Most people are familiar with the popular precious metals, platinum, gold and silver. One precious metal that that is used by custom jewelers often is white gold. However, many folks do not know what precious metals compromise white gold. More than likely it is not known how it is manufactured or created or how yellow gold is not the same as white gold. This is an examination of the precious metal, white gold, and its make-up in jewelry.
The Composition of White Gold
White gold is a composition alloy of the precious mineral gold. It is comprised of gold and combined with different alloy metals silver and palladium. The alloy metals are silvery-white and when mixed with gold it makes it look white.
The Purpose of Combining Pure Gold with Alloy Metals to Make White Gold
Gold jewelry is comprised of pure gold combined with metals that are harder to increase its resilience and improve its ability to withstand wear by hardening it. Of all the metals used in jewelry gold is the softest. Minus alloy metals mixed with it, gold jewelry would wear out quickly and most likely twist and bend out of its original form.
Regardless if the jewelry is manufactured from white gold, rose gold or yellow gold, without a hard metal alloy combined with it, the piece would bend quickly through use and be ruined.
The Reason Rhodium is Used to Coat White Gold
White gold is combined with hard metal alloys and it is coated with rhodium. This metal increases white gold’s resilience, protects it, hardens it, and it adds a high gloss to the surface of the metal. Rhodium is the best metal to add a protective coat to white gold and give it further protection
