A Guide to the Different Colors of Gold

All that glitters isn’t gold, but chances are high it is because, as it turns out, gold comes in a variety of shades, all with their unique features and history. From decadent yellows to romantic rose golds, exquisite white golds, and even green, black, grey, and purple golds, every color of gold gleams in its own way.

Some colored gold can be found in nature, while others are artificially created. Blending gold with certain alloys allows for a spectrum of options when it comes to durability, cost, karats, and colors, all of which can be confusing when buying or selling gold online.

With experienced gold and silver buyers like Gold to Cash, you no longer have to worry about getting the best price when converting your gold to cash! Before you head over to popular places that buy gold near you, learn about the different colors of gold and how each one is produced so you know its true value when you sell your gold.

Why are Some Golds Different in Color?

Gold is slightly reddish-yellow in its purest form. But pure gold is considered to be extremely soft for everyday wear, so most gold jewelry will be either gold alloy or karat gold. Mixing pure gold with other metals makes it durable and stronger but also results in a slight alteration of the precious metal’s hue.

Gold, when alloyed with copper, palladium, zinc, nickel, and silver, creates different colors that are aesthetically appealing and more suitable to be worn every day. Our professional gemologists have come across many different colors of gold when appraising jewelry for those who want to sell their gold online. Explore some common ones with our experienced experts.

Yellow Gold 

Copper, silver, zinc, and other metals are often alloyed with yellow gold to add strength to the piece without causing a loss of hue. Generally, the brighter and richer the yellow color, the higher the karat is of yellow gold. And the less pure gold a piece contains, the more muted and pale it’s likely to be.

Yellow gold is considered hypoallergenic. The high karats mean the alloy is less likely to fade or tarnish. It also requires minimal maintenance. However, softness can be a potential downside when it comes to pure gold with high karat.

White Gold 

Gold is naturally yellow, so all white gold jewelry is made using gold alloy. However, this doesn’t make white gold any less real than yellow gold. Hue is the only difference between both colors, which is solely determined by the metals added to pure gold. Usually, palladium, nickel, platinum, and silver are added to pure gold to change its color from yellow to white.

A layer of rhodium is coated for extra shine and protection after the alloy is mixed. Rhodium also combats the problem of nickel being less hypoallergenic than other types of alloys added to pure gold. But when more rhodium is added, it requires extra maintenance. The coating can wear off after continual use, requiring frequent re-plating.

Rose Gold 

Rose gold is another type of gold alloy that contains metals and pure gold. An 18k rose gold bracelet can therefore contain the same amount of pure gold as an 18k white gold or yellow gold ring.

But the difference between the combinations of all colored bracelets would be the other metals that are mixed into gold. Rose gold is created by combining pure gold with zinc, silver, copper, or other pink metals that alter the precious metal’s color from a deep yellow to a delicate pink. 

Copper is quite a strong metal, which is also less hypoallergenic and less susceptible to fade or tarnish than its counterparts. This makes rose gold pieces more durable, requiring very little maintenance. Today, rose gold is one of the most sought-after alloys for sentimental and romantic pieces.

Unique Shades of Gold: Is One Color More Valuable Than Another?

While rose gold, white gold, and yellow gold are more popular gold alloys, they are not the only options. The hue can be impacted by what other metals are added to pure gold. Different combinations of alloys are added to produce unique colors of gold.

While less common, purple gold, green gold, black gold, grey gold, and blue gold are also bought and sold in the market. Although they can hold different meanings, contrary to popular belief, they all hold the same value. The value of gold pieces is determined by their purity, not color.

This implies that a gold piece’s karat is only something that has an impact on value. When a piece contains pure gold, its value will remain the same despite the difference in appearance seen in white gold, rose gold, and yellow gold pieces of jewelry with the same karat.

If you are wondering about the purity of your gold and silver jewelry and the value it will fetch in today’s market, Gold to Cash is an excellent way to address all your concerns. As the premier online gold buyer in the United States, we’re extremely transparent about how we evaluate your gold when you send it our way to get it appraised for free from our team of experienced gemologists.

Although the criteria we use when we buy gold from you are up on our website, you can reach out to us anytime for more information. We believe in no hidden charges and can help you with any follow-up questions you may have. For example, we can provide a detailed overview of the difference between precious metal weight and the total weight of the precious metals or anything else you need to know before you sell your gold online.

We also provide accurate calculations of the weight and karats of the bullion, coins, or jewelry sent to us through FedEx, along with reasons justifying our final offer. If you don’t like the terms in our detailed offer, get your items back free of cost through insured shipping.

The positive reviews we’ve earned over our ten-year-long journey are a reflection of our excellent service, pricing, and competence. Apply for a free appraisal kit for a detailed breakdown of your pieces so our gold and silver buyers can offer you the best price!