WHITE GOLD. I have been told that jewellery sold as white gold is yellow gold dipped in white gold. ? ? ?

Question

Could anyone confirm whether this is true and if so :- 1. Does the white gold wear off after a while and 2. Why is the item of jewellery not solid white gold.

Answer 1

Historically Platinum was once know as 'white Gold'.
What is usually meant by white Gold is an alloy with Silver, it is not white but a much paler yellow than the usual colour.
Similarly 'red Gold' is an alloy with Copper. (You see banded rings made from these two plus 'normal' Gold)

Answer 2

White Gold

Answer 3

Difficult to answer as both are possible. Cheaper items are usually made in yellow gold only, with some stock plated to give the customer the choice. However, there are certainly solid white gold items as well. The trouble is that your typical high street retailer doesn't necessarily know which type their various items are.

A whole other issue is whether a white gold product, even a solid one, is plated to enhance its appearance which it may well be. White gold (ie. an alloy of yellow gold and other metals such as silver, nickel, platinum, etc.) is a bit 'grey' in colour, so often the finished item is coated with rhodium, a metal similar to platinum. If you want the item to remain looking shiny and new, you do need to re-coat it every 1 to 2 years depending on how much wear it is subjected to. This is why white gold rings especially can be a bit of a problem, as they get worn out relatively quickly (much more so than eg. a brooch).

Answer 4

They are true carat golds, just like yellow or red carat gold jewellery. They are gold alloys that look white rather than yellow. The white colour is achieved by careful choice of the alloying metals, which bleach the deep yellow of pure gold.
some white gold jewellery sold in the EU may contain some nickel and still conform to the EU Directive on nickel. Sensitised people may find that they react to such jewellery. Conforming to the EU directive is no guarantee that these alloys will not cause an allergic reaction. Check with your retailer that the alloy is nickel-free! Rhodium-plating should provide some limited protection, but remember electroplatings are often porous and will, in time, wear away!

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Answer 5

true white gold is an alloy of gold with other
metals to get a lighter colour although the exact composition hasn't been defined by law.
Almost always this is rhodium plated to further enhance the colour. In the uk it isn't lawful to describe yellow gold plated as white gold. However two/three tone gold is a debatable concept. Some designs would be much weaker with two different alloys.
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Answer 6

Real white gold is a much more expensive and time consuming task to accomplish.

Most jewelers will simply take yellow gold and dip it in a white gold and sell it for the same price as yellow gold.

Either way, both white golds look nice.

Answer 7

White gold is an alloy of gold and some white metals such as silver and palladium. White gold can be 18ct, 14ct, 9ct or any karat. For example, 18ct yellow gold is made by mixing 75% gold (750 parts per thousand) with 25% (250 parts per thousand) other metals such as copper and zinc. 18ct white gold is made by mixing 75% gold with 25% other metals such as silver and palladium. So the amount of gold is the same but the alloy is different.

Traditionally nickel was used in white gold, however, nickel is no longer used in most white gold made today as nickel can cause reactions with some people. We do not use nickel in our white gold

When white gold rings are new they are coated with another white metal called Rhodium. Rhodium is a metal very similar to platinum and Rhodium shares many of the properties of platinum including its white color.

The rhodium plating is used to make the white gold look more white. The natural color of white gold is actually a light grey color. The Rhodium is very white and very hard, but it does wear away eventually. To keep a white gold ring looking its best it should be re-rhodium plated approximately each 12 to 18 months. Most local jewellers are able to rhodium plate jewellery for a cost effective price.


Platinum is a white metal, but unlike gold it is used in jewellery in almost its pure form (approximately 95% pure). Platinum is extremely long wearing and is very white, so it does not need to be Rhodium plated like white gold.

Platinum is very dense (heavy), so a platinum ring will feel heavier than an 18ct gold ring.

Platinum is, however, very expensive. A platinum ring will be approximately twice the price of an 18ct white gold ring (excluding gemstone costs).

Answer 8

Yes white gold is only coated over yellow gold. My boyfriend bought me a white gold ring but it was slightly too small for the finger i wanted to wear it on so i took it to get alterered. They said it would cost more than normal because it was too types of gold so they would have to cut through both golds and then add two golds again. I think the reason you cant have solid white gold is because it wears too easiliy.

Answer 9

This is true and yes the white gold does wear meaning your white gold jewellery has to be treated every so often. The jewellery is not made entirely of white gold as it would not be strong enough!

Answer 10

I have been told the same thing. There really is no such thing as pure white gold. It is simply yellow gold that is chemically treated to become white. It does wear, especially if you wear the ring, earrings etc often. It will turn yellow again. It has to be taken to a jeweler to be cleaned. Hope this helps.