There are many types of beautiful gold, but have you ever stopped to think about the difference between yellow, white, and rose gold? Learn more about what those gold rings on your finger mean!

Yellow Gold

The purity of gold is measured in karats. If gold is 100% pure, then it is 24 karat gold (24K) and is a bright yellow color. In its purest form, yellow gold is soft, ductile, and malleable, and it scratches easily, making it unsuitable for jewelry wear. Consequently, it must be alloyed with base metals to give it strength. Generally copper is most commonly used as the base metal, but silver or palladium is also used. The amount of base metal used in the gold alloy dictate the number of karats in the gold:

18K Gold – 18 parts gold, 6 parts other metals by weight (75% pure)14K Gold – 14 parts gold, 10 parts other metals by weight (58.3% pure)10K Gold – 10 parts gold, 14 parts other metals by weight (41.7% pure)

White Gold

The term white gold is used very loosely in the fine jewelry industry to describe karat gold alloys with a whitish tinge. The term “white” covers a large spectrum of colors that include pale yellow, pale rose, and tinted brown; the jewelry industry often hides these off-white colors with rhodium plating, a white and reflective metal that provides an excellent protective coating.

White gold is an alloy of gold and at least one white metal, usually silver, copper, manganese, palladium, or nickel. Nickel and palladium act as primary bleaching agents for gold; zinc acts as a secondary bleaching agent to counter-balance the color of copper.

White gold’s properties vary depending on the metals and proportions used in the alloy: a nickel alloy is stronger and therefore better for rings and pins, while gold-palladium alloys are softer and better for white gold gemstone settings.

Rose, Red, and Pink Gold

Rose, red, and pink gold are gold and copper alloys widely used for specialized jewelry. Although the names are often used interchangeably, the difference between rose, pink, red, and pink gold is the amount of copper in the alloy – the higher the copper content, the more red it will look.

The highest karat version of rose gold is 22 karat, and is also known as crown gold. 18 karat rose gold is the most common alloy, and is typically 75% gold, 21% copper, and about 4% silver is added. 14 karat rose gold contains 41.67% copper and is frequently found in the Middle East. A common alloy for rose gold is 75% gold and 25% copper by mass (18 karat).

Other Colors?

Although quite rare, blue gold can be made with an alloy of gold and iron, and purple gold can be made with an alloy of gold and aluminum. These golds are more brittle however, and therefore more difficult to work with when making jewelry. 14 karat and 18 karat gold alloys with silver alone appear greenish-yellow and are referred to as green gold.