Features of Gold
To understand what a jewelry alloy means, it is enough to know that no gold jewelry is 100% composed of gold ore.
Usually the elements of silver, copper, platinum, zinc, cadmium and nickel are included. The more platinum and silver in the gold mixture, the whiter the jewelry. And copper gives a red hue, giving the jewelry the strength it needs.
Gold turns purple when aluminum and gallium are included.
A blue tint is created when rubidium and indium are added. Steel inclusions give a bright blue hue.
Green is made when cadmium and silver are combined.
To this day, scientists are still experimenting with adding various metals to gold “solutions” to produce unique shades.
The optimum pure gold content for jewelry is considered to be 58.5%.
The use of different alloys in jewelry is very wide, so it is often difficult to understand all the tags and hallmarks.
Yellow gold
The traditional and most familiar to the eye color of gold is yellow. This is the color of the pure metal.
In jewelry, silver and copper are added to it. The more silver, the lighter the alloy. For a lemon color, the percentage of silver ligature is increased. For a warmer, sunnier color – copper.
On the amount of ligature – added metals – depends on the grade of gold. For example, 585 yellow gold, which is most often used for jewelry, is a metal with the addition of 28% silver and 13.5% copper.
Gold products of bright yellow color look less noble, and in quality they lose. They are made of an alloy of gold with copper, silver and palladium, this is the lowest grade – 375.
White gold
Products of steel cold shade are slightly inferior in popularity to the sunny yellow color. White gold combines perfectly with diamonds, making their shine more expressive. Products without stones are also in honor: they suit everything, look noble and refined.
This color of metal is obtained by adding palladium, nickel, silver or platinum to gold. Alloy with platinum is the most valuable and durable, jewelry made of it is not scratched, is not deformed and retains its attractiveness for a long time.
The cheapest white gold is with nickel ligature. Jewelry made of such an alloy is much worse to wear, besides, it can cause allergies. Nickel gives white gold a slight yellowish color.
Red and rose gold
The alloy acquires such shades thanks to copper. Copper has a good effect on the properties of finished products, gives them strength and durability.
Do not confuse red and chervona gold. The first contains about 50% of copper ligature and has a frankly reddish color. The latter is named after chervonets – gold coins made of almost pure gold.
Romantic pink color usually indicates a 585 proof metal. It is made in these proportions: 14 parts gold, 7 or 8 parts copper, 2 or 3 parts silver.
