BMJ Blog

White Gold - Isn't that an oxymoron?

Posted on February 16, 2012 by Barbara Polinsky | 1 Comment

Yes, in fact it is.  The use of white gold was first embraced after World War I as an alternative to the more expensive platinum.  There truly is no such thing as white gold since gold in its purest form is yellow. 
Hoover and Strong commercial casting grain
White Gold is achieved by alloying pure gold with at least one white metal. There are numerous white gold alloys but most commonly pure gold is mixed with nickel, manganese or palladium. Because the metal mixture contains pure gold which is bright yellow, the resulting white gold alloys have a yellowish tint which is not very pleasing to the eye.

 

It is common practice to plate white gold jewelry with Rhodium to offset the yellow shade of the alloy, adding brilliance and a more refined finish to the piece.   Rhodium is a bright white precious metal in the Platinum family.  It is actually ten times more costly than gold and even more expensive than platinum.  Rhodium is hypoallergenic, has a great resistance to corrosion, tarnishing, scratching and abrasion.

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Posted in Informational, jewelry care, plating, rhodium, white gold