Unique Jewelry Weblog

Everyone has seen white gold chains but few people know what goes into making white gold chains or what exactly white gold is. There is a process involved in creating white gold that is fascinating and the metal used for white gold chains is different than rings or other jewelry such as ring mounts and other small and precious jewelry. The white gold is given a luster to it that is achieved by another process and the whole thing is an expert mixing of metals that should only be attempted by the most talented and experienced of goldsmiths. White gold is very unique.

When you go into a jewelry store you see all kinds of gold and gems but sometimes your eyes can deceive you when it comes to the make up of some of the precious metals used to make some of that beautiful jewelry. What looks like silver can actually be platinum or even something called white gold and the only way to really know is to check the tag or ask a qualified goldsmith. Gold is an extremely soft metal and when goldsmiths make jewelry out of gold they always mix a certain amount of other metals into the gold to make them a little more stable and give them some resistance to wear like you would get in a ring. In the case of white gold the gold may be a mix of nickel and gold or palladium and gold depending on the use for the finished metal. The mix of the metals creates a gold that is white in appearance and that is why it is referred to as white gold. Some of the characteristics of the gold are changed when they are made into white gold but the white gold retains a very strong characteristic to it that makes it ideal for jewelry that is more durable that you standard yellow gold jewelry may be.

For things such as white gold ring mounts and other delicate white gold pieces the experience goldsmith will use the combination of gold and palladium to create the white gold effect. The palladium is sturdy enough to add stability to the natural gold but it is also easy enough to work with that it can be used for the delicate pieces. If there is a need for further stability some goldsmiths will add platinum to the mixture and that will allow them to work with the metal but also add more stability and weight to the final piece as platinum is very heavy metal.

When white gold chains are needed the metal mixture is nickel and gold as the white gold chains will need the strength of the nickel to add to the texture of the gold. White gold chains are extremely popular and people that spend any time with the precious metals can usually tell a white gold chain from a silver or platinum chain upon examination. White gold chains can be very beautiful pieces but their durability also makes them popular with athletes and others that may be putting their chains into some sort of active situation. One of the many drawbacks to white gold chains is that some people can be allergic to nickel against their skin and may need to avoid white gold chains for that reason. To add a little shine to the white gold the compound rhodium is added and in some cases pieces of white gold jewelry will need to be recoated in rhodium from time to time.