White Gold Jewellery

What is White Gold Jewellery and Shopper Buying Tips

White gold jewellery is very beautiful and has increased in popularity in recent years. The appearance of white gold is similar to platinum or silver. Many people choose white gold for its lovely and elegant appearance, simplicity and purity. Others may dislike the look of traditional gold and lean more towards the more original look of white gold jewellery.

Gold is a timeless material that never goes out of style. Gold is very wearer friendly and it does not tarnish. Gold can be formed into almost any shape to make beautiful jewellery.

What Is White Gold?

White gold is simply regular gold that has been made using a white colored metal such as nickel, palladium or rhodium. White gold is measured in carats, or karats in the same manner as regular gold. The only difference between white gold and regular yellow gold is in the appearance of the jewellery. The properties of white gold will vary depending on which metals are used and in what proportions. For instance white gold that is made using nickel as a metal tend to be nice and hard and are good for making jewellery such as rings and pins. This type of gold is strong and durable. White gold that is made using palladium tends to be much softer and is more appropriate for use in gemstone settings or in combination with other metals such as copper, silver and platinum.

Most white gold jewellery is rhodium plated. This is because when gold is alloyed with metals such as palladium and nickel they never truly look white. Often they come out with a sort of brownish colour, which is not as appealing. The rhodium plating gives the white gold the beautiful white coloring that makes it so lovely and desirable. Rhodium is a very white material and gives the white gold jewellery just the perfect look.

White Gold And Yellow Gold

While white gold is beautiful and elegant in appearance, traditional yellow gold is still the most popular type of gold that is purchased. The main difference between white gold and yellow gold is the color of the jewellery. While white gold contains nickel, palladium and rhodium, traditional yellow gold is typically alloyed with copper and zinc. The quality of both types of gold are measured the same in carats, or karats.

Tips For Buying White Gold Jewellery

When buying white gold jewellery there are a couple things to be aware of. The first thing that will need to be decided is which karat to buy.

24k gold is pure gold and is very soft. This type of gold is not recommended for jewellery because it is not hard enough to retain its shape and hold up over a long period of time.

The next level down of gold is 18k gold. 18k gold is a nice strong gold and is perfect for using in jewellery such as rings.

14k gold is also a nice strong gold that still retains a good amount of gold in it and is a good choice for jewellery.

The important thing to remember when purchasing gold jewellery is that the lower the number of karats the lower the percentage of gold is that is in the jewellery, or the less pure the jewellery is. But the lower levels of karats also means that the jewellery is stronger. So when deciding on what piece of white gold jewellery to buy one must take into consideration the strength that they want as well as the purity of gold. 18k and 14k white gold jewellery are the most popular types because they have a nice mixture of strength and purity.

White Gold Jewellery and the White Appearance

The other thing to consider when purchasing white gold is the type of materials that are included in the gold to give it it’s white appearance. White gold can be made using nickel, platinum or palladium. When white gold has a palladium overcoat it must be refinished every 12-18 months to keep its appearance looking its very best.