Types of Gold

Let’s take a look at different types of gold used in jewelry making. As we have learned in our past blogs, gold is soft and are alloyed in order to get the specific hardness ideal for a specific jewelry.

Karat Gold Jewelry. This type of of gold jewelry are those made of pure gold. But not all 24 parts of pure gold is used or else the jewelry will be very soft. Most karat jewelries are alloyed with other metals to achieve desired hardness. The most common karat gold jewelry is the 18K gold jewelry which has 18 parts of pure gold. Check our previous post on Gold Karats to have a better understanding on Karats in gold jewelries. 

The Gold Vermeil Jewelry. This type of jewelry makes use of sterling silver which had been plated with gold. The highest quality of Gold Vermeil is 24K. If you are looking to invest in Gold Vermeil jewelry, check the karatage label.

Gold-filled Jewelry. This type of jewelry is made of a solid gold outer layer. Gold used in the jewelry is 5% of its total weight bonded in base metal.

Gold Plated Jewelry, Rolled Gold Plate, Gold Overlay. These types of jewelry makes use of base metal. The gold content is very thin and lesser in percentage than those used in gold filled jewelry. A steel or brass is electroplated to deposit a thin layer of gold in the outer surface of the jewelry.

The Various Colors of Gold

Gold is naturally yellow in color. Color variations in gold is dependent on the type of metal they are alloyed with. Let’s take a closer look at the various colors of gold:

Yellow Gold. Mixing pure gold with silver, copper, and zinc will make yellow gold. Of all the gold colors, yellow gold is the most hypo-allergenic, the purest color and requires least maintenance.

White Gold. Mixing gold with copper, nickel (or palladium), and zinc will make white gold. White Gold is more durable and scratch-resistant than yellow gold. 

Rose Gold. Mixing gold with copper results to rose gold. The reddish color is the effect of copper. It is also more durable than white gold or yellow gold because of its copper content.

Peach Gold. This peach gold falls between rose and yellow gold, also it is the closest color match to antique rose gold. Peach gold has a hue that is little softer than the yellow gold and it is not like rose gold that is coppery.

Green Gold. This gold is the mixture of silver, gold and sometimes copper. The green nuance of this gold is produced from the combination of silver and gold.

From these kinds of gold, which gold is the most popular? In terms of jewelry for women, yellow gold is still the most favored color of gold.