Colors of Gold

As mentioned in our Gold Karats article, gold is naturally yellow. Now, imagine a world where everyone’s jewelry is all the same color. It’s boring, right? Luckily, we don’t have to live in a world like that. There are many methods to turn gold different colors, the most common being white and rose. To create white gold, the mix of other metals is adjusted to contain more of the bright white metals such as silver or palladium. White gold jewelry is finished by plating it with rhodium to make it more durable and give it its signature white sheen. Rose gold is created using a similar method but substituting copper to make the gold less yellow and more pink.

While having all these different colors of gold can add variety to anybody's wardrobe, it does also add an extra step to properly maintaining jewelry. The rhodium on white gold jewelry does eventually fade and reveal the yellowish white gold base underneath. And the copper in rose gold might start discoloring after extended wear. But fear not, the methods to revive the color are very straightforward. In the case of white gold, all it takes is a quick visit to your local jewelry for a dip in the rhodium bath. Rose gold is even easier, all it needs is a quick touch up on the polishing wheel.

Gold can come in other colors such as purple, blue, green, and even black. These colors are achieved by using more complicated processes and specialized materials some of which are toxic and pose serious health risks.