Generally, the metals used in white gold are nickel, silver or palladium and the properties of white gold varies on which alloy is used.
Just like yellow gold, the purity of white gold is measured in karats. Silver is a shiny, precious metal valued for its beauty and electrical conductivity and has been used to create coins, decorative pieces and jewelry for centuries. When silver is mixed with copper, it is called sterling silver. The type of jewelry you're looking to get will weigh heavily into your decision between white gold and silver.
Read the differences between the two to help make your decision easier. However, keep in mind that the hardness of white gold depends on its purity ie: karats. Silver is among the most affordable types of metal for jewelry, making it perfect for costume jewelry that you rotate with your wardrobe. However, the extra durability of white gold does increase the price tag of the metal. White gold costs more than silver, but less than platinum, making it moderately affordable.
If you go with white gold, though, you're in good company. Many women love the look. But you should be aware of another difference between white gold and platinum: durability. White gold is softer than platinum , and it's finished with a rhodium plating that can wear off with time, requiring occasional ring dipping. View White Gold Rings. Ring dipping is the process of having a ring replated with rhodium.
Typically, electric currents are used to bond rhodium to the metal of the band. Depending on how often and how hard it's worn, the rhodium plating on a ring could last anywhere from one to three years. Hint: You should be taking your ring off for many activities even if they seem benign, like washing dishes and even going to bed. Your rhodium plating will last a lot longer if you get into this habit. As mentioned earlier, the average timeframe for rings to be dipped are from one to three years.
White gold will burnish over time, collecting a patina of marks and fine scratches that document the life of the piece. Put plating on it and it will wear in patches where it receives the most knocks, and not in a nice way. The contrast between the true colour of the gold with the bright Rhodium will make the gold look sickly.
It is a by-product of Platinum mining and, therefore, is priced depending on availability. Rhodium is an incredibly rare and precious metal, which can cost ten times as much as gold if not more! But it can also cost the environment dearly.
This is a phrase high street jewellers are very fond of as it conjures images of your jewellery being dipped into a vat of liquid glistening and bright white metal. While your piece of jewellery is dipped into a liquid, this liquid is actually a heated tank of Rhodium sulphate, sulphuric acid and water.
An electric current is run through the jewellery, which acts as a cathode or negative electrode so that the rhodium particles are attracted to it, forming a permanent bond between the metals. The resulting effect is a micron-thick coating on the outside of the jewellery. Does this not raise the question of whether the base metal needs to be gold in the first place? When the solution is finished with, it then needs to be disposed of which raises obvious environmental issues.
Do you really want to part with it as a regular occurrence while a jeweller re-plates it for you? It is not a quick process as the piece of jewellery has to be scrupulously cleaned and re-polished beforehand. A worn piece of jewellery will be grubby and so will not plate well. It must be considered that every time jewellery is polished, you will lose metal. To polish metal is essentially to scratch the hell out of it, thus wearing away the surface and gradually thinning it out.
The plating on rings will wear really quickly but pendants and earrings will take a lot longer as they are not battered on a day to day basis with general wear and tear. Before opting for Rhodium plated white gold, you do need to think carefully about whether you are willing to take your jewellery in to be re-polished and plated on a regular basis for it to be looking its best.
I worked with the different natural colours of gold in this commission to achieve a sunset graduation effect in this mixed metal wedding ring. The 14ct white gold layer taken from an existing ring bought in Mexico sits in the centre of the blue-white toned silver layer above and the yellow gold stripe below, acting as a mediator between the two opposing colours.
In its original incarnation, the 14ct ring was Rhodium plated but this had worn away and formed the starting point for this remodelled design. These wedding rings are made from 18ct white and rose gold, with no rhodium on the white gold. The warm tones of both metals complement each other perfectly. In my opinion, white gold should be left in its natural state.
I think the consumer should be given the choice to plate it and they should most definitely have the opportunity to see it in its natural form without the plating.
Who knows, more people might learn to love the warmer, darker colours of un-plated white gold like I do! Leaving white gold au naturel would give more of a rainbow choice of white precious metals when it comes to bespoke jewellery. Clients can select which metal suits their skin tone; the colour of any stones included in the design, and of course, their budget. I believe that everyone should have the option to make their own decisions on plating rather than it being thrust on them as a matter of course.
There is simply not enough education available to general public on the high street and it frustrates me that so many people are left feeling negatively towards the jewellery industry. They may feel they have been deceived when the plating on their jewellery starts to wear and the true colour of the metal is slowly revealed. To truly drive home my point, here are four gorgeous white gold rings without Rhodium plating by some of my favourite jewellery designers:.
How utterly scrumptious is this chocolate diamond solitaire by Mirri Damer? The warm, cognac toned brown of the diamond compliments the gunmetal hue of the 18ct white gold beautifully. The soft texture Mirri works into the surface of the metal emphasises the warm tone of the gold and compliments the diamond exquisitely. What I like about this mixed metal wedding ring by leading contemporary German jewellery brand, Niessing , is how the mix of white gold and Platinum demonstrates the different colour tones so well.
This highly textured wedding band by Karen Karch shows off the natural colour of white gold so well because of its width. I love how she uses texture for an honest hand-hewn finish rather than trying to achieve a machine like finish; it almost looks soft and malleable. American brand, Greenwich Jewelers , have utilised the natural colour of white gold beautifully to contrast the intriguingly shaped diamond in the centre of the design.
The invisibly set diamonds in the shoulder of the ring stand out as well because of this contrast in tone. If the ring was Rhodium plated, they would all but disappear into a sea of icy white metal. There are positives and negatives to both materials. Sterling silver is less durable but more affordable. White gold is more durable but comes with a higher price tag. Think about the type of piece you'd like to by and how often it will be worn when making your decision.
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