbol, occurs naturally in the earth as a yellowish metal that really is a color all its own. Mens white gold rings are just one of the many manmade colors and types of gold that are the materials typically used for jewelry.
White gold isn’t just white
For the past few decades, a popular marketing term used by jewelers and other dealers of gold has been the white gold term. This is a label that technically encompasses many forms of gold alloys that take on colors of red, green, rose, pink, silver and white. Some jewelers encase gold pieces in rhodium to achieve a white gold look. These colors are produced by mixing a variety of metals with gold during a melting process. The resulting metal is called an alloy because it is made up of more than just one metal element. The most common way to make gold silver or white in color is by mixing pure gold with silver or nickel. Some processes include a small percentage of zinc to add durability to the alloy. Red, rose and pink colored gold are made by mixing pure gold with copper also known as disambiguation or Russian gold. The metals and process used to create these colors are the same however, the content of copper in the alloy determines the hues of red, pink or rose. Sometimes zinc is added to change the hue to a reddish yellow and more for a dark yellow.
One of the most interesting colors that gold can be made to look like is green. Manufacturers accomplish this by excluding the copper content of the alloy mixture, which creates a greenish yellow hue. A mixture of gold and silver are the only elements present and this is practice dates back to more than 500 years BC. Green gold is also found naturally occurring in nature as an alloy composed of silver and gold. The element cadmium can also be added in small amounts to gold alloys to achieve a green hue though it should be noted that this metal is toxic. Other colors can be achieved such as black or blue colored gold by mixing other elements in with gold alloys during smelting. No matter what alloy is created, colored gold can never be pure gold and in fact, even normal gold jewelry is not technically pure. The pure element gold or Au that occurs in nature, also known as 24 Carat or 999MF is too soft for use in modern jewelry. Naturally occurring gold is highly malleable meaning it can easily be shaped and has a low melting point. Necklaces made from pure gold would easily break and the metal would not otherwise be as strong when not combined to form an alloy with certain other elements. Hence, there is no such thing as pure rose, red, green, black, blue, or white gold.
Jewelry applications
The most widely used colored gold is white or silver colored gold. The mixture first became popular in women’s jewelry but now a variety of applications for both sexes are produced some of the most sought after being mens white gold wedding rings, mens white gold diamond rings, gold and platinum mixture engagement rings and everyday men white gold rings. Women’s white gold bracelets with small to medium sized diamonds are also very trendy. True white gold or alloys containing silver or platinum will not fade and maintain their color indefinitely. Rings and other jewelry made with a rhodium coating will fade over time and the base metal becomes exposed.
Rose, pink and red gold are becoming a more popular jewelry item for women in recent years. Rose gold earrings, necklaces and rings are popular items at jewelry expos and art fairs. Red gold pendants and necklaces are also a common item. These aren’t items buyers will find in a department store but more likely in a sole proprietor jewelry or artisan jeweler. Other colors of gold such as green, blue and black are extremely rare and jewelry made from these materials is very valuable. These can most often only be obtained through private dealers and artisans which charge a premium for hand crafted and custom designed jewelry from precious metals. The more common colors of white, silver and the reds are easy to find and are always an interesting topic of discussion for interested admirers of jewelry especially for mens white gold rings with ornate designs or unique construction. Colored gold prices run parallel and are often times more than prices for typical gold jewelry even though the content of pure gold in the alloy mixture is less than for jewelry made of basic gold alloys at higher percentages of purity.