What Is The Difference Between Yellow And White Gold Jewellery?

Gold is the most popular precious metal for jewellery crafting and has been throughout all of human history. Gold's inherent value comes from several factors, primarily its rarity; it's rare enough to have scarcity but still available to produce goods and coins from. This rarity, combined with Gold's malleable nature, resistance to corrosion, beautiful colour, and lustre, is the main reason it has been so popular for so many civilizations throughout human history. Gold also comes in various colours, primarily yellow, white, and rose. Each colour brings a different aesthetic and composition to jewellery, so what is the difference between white and yellow Gold?

What Is White Gold?

White Gold is a simple variation of standard yellow Gold; it is created from the composition of metals used in its mixing process. We combine other metals with Gold during the mixing process because pure Gold, while strikingly gorgeous, is too soft for ordinary jewelery. Metals used in Gold mixing are primarily copper, zinc, palladium, and Silver. Yellow Gold contains a balanced mixture of these metals, while rose Gold contains more Copper, and white Gold contains more Silver or Palladium. 

Is White Gold Jewellery More Expensive?

There is no price difference between white and yellow Gold. This is because both white and yellow Gold is valued at the same carat weight; carat weight is the percentage of pure Gold to metal alloys. However, white gold jewellery can cost slightly more than yellow Gold jewelery due to the increased time, manpower, and tools required to turn yellow Gold into white Gold. 

The History Of White Gold

White Gold was commercially available in 1912 when it was issued a patent in Germany; however, it was not widely popularized until the 1920s. During WWII, America put a ban on the production of Platinum jewellery; they did this because Platinum was used in the war effort to make weapons, batteries, and other goods. This left jewellers with a void to fill. The recently patented white gold filled that void extremely well; its similar appearance, and generally cheaper price tag, made it an affordable and reliable alternative to Platinum. As a result, white gold jewellery took off and has been used in jewellery crafting ever since. 

Conclusion

White Gold is a favourite in jewellery crafting, and is a wonderful alternative to Yellow Gold, but what is it, and why is it so popular?

White Gold is a more modern variation of Yellow Gold, created by utilizing white precious metal 'bleachers' in the alloying process. It has the same value by carat weight but can be more expensive when turned into jewellery due to the extra resources and time in transitioning Yellow Gold to White Gold. Since its creation, White Gold has been a favourite in jewellery making and is a beautiful option for any piece. 

Odissa is a product showcase for the Guild of Jewelery Designers; we offer a wide range of jewelery and other craft goods from local artisan crafters. You can browse our selection of gold jewelery here, or if you would like to sell through us or have a question about our services, you can contact us here.