What types of white gold are there: table of all types, composition and use, how they are obtained, prices per gram today

Post updated: May 26, 2020

Gold, as you know, can be not only the usual yellow color with a characteristic reflection, but also white, which, unknowingly, can be visually mistaken for silver. Meanwhile, the sample of white gold will always indicate the true value of the jewelry or simply the metal in your hands.

What types of white alloy are there?

How spoiled we are! Sellers offer purple gold, and black, green, blue, purple... White gold is especially loved by swindlers. After all, it is easy to obtain a white inexpensive alloy and then pass it off as a low grade of precious metal. Let's see what types of white precious alloy there are.

375 and 500

Pass by if you see such numbers on the stamp - it's a fake. There is not a single “working” alloy with such a gold content, the color of which would be white with a light yellow tint, and the product itself would be durable.

585

Most often, white gold of this standard contains nickel, which negatively affects health. The yellowness is more pronounced.

750

The best sample of a precious metal product. The ligature often contains palladium or platinum, so the jewelry is more expensive.

925

White gold with this hallmark is not produced.

958

Sample for banking precious metal, pure, practically free of impurities. Conventionally white color is given by the alloy components. Therefore, if they offer to buy “a very rare 958 white alloy,” hold your wallet tight—they are scammers.

Sample determination methods

Jewelers have long simplified their lives. If it is known for sure that the jewelry contains gold (I already wrote about the touchstone in one of the articles), the guys use the pan-European standard for gold alloys EN 28654. This is an addition to the ISO 8654: 1987 standard “Colors of gold alloys. Definition. Shades of colors and designation."

All colors are divided into 6 groups. Each has an interval of trichromatic coordinates. Using the table of values, the correspondence of the color (and alloy) of the sample to the standard is determined. Chemical reagents are not used to determine the sample.

Of course, the appraiser at the pawnshop tries to play it safe. You can check the authenticity and determine the composition of the alloy and coating using detectors, for example, Gold Detector GS 2532 or Gold Detector WgD 00.

Which sample is the best?

I look at the table of the most common grade of ZlMNTs alloy (gold/copper/nickel/zinc).

The least amount of nickel, which causes allergies, is in the white alloy 750 (and in general just gold). In addition, the alloy itself is stronger. Therefore, the higher the sample, the better.

Looking ahead, I will say: for the “noble” precious metal, nickel is replaced with palladium and other metals. In this case, a product made of white gold of the same standard will cost more.

Kinds

Jewelry is in demand in any economic situation, so the sample is important for those who buy jewelry to save and increase money. It should be borne in mind that jewelry made from this metal varies significantly in price categories. The cost just depends on what grade of white gold a particular piece of jewelry is.

Many people who are not appraisers or jewelers often only know that a product should be hallmarked, but what it is remains a secret. In fact, this concept means nothing more than the amount of gold itself or other precious metal contained in one gram of the alloy. There is one more concept that is important for determining the cost of finished jewelry - ligature. This word hides a certain number of additives included in gold for the production of jewelry.

Composition and properties of white gold

The white alloy has its own division into “classes”:

• noble;
• ignoble.

The composition of the ligature and the resulting properties of the two groups are different. Noble metal is obtained by alloying with silver, platinum and palladium.

Ignoble contains:

• based on silver, nickel, copper;
• zinc (added to the alloy to improve casting properties).

What is responsible for color

Each metal adds certain properties. White color is obtained by adding palladium, platinum and nickel.

Durability and scratch resistance

Hardness and scratch resistance while maintaining ductility are the merit of nickel. Due to this metal, the base white alloy is 2 times stronger and harder than the noble one.

Everything would be fine, but jewelry, due to the nickel oxide formed on the surface, causes allergies in many people when worn for a long time. Therefore, the global trend is moving towards noble white gold (with an increase in cost due to expensive components in the alloy).

Shade range

The color of any white alloy (in accordance with ISO 8654: 1987, European standard EN 28654) is characterized by a yellowish tint. The degree of yellowishness depends on the “nobility”. If two identical white gold rings are placed side by side, the “noble” one will have a lighter yellowish tint.

I looked at the top 10 articles about white alloy. The phrase “the color of white gold can be pale pink or pale brown” is a lie (see standard). And further.

White gold products are not plated with rhodium:

• colored gold was specially developed by jewelers;
• this is not economically viable (cheaper silver is used for rhodium).

Use of platinum metals

Having tried cheap analogues as alloys for white gold, chemists turned their attention to other representatives of the platinum group. Palladium became the ideal replacement. Its inertness, plasticity and high bleaching properties were positively noted by jewelers. So, to give a unique white color to the alloy, it is enough to add only 1% palladium to pure gold. In addition to the alloy of two metals Au-Pd, there are jewelry made from Au-Ag-Pd and Au-Pt-Pd compounds.

Ruthenium and rhodium also did not stand aside. Although they are not used as a ligature, they take part in the creation of white gold. Jewelry acquires a beautiful silver color by spraying. A thin layer of platinum metal is applied to the finished product using the galvanic method. During use, the jewelry wears out and after a while the base metal begins to show through the coating. In this case, it is recommended to renew the surface layer in a jewelry workshop.

The bright shine of rhodium-plated jewelry immediately attracts the attention of buyers. Sometimes unscrupulous jewelers take advantage of this by electroplating low-grade gold or silver items. To avoid such situations, when purchasing, you need to pay attention to the accompanying documents and tag:

• For gold items, the seal is made in the form of a spatula, and for silver items, it is in the shape of a barrel;
• Silver jewelry has a standard of at least 925, gold jewelry is marked with 585, 750 or 800 standard.

Even if the jewelry itself was made abroad, when undergoing certification in Russia, they are required to be sealed.

How do you get it?

For a person far from alloy technology, jewelry making seems simple. I threw pieces of metal into the crucible according to the proportions, put them on the burner, mixed them and cast the decoration. Unfortunately, metals are characterized by different melting temperatures: gold is already gurgling with might and main, but copper continues to float in pieces.

The production of noble white gold is possible at a temperature of about 1000 °C, base gold - 600...700 °C (annealing). Additionally, reagents are used (for example, boric acid), so the presence of other impurities is specified in the recipe. After annealing, the alloy is cooled slowly to prevent cracking.

This is how two alloys with different physical properties are obtained:

1. Plastically deformable (based on Au, Ag, Pd). It is used for the manufacture of blanks by sheet stamping or manual processing.
2. Casting alloy (Au, Cu, Ni, Zn). Used for precision casting workpieces.

The history of the appearance of white jewelry alloy

Products made from white gold were delayed for a decade. They appeared in the collections of jewelry houses after the end of the First World War.

First, craftsmen began to actively use platinum: at the beginning of the 20th century. The “garland style” came into fashion (founder Louis Cartier). Silver is a soft metal. To make the product stronger, it was necessary to duplicate the frame with gold. The jewelry turned out to be massive and uncomfortable to wear.

In 1910, Diaghilev's Russian Ballet performed in Paris. “Scheherazade”, with its luxurious decorations and rich multi-colored robes, made such a strong impression on the public that oriental motifs, Turkish trousers and colorful robes came into fashion.

Jewelers begin to conduct “chromatic experiments,” but the war cancels out all plans. Platinum disappears from the market (used in the military industry), and England imposes an official ban on trade in this metal.

After the war, fashion changes: the geometric linear design of gold jewelry requires a modern color scheme. Then brooches, bracelets, clips, and “collars” appear en masse. At the peak of popularity, women's wristwatches in white gold cases (it would enjoy similar success in the 1990s).

Where is white gold used?

Any colored gold is intended for mass-produced jewelry. Made from white:

• jewelry with stones;
• “mix” in combination with individual gold elements of a different color;
• cigarette cases, medals, watch cases.

How did this alloy come about?

In the first half of the 20th century, many European jewelry lovers fell in love with this metal for its color, which looked ideal in combination with pearls and diamonds.
At that time, silver alloys were often used, but silver was not of very good quality, so high society chose jewelry products made from white precious metal with the addition of nickel. But it turned out that the latter causes allergic reactions and is not suitable for jewelry making. In our country, an admixture of copper was added to the composition, which gave the jewelry a reddish tint and did not look decent. This type of precious metal in Russia is still produced today with low-quality silver alloys. Such products, which have a purity of 375 and 500, should be treated with caution .

Advantages and disadvantages of white gold

Alloy advantages:

1. Suitable for cold working, casting and casting for setting stones.
2. Does not crack when the temperature rises (suitable for annealing and soldering).
3. Visually increases the value of jewelry stones, making the appearance of the product more luxurious.

Main disadvantages:

1. The alloy is very hard, so processing difficulties arise. Hence the simple design solutions for jewelry.
2. It is unlikely that you will be able to melt scrap on your own.
3. Precious metal is difficult to work with, so jewelers have problems when working (private craftsmen are understandably reluctant to work with it).
4. Upon contact with skin, nickel in the ligature (regardless of the sample) causes an allergic skin reaction.

Combination with stones

I get aesthetic pleasure just looking at a professionally cut gem. “Lights” appear inside, the stone attracts with the play of colors. But once it gets fixed, the magic is often lost. The jewelers knew about this.

Therefore, before the use of “paws” back in the 18th century. Foil was placed under the stone to enhance its reflective properties. And in the 19th century. even diamonds were set into silver overlays.

Nowadays white gold is used for these purposes. The stone is fixed “on legs” (light enters from all sides), and the beam reflected from the surface creates an additional stream of light. A not so expensive insert looks more attractive, the shade of the stone becomes richer, closer to the standard (for example, a diamond with yellow tint).

White gold of any standard favorably highlights the beauty of the stone under one condition: the jewelry insert must be transparent (the precious metal is usually not used, for example, with turquoise or coral).

World gold purity systems: metric and carat

The sample makes it possible to find out the amount of precious metal relative to the entire mass of the alloy. In this case, a different principle is used for calculating the shares of gold, which determines what the designation of the alloy will be. From the moment when the concept of testing was introduced, and the first method of carrying out this procedure was developed, until today, different systems have been used:

• metric;
• carat;
• spool;
• lot.

The first 2 of these were introduced later. The metric system was used in the USSR (since 1927), this system replaced the spool system used in Russia in recent centuries. It is based on the determination of the precious metal content in 1 g of alloy. According to the metric system, 750 fine gold is one of the types of valuable material, other options: from 375 all the way to 999.

The carat system is a foreign system based on determining the amount of precious metal, taking into account a certain proportion of the weight of the alloy: 0.375-0.999. In this case, the minimum part (0.375) corresponds to 9 carats, and the maximum (999) corresponds to 24 carats.

Interesting: If a product hallmarked according to the karat system is imported into Russia, it is necessary to put a stamp with hallmark according to the metric system; for comparison, in the UK, both methods for determining the amount of gold are used.

750 gold ring

How to distinguish a fake from the original

The buyer does not carry reagents in his purse to the store. To distinguish a fake from an original, you should carefully examine the product.

The jewelry is marked:

1. The types of stamps for each metal are different. Any product made of white gold in the Russian Federation must have the following mark:

• shaped like a spatula;
• a clear drawing of a girl in a kokoshnik;
• sample number 750 and 585;
• the letter in front of the picture is the code of the State Inspectorate of Assay Supervision.

1. To the left or above the sample there must be a nameplate (numbers and letters of the name of the manufacturer, year of manufacture of the jewelry). The manufacturer's mark is approved and published by the Ministry of Finance of the Russian Federation.

A product purchased abroad may bear a “general mark” (by the way, it is placed at the request of the client). The “scales” pattern is used, mainly on watches. White gold products with such a hallmark are original, since the “common hallmark” was adopted in the EEC at the Vienna Convention to facilitate trade in jewelry.

There may be a print with the image of the rising sun and the sample number. Products with it are also original, and the drawing belongs to the international association Emagold (120 countries).

In order not to be deceived, especially for tourists, I recommend that you check the official state stamp before the trip (for example, an eagle in France).

How to distinguish white gold from silver and platinum

In addition to different markings (stamp), all of the listed products differ in color. White gold of any standard has a yellowish color. Silver is characterized by its silvery-white color, while platinum is naturally pure white (“steel-like”) in color.

What is the price of jewelry products

Several important factors influence the cost:

• what additional metals are included in the composition;
• what percentage of pure gold does it contain;
• What is the fineness of white gold?
• Product parameters (weight, execution technique, etc.)

If we take the average parameters, then the price of this precious alloy is per 1 gram. ranges from 2100 to 3500 rubles.

Whatever jewelry you choose, it is important to treat it with care and, if necessary, polish it in a jewelry workshop no more than once a year. A new layer of metal can be applied to items coated with rhodium if it has worn off, and then your favorite rings, earrings, bracelets and pendants will continue to delight themselves with their “lunar” noble radiance.

Tips for choosing white gold jewelry

My jeweler friend recommends:

• choose 750th sample - it is stronger than 585th;
• look for nickel-free ligature (require a certificate for the product, not a tag);
• check for the presence of a mark.

Decorations in the following styles remain popular:

• minimalism;
• naturalism (flowers and leaves) with oriental ornaments;
• mix (several shades of gold at once).

The main thing is that you should like the jewelry to the point of butterflies in your stomach - girls understand what I mean.

By the way, it is not recommended for children, teenagers and people with unstable mental health. Precious metal spoils character and gives an illusory reason to look down on people.

Fashion trends

The peak of popularity of the new alloy of the original shade occurred in the 20s of the last century. Consumers noted the harmonious combination of the new metal with precious stones. It hid the yellowness of not too pure diamonds, emphasized the coldness of sapphires, revealed the inner beauty of rubies and allowed us to look at emeralds in a new way. The neutral white color of the jewelry also looked good with a variety of outfits. Unlike silver, 585 white gold was not covered with a black patina and retained its charming shine even after prolonged wear.

But the new alloy had one significant drawback - its price. Jewelry made from it was more expensive than from ordinary gold. With the increase in the cost of platinum, chemists began to actively look for a worthy alternative. Silver was not even considered in this capacity, since in order to achieve a beautiful white color, it had to be added in excess quantities. Otherwise, the alloy was more like the color of light wood.

375 gold, which would really be white, contains so much argentum that it can be called silver.

After much experimentation, it turned out that adding platinum to Au compounds is not the only way to achieve beautiful coloring in jewelry. 14k white gold may contain other impurities. For example, nickel, manganese, and zinc have performed well in this regard. The use of these metals directly or as a secondary brightener in gold alloys has served as a new stage in the development of the jewelry industry.

Where can you buy or sell

Products made of 585 or 750 carat white gold are offered by jewelry houses, small shops and websites:

• jewelry, especially with stones, looks respectable;
• The fashion trend is to decorate yourself with gold of different colors.

Although self-respecting stores practice buying items back, it is difficult to sell even 750-karat jewelry for an adequate price. Pawn shops only take into account the weight (scrap), often without the work of a jeweler, the artistic value and carat of the stone. It is more common to buy traditional red or yellow gold “from hand”; They look askance at white.

You can try placing an offer at an auction (both in real life and online) or look for a client on specialized sites.

My advice: keep all tags and certificates for the product - having documents will speed up the sale.

White gold price per 1 gram

The price of white gold per 1 g depends on:

1. From the sample. So, in a 2 g product, gold of 750 purity is 1.57 g, and gold of 585 purity is 1.176 g. With external similarity and the same weight, the former will cost more.
2. Because of the “nobility”, platinum (palladium) additions raise the price.
3. From gold exchange rate quotes.

This is the lower bar (for buying). Further, the price of the product includes work, production costs, sales margin, advertising, brand... Therefore, by the way, jewelry is not suitable for investment - there are too many unnecessary components in the price.

I looked at the sites of purchases and pawnshops - they don’t highlight white gold as a separate line, they give a general table. Which, in general, is logical - no matter what the additives are, the percentage of solar metal is the same.

Types of gold

In its pure form, this metal has a yellow color, but with the help of impurities, gold can be given different shades. Pure gold is not used in jewelry, only alloys. Gold purity means the quantitative content of precious metals in the alloy.

Pure gold.

You can only find gold in its pure form in the laboratory where it is obtained. In nature, metal is found with impurities of silver or copper. 999 gold is considered the purest. Sometimes it is called bank or red.

White gold.

It is an alloy of gold and another white metal that can give gold a white color. What the alloy called “white gold” is made of can be understood by its color. Ligatures for white gold can be: manganese, nickel, palladium. This alloy began to gain popularity at the beginning of the twentieth century. They began to use it instead of expensive and refractory platinum.

Shades of gold range from white to green.

Red gold.

It is an alloy of gold and copper. The color determines the amount of the latter. Red gold contains almost the same ratio of two metals. Red gold began to be actively used at the beginning of the 19th century. In European countries, this type of precious metal is treated quite dismissively. Despite this, due to its composition it has greater hardness than yellow, due to which it wears off less. Because of these properties, red gold can be safely used to make delicate openwork jewelry.

Yellow gold.

This is the classic and most common type. Gained popularity several centuries ago. To give strength to pure gold, silver and copper are added to the alloy. They help improve the strength characteristics of the metal. The most popular alloys are 585 and 750 yellow gold.

Yellow gold is most popular in Russia.

Green gold.

This alloy contains silver. The greater the proportion of silver in the alloy, the lighter it is. Also, green gold alloy is obtained by combining gold and rubidium. Green gold is very beautiful, but has low strength.

Black gold.

In order for the alloy to have a black color, the surface of the product is coated with black rhodium or ruthenium, or an alloy is made of gold, cobalt and chromium, the surface of which is oxidized artificially.

There are fierce debates about which alloy is more noble: white or yellow? Each type of gold has unique characteristics and unique value. The use of both is subject to fashion: in different centuries it turned to different colors and shades.

Yellow metal goes well with dark skin, it is more noticeable and has a characteristic shine, however, white metal goes much better with diamonds, which is why (if we omit the physical characteristics of the alloy) it is mainly used to make settings for precious stones. However, we should not forget that the value and nobleness of a metal is determined by its breakdown. Therefore, yellow and white gold of the same purity will have the same value.

White gold looks very attractive with diamonds.

Alloys contain not only gold; much depends on the content of impurities. Nickel is added to white gold as an alloy, which causes an allergic reaction more often than other precious metals. Because of this property of the white gold ligature, its use was limited in Europe. They tried to replace nickel with palladium, however, many of the characteristics of nickel remain irreplaceable. Thus, it has great hardness and is highly polished. This allows the use of alloys containing nickel to create original jewelry with complex designs. It is simply not possible to create such straight and clear shapes from soft metal.

White gold is considered noble if the alloy contains metals such as platinum or palladium.

Platinum is one of the best options for “whitening” yellow gold. It is this that gives the precious alloy strength and a beautiful shade.

The popularity of white gold largely depends on fashion, but there are things that do not lend themselves to its trends. Jewelers who work with diamonds prefer white gold to yellow gold, as the resulting jewelry is more refined and pure. Its color highlights the advantages of a diamond, while yellow gold can hide some flaws.

Jewelry designers generally prefer white gold, primarily because it can easily be combined with metals of other colors. Jewelry made from metals of different colors allows you to create new, unexpected solutions, when single-color jewelry provides much less room for imagination.

Jewelry masterpieces are made from gold of various shades.

White gold is almost universal. Jewelry made from this alloy is surprisingly easy to combine with any color of hair, eyes and even skin. Traditional yellow gold is more difficult to wear every day; jewelry made from it is brighter and more catchy. White gold does not stand out, it is modest and not vulgar. Although, this is just a matter of taste.

Tips for care, cleaning and storage

I have written a short reminder on caring for white gold jewelry - use it.

1. Every thing has its place! Jewelry is not stored in bulk; it is carefully laid out in compartments so as not to damage the stones or scratch the surface.
2. Precious metal is covered with craters under the influence of acids or hot alkali. Therefore, wash the jewelry with soapy water without aggressive chemicals. Rinse with warm water and polish with a flannel.
3. It is acceptable to use dry tooth powder or gruel with water for cleaning.

Features of jewelry

White gold is a raw material from which any type of jewelry can be made. The alloy, which contains nickel, is used as a raw material for the manufacture of brooches, rings and pendants. Such jewelry is durable, but they still have one significant drawback - nickel does not “bleach” aurum well, so the resulting alloy has a yellowish tint. However, jewelry craftsmen have learned to cope with this problem by applying a thin layer of rhodium to the jewelry, which gives the accessories not only aesthetic appeal, but also durability. It is worth considering that over time, the rhodium coating wears out, and the owner of jewelry with such coating has to contact the master once every 5-7 years and pay money for the service of updating the rhodium layer.

If white gold contains platinum or palladium, then it does not need additional “whitening”, since the alloy is already incredibly beautiful and wear-resistant. Raw material combining aurum, silver, palladium or platinum is used as a material for the manufacture of fixatives (mounts) for precious stones. The strength of the alloy ensures reliable attachment of stones to the product, but this is not the only advantage of white aurum. Metal with a steel tint emphasizes the radiance and purity of precious stones, regardless of their color scheme. Still, the most popular white gold jewelry is considered to be those set with diamonds.

In many jewelry stores you can be impressed by the rich selection of models of magnificent bracelets, rings, rings, earrings, pendants, pendants, chains and wedding rings made from this aurum alloy. Jewelry in which white gold is combined with other alloys of the precious metal looks especially respectable.

Caring for such products is not difficult, but it is important to avoid the use of substances that can spoil the appearance of white gold. First of all, this applies to products coated with rhodium. The coating wears out over time under the influence of mechanical factors, so it is recommended to protect products from scratches, contact with other metals, etc. In order for jewelry to retain its ideal appearance for a long time, it is important to avoid exposure to cosmetics, aggressive household chemicals and acids. It is enough to wash accessories once a month in soapy water or rub them with suede (or microfiber).

You need to be especially careful with jewelry containing precious stones. Improper care of such products can hopelessly damage them or lead to them falling out of the frame. It is recommended to entrust the care of especially valuable jewelry to a professional.

Reviews

I managed to find inside information about white gold. Think before placing an order from an unfamiliar jeweler.

Buy factory-made products or from a famous foreign brand (Cartier jewelry house, for example). Then the decoration will not crumble or become covered with cracks.