Firstly, Let’s Look at Yellow Gold
Gold is a pure element and as it comes out of the ground it is fairly soft and yellow in colour. That’s what you know as 24 karat gold. Many people tend to like the yellow hue of 24 karat gold, however the lack of hardness tends to be a disadvantage in jewellery. That’s why it is alloyed with other metals. In turn, this affects the colour as well as the hardness of the piece and the metal.
Yellow gold is an extremely soft metal and when it is in its purest form, it can bend out of shape extremely easily. That’s why the gold in jewellery must be mixed with harder allow metals to make it far more durable and help it retain its shape.
In case you’re planning to invest in this precious metal, you can check out reliable specialists such as City Gold Bullion. They offer gold bars and gold coins in different weights.
So, What About White Gold?
In order to make white gold, an allow of nickel and palladium is added to the metal. You’ll also hear jewellers talk about other colours, like adding silver to make a green tint or copper for a more pinkish hue. Typically, zinc is added to make the metal harder. When a white gold ring is new, it can be coated with Rhodium, which is another white metal.
It should be noted that white gold actually doesn’t occur naturally. It is made from yellow gold that is combined with white precious metal allows, such as silver and the palladium mentioned. The alloys give the white gold a much paler colour and far more rigidity. What’s more, white gold is give is given its coating with rhodium, which is a rather rare and silvery-white metal. This is what gives white gold jewellery its luminous and white sheen.
What About the Gold Content?
The gold content in both white gold and yellow god is measured the exact same way. For instance, an 18kt white gold ring will contain 75% pure gold, the same way that an 18kt yellow gold ring has 75% pure gold.
While there are certainly differences between white gold and yellow gold, it doesn’t matter what the colour of the gold really is. The value is usually determined by the purity of the gold and not by the actual colour.
How Do You Figure It All Out?
You’ll find the jewellery is stamped with a mark to show the type of gold. For example, 18ct gold with have the number 18K, 18kt, or even 750 stamped on it. 14kt gold will have a number stamped on it such as 585, 14K, or 14kt.
For gold bars and coins, however, you will see a different stamp depending on their mints or legal tender. 999.999 is the purest form of gold and is usually refined by Perth Mint. Royal Canadian Mint produces coins with 999.99 label. 999.9 is the stamp you’ll usually find on Canadian Gold Maple Leaf and the American Buffalo coins. 999, considered as 24kt gold, is usually seen on Chinese Panda Gold.
Make sure to remember the points we’ve discussed above when investing in gold.
