What is white gold and what makes it so special?

G old jewelry can have different colors. This is because the precious metal gold is relatively soft. In its pure form, it is not hard enough to be made into jewelry. It would scratch in no time and even lose its shape. Therefore, other metals are added to form an alloy. Besides red and yellow gold, white gold is also such an alloy.

What is white gold?

Um die Robustheit deines Goldschmucks zu gewährleisten, wird Feingold zusammen mit einer Reihe anderer Metalle zu einer Legierung geschmolzen. Die Zusammensetzung von Weissgold ist nicht festgeschrieben. Es gibt keinen einheitlichen Weg, um Weissgold herzustellen. Daher hat fast jeder Goldschmied seine individuelle Zusammenstellung. Ein Schmuckstück aus 18 Karat (Kt) Weissgold besteht zu 75% aus Feingold gemischt mit insgesamt 25% anderen Metallen wie Palladium, Zink und Silber in unterschiedlichen Mengen und Anteilen.

White gold is not a natural product, but is created by mixing yellow 999 fine gold with other metals. The process is called alloying. The finished precious metal is called an alloy.

How can you convince yourself of the quality of a piece of white gold jewelry? The precious metal stamp is engraved on the inside of a ring, for example. On necklaces and earrings, the stamp is more likely to be found on the clasp. This stamp is a seal of quality that gives you certainty about the quality of the alloy. In Switzerland, the precious metal stamp for 18 karat white gold jewelry is Au750.

Au is the chemical name for gold. 750 denotes the fineness of the gold, which at 18 carat contains 75% fine gold.

Why is white gold rhodium plated?

Das Hinzufügen von «Weissmetallen» zu Feingold reicht nicht aus, um schönen Weissgoldschmuck zu schaffen. Weissgold verdankt sein reines Weiss der Rhodiumbeschichtung, die auf den Schmuck aufgetragen wird. Dies wird als Rhodiumbeschichtung von Weissgold bezeichnet. Die Rhodiumbeschichtung schützt vor Korrosion, Hitze, Verschleiss und sogar vor einigen Säuren.

Rhodium plating gives a piece of jewelry made of 18 carat white gold the beautiful silver color and prevents white gold from yellowing. On the other hand, it requires a little more care. Over time (every 2 to 10 years, depending on how intensively the jewelry is worn and how thick the rhodium layer was before), the rhodium plating of your white gold jewelry needs to be repeated.