Sep 19 2010
What Are The Differences Among White Gold And Yellow Gold?
When looking for a trio ring set, the first choice to make is between White Gold and Yellow Gold. Everyone knows about yellow gold, but not as many people are familiar with the concept of white gold, which has been gaining popularity and recognition in recent times. Gold, when naturally mined and extracted has the traditional metallic yellow color. This image of gold as yellow comes from classic depictions of gold as yellow in classic movies and images. When one thinks of mining for gold and gold nuggets, it is the classic yellow colored gold that comes to mind. White gold is made of the same materials as yellow gold, but is mixed with different metals to give it the silver color. 14 karat mens white gold wedding rings and bands have exactly the same amount of pure gold as a yellow gold ring, at 58.3%. A piece of jewelry will never be pure gold because pure gold is too delicate and soft for manufacturing.
Gold karated grade is used to express the proportion of gold in an alloy or the quality of a gold alloy. Fine gold (pure) is 24 karat. The key to understanding gold karat is the karat value over 24. An example are 14-karat mens white gold wedding rings. It is 14/24, which equals 58.3% gold and 41.7% alloy. In most engagement rings the stamp in the ring is 14k or some times 583. Both of those stamps mean the wedding ring is 14 karat gold. So the only pure gold is 24 karat gold which is sometimes called 999 gold. Solid Gold: What does the term solid 14k gold mean? Some engagement ring are advertise as sold 14k gold which means the ring is made of 14 karat gold not just plated with gold. A plated piece of jewelry is a thin layer of gold over a base or non gold metal. Some plating markings are to look like real solid gold like 14k HGE. HGE means hydrostatic gold electroplating.
However, yellow gold still remains very popular today because it provides a very classic and traditional feel to wedding rings. Yellow gold has a timeless property to it, in that it is always in style and is immediately associated with pure gold. Yellow gold also provides a greater contrast in terms of the white diamonds that are placed in it tend to shine better in certain lights. Many antique wedding rings are yellow gold, and are considered beautiful in all cultures and regions of the world. Ultimately, yellow and gold rings of equal karat weights have the same dollar value. The real differences between the two are based purely on personal taste and preference. As the age old saying goes, beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and some prefer the classic and timeless beauty of a yellow wedding ring, while some prefer the modern yet bolder look of mens white gold wedding bands. Either color makes for an equally attractive ring that with the right mix of shapes and setting of diamonds make for an unforgettable symbol of love and devotion for a life-long partner.
This precious metal is basically a mixture of gold and one other metal – silver or nickel or palladium. Rhodium is also added to this mixture in order to give white gold its distinctive shiny, silver color. Gold needs to be mixed with these other metals in order to make the piece of jewelry more durable. Gold is soft and can be bent out of shape easily, so it is a good idea to mix these metals along with the gold. Plus, in the case of white gold, it also imparts the distinctive color, as mentioned earlier. Generally people plate gold with palladium as silver is quite a soft metal and a lot of people have allergic reactions to nickel. Another advantage of this special blend is that, if your jewelry starts changing its color, then you can easily reverse the process by re-plating your jewelry with rhodium. This fixes the color and makes it sparkly silver again.
