What Type of Gold is Best?

The designated gold mark on the inside of the band will tell you what type of gold is in the ring. Gold is alloyed with other stronger metals for durability.

Gold when mined is yellow, but when alloyed with other metals it can appear white, green, red or other hues. The proportion of gold to alloy is expressed in Karats. Fourteen Karat gold is 14 parts gold and 10 parts alloy whereas Eighteen Karat gold is 18 parts gold and 6 parts alloy. Following is a list of common colours of gold and the alloys used to achieve each colour:

18K and 14K are the least likely to cause an adverse allergic reaction in the wearer.

The choice of gold is a matter of taste and budget; the higher the gold content, the higher the price. A common fallacy is that 18K gold is "soft." Alloyed properly, there is no difference in the strength of 18K over 10K or 14K.

Why is my white gold ring turning colour? White gold, Rhodium Plating and Palladium.

This is one of the most frequent questions we receive by e-mail. Gold when it is mined is yellow, and various alloys such as nickel, silver, zinc, etc. are mixed with the pure gold to make it turn as white as possible.
White gold was invented in 1915. In the 1950's a larger portion of nickel was used in the white gold and it has a strong bleaching effect but as less nickel is being used now (due to allergies) the yellow can't be as successfully bleached to white. As a result of most white gold alloys are off white and next to silver or platinum will appear yellow. To make the white appear more pure and more "chrome" the rings are rhodium plated.
Rhodium is a very pure white metal from the platinum group and is electroplated onto the surface of the white gold. The reason people notice the white gold "turning colour" is actually the effect of the rhodium plating wearing off to expose the slightly off white colour of the white gold underneath. If left unattended the rhodium will eventually completely wear off and the white gold will be exposed leaving your rings with a yellowish undertone.

Options

1. You can have your ring polished and rhodium plated as the old plating wears off, which is usually every six months to two years.
2. You can look into alternative metals such as platinum, palladium, or an 18K gold-palladium alloy. Most clients are familiar with platinum but the palladium and the 18K gold-palladium are usually new options.

Palladium

Palladium is a platinum group metal. This metal group includes: platinum, ruthenium, osmium, iridium, and rhodium. These metals are found together in nature and have similar qualities. They are rare, white in color, extremely durable, and unaffected by elements in the air which make other metals tarnish. Palladium alloys used for making jewelry products are typically 95% pure palladium and 5% of other platinum group metals such as iridium and ruthenium. The palladium alloys are white, hypo-allergenic, lightweight and durable. These alloys have a specific gravity close to that of 14k white gold and are close to half the weight by volume of platinum making them an excellent choice for jewelry. Palladium's silver white color will enhance the appearance of your diamond. The natural radiant silver white color of palladium is permanent and unlike most white gold does not require rhodium plating. Palladium is more durable than white gold. Wear testing has shown a 15% longer wear ratio. This is similar to how platinum wears versus gold. Over time palladium will show the signs of everyday wear however the surface is easily restored to the original luster by cleaning and polishing.

18K White gold Palladium Alloy

At Poag's we think this is a great selection for your rings. As stated above palladium is a platinum group metal that is very white and does not tarnish. When gold is alloyed with palladium the strong bleaching effect of the palladium produces a whiter "silver" colour gold that does not require rhodium plating. As with any metal it will show signs of wear such as scratches but the colour will not change and the original luster can be restored with cleaning and polishing. The additional benefit is that this alloy is less than half the cost of platinum making it an affordable option to select if you want to avoid the maintenance required with rhodium plated white gold.