What is White Gold?

White gold is an alloy of gold and at least one white metal (usually nickel, silver, or palladium). Like yellow gold, the purity of white gold is given in karats. White gold's properties vary depending on the metals used and their proportions.

The term white gold is used very loosely in the industry to describe karat gold alloys with a whitish hue. It is a common misconception that the color of the rhodium plating, which is seen on many commercial pieces, is actually the color of white gold. The term "white" covers a large spectrum of colors that borders or overlaps pale yellow, tinted brown, and even very pale rose. 

What is Karat?

The meaning of karat is the same regardless of whether it refers to white or yellow gold.

The karat, for example 18K, is used to denote the purity of gold in the final product - 18 karat by 24 karat (18/24). This means that there are 75% or 75 grams of pure gold in 100 gram of alloy. 

10K VS 14K VS 18K White Gold?

One difference that more people know of between the different karats white gold is their price difference. However, the price difference between the jewellery is usually not wide, and is definitely worth paying for. This is because the main difference for the karats between the gold is actually in their quality, which leads to the price and looks difference. The higher the karat, the brighter and whiter the white gold jewellery looks. 

For example, 18K white gold looks better than 14k gold is because it has a higher gold content. The gold content of a 14K white gold ring is 58.3% gold, and 41.7% other metals that are used to change the color of the gold from yellow to white. 

The gold content of 18k white gold is 75% which is why it costs more than 14K white gold. The lower percentage of other metals makes 18K white gold jewelry less prone to oxidization, which means that 18K white gold rings tend to look whiter and brighter than 14K white gold rings. It also makes 18K white gold a better choice for people who suffer from metal allergies.

Another benefit of 18K white gold is that jewelry made from these alloys does not need to be rhodium plated, or electroplated white, because these alloys are not prone to oxidization like the majority of 10 and 14K white gold alloys. This leads to lower maintenance, therefore 18K white gold jewelry is actually more cost-effective over the long term. 

18K White Gold Lookbook

 

Check out more designs of our 18K White Gold range in the link below!

Arthesdam Jewellery 18K White Gold

 

References:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colored_gold

https://www.jewelrynotes.com/difference-10k-14k-18k-white-gold/

https://www.briangavindiamonds.com/news/difference-14k-18k-white-gold-engagement-ring/