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.