Brilliance of White Gold

White gold is an alloy of gold. This means that it is made up of pure yellow gold, mixed with alloy metals that have a silvery-white colour, such as palladium and silver. In all gold jewellery, pure gold has to be mixed with harder metals for added durability and strength. This is because on its own, pure gold is a very soft metal. Without the harder alloy metals keeping it rigid, pure gold would easily bend out of shape – and that’s no good in jewellery. This is the case whether the jewellery is made from yellow gold, rose gold or white gold, because in any of these variations, gold on its own would be too soft. In white gold, additionally, the silvery-coloured alloys help to create the desired white colour. Apart from the alloys mixed in with the pure gold, white gold jewellery is additionally coated in a precious metal known as rhodium. Rhodium comes from the same metal family as platinum. It adds further strength and durability, and importantly, a really lustrous white surface sheen – making it the ideal metal to coat and protect jewellery.

Even though it contains alloy metals, white gold is made from real, pure gold. You’ll be able to verify that your white gold jewellery contains real gold by looking at its hallmark. In the UK, all jewellery over 1 gram in weight must be hallmarked to ensure it contains the exact amount of the certified precious metal stated. A hallmarking is a small symbol stamped on the inside of a piece of jewellery that identifies it as a certified and authentic by the strict standards of The Government Assay Offices. Full eternity rings have stones set in a continuous line all around the band. This makes them the most luxurious and sparkling rings you can buy. As a slight downside, the diamonds can catch on things as you use your hands, so you have to be careful while wearing a full eternity ring.The gold content of all gold jewellery – whether white, yellow or rose gold – is measured in “karats”. Karat is often expressed with the letter K. For example, 9K or 18K gold. All 9K gold jewellery items contain 37.5 per cent pure gold, while 18K gold items contain 75 per cent pure gold – regardless of the gold colour. The bigger the overall karat weight, the larger amount of gold is present. Whether white gold is for you is ultimately a personal choice. Overall, it makes for a stunning choice if you love the neutral, classic look of silver or platinum. It has much more durability and value than silver, but if you’re on a budget, it is less expensive than platinum. Over the last half a century, white gold has become much more popular than classic yellow gold and is in fact the most often chosen metal for engagement rings. This attests its contemporary, versatile look, exceptional value and high quality feel.