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White gold is a very popular metal for use in all kinds of jewelry, and makes an elegant choice for wedding rings, engagement rings and eternity rings. However, if you've already seen a solid gold bar, you've probably noticed that pure gold has a vibrant, deep yellow-orange. So where does come from white gold? In fact, there is no such thing as white gold! Gold in its purest form is exactly the color of its name suggests-gold.
By the early 1900s, jewelers have developed advanced techniques necessary to make platinum jewelry. Platinum, being very durable and stunning silver-white, has become an option above money that had been widely used to enhance diamonds. The rarity of platinum, however, have contributed to its high value, making this metal Silver beautiful unaffordable for most. White gold has begun to answer the public's insatiable demand for shiny metal and solid silver jewelry.
The purest form of gold, gold 24 carats, is not often used alone in manufacturing jewelry because of its inherent flexibility as a metal. Instead, gold is usually mixed with other metals to form an alloy, which is a combination of metals. However, simple mixing gold with another metal does not appear white. When metals are allies effected a change in the atomic structure causing a change in the way the metal reflects light of different wavelengths. When gold is alloyed with one metals used to produce white gold, the metal is a silvery white hue, the characteristic color of white gold.
Gold White can be produced in an alloy of gold with one or more other metals that have a "whitening" effect, usually nickel, zinc, copper or palladium. Nickel has been heavily used to produce white gold in the past, although the jewelry industry is in transition away from its use in part because of allergic reactions some people have to nickel. Palladium, a sister metal of platinum, is an excellent incorporation of gold White, although its rarity and high melting point make palladium expensive to buy and difficult to manufacture. White gold alloys are not limited gold and other metals. It is not uncommon, for example, for white gold must be composed of a combination of gold, silver, copper and palladium.
White gold jewelry is often plated rhodium, a metal white reflective and very durable which is also related to platinum. The rhodium plating is used to strengthen and lighten the color of white gold. Finally, a rhodium coating will wear off, so there is a need for of new rhodium-plated white gold jewelry plated periodically. The amount of time before re-spreading is necessary depends on the amount of rhodium present and how harshly the ring is treated.
About the Author:
About the Author: Ian Maher is the CEO of Maliere, a leading provider of eternity rings, diamond rings, platinum rings and gold rings. For more information, please visit www.Maliere.com.
Article Source: ArticlesBase.com – White Gold in Jewelry
White Gold – “Almost as Beautiful as Me”
