How Is White Gold Made?

Gold in its most natural form is yellowish in color and the purest form is graded 24 carats. However, in order to make fancy jewelry for ladies, 24-carat gold is not commonly used as it is too soft.

The use of 24-carat gold will result in the jewelry being deformed and dented only by applying pressure from the fingers alone. Due to that, the jewelry will need to be durable for daily use, and hence why other metals are added to it making a gold alloy.

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So, the main question that some will like to know will be how is white gold ever made?

The Concept of Carats In Gold

We commonly hear the term carats being used when referring to the purity of gold and diamonds. But what is the meaning behind the word carat?

Carat is referring to the gold parts that are being sold. 24 carat means that 24 parts of the gold are being sold. For instance, if a golden ring was labeled as 18 carats, this means that only 18 parts of the ring are gold whereas the remaining 6 parts will be other metals that are added to it.

To put it into a percentage, 75% of the rings are actual gold and the other 25% will be other foreign metals. It can be said that 24-carat gold contains 24 full parts of gold or 100% in gold.

The Process Of Making White Gold

If we were to refer to the examples above, you might want to know what are the options for foreign metals that can be used.

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It all depends on the intended result. If the color of the gold is sparkling yellow as we always see in the market, then the most common metal to be added will be copper(Cu) and zinc(Zn).

If we were to look back at the color of rose gold iPhones being sold, then the foreign metal used will be copper and zinc. On the other hand, if you like to make white gold, then silver(Ag), palladium(Pd), manganate(Mn), and nickel(Ni) will be the metals to go for.

However, some people might develop an allergic reaction to nickel and hence its use has been quite limited these days. The combination of gold and the 4 metals stated previously will result in the white gold that is being sold in the market.

But combining these metals with gold will not produce the sparkling silver color. As you can see below most of the white gold that is sold in the market will be plated with thin rhodium which is a family of platinum giving it a slight white color.

Rhodium is the choice of metal since its silver color shines much more on top of it being more durable. Yet if you wear the white gold jewelry for quite a long time, then it might have changed to a slight yellow color as the layer of rhodium starts to thin out.

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Therefore, you can take your white gold jewelry to the nearest shop to get it cleaned so that the jeweler can add another layer of rhodium to make your gold stands out more.

Is It Worth It To Purchase White Gold?

One might ask about the difference between white and ordinary gold as to whether it is worth it to buy. There is not any right answer to this as it all depends on your preferences and the money in hand.

But one might argue that white gold looks a bit more like silver than actual gold due to its color. One thing that is sure is that you might have trouble selling back your white gold since it is less wanted among women.

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Also read: Vantablack: The Darkest Color In The World