WHAT IS WHITE GOLD EXACTLY? All gold is yellow, isn’t it? It doesn’t come out of the earth in any other way. So why do we have gold in white, pink, brown, even green and blue? It all comes down to alloy -how the gold is alloyed and what alloy is used. Alloy is the term used for the other metals that pure gold is mixed with to take it from pure gold (24 karat) down to other karats. (14 karat is most common in North America.) The colour of the gold is determined by which metals are used. The karat of the gold is determined by what portion of the final product is pure gold. Therefore the karat, not the colour, determines the value.
White gold is the most popular of all the gold colour options and it accounts for around 90% of what we sell today. So what alloys are used to make gold white? The most common combinations are: gold/palladium/silver alloy or gold/nickel/copper/zinc alloy. Today, because one in eight people experience an allergic reaction to the nickel alloy, (usually in the form of a rash), the palladium alloyed rings are becoming increasingly popular. Now having said all this, the most common thing we hear in the jewellery business is “Why doesn’t my white gold stay white?” Well, like we previously said, all gold is yellow to start and alloyed to be different colors. White gold especially will tend to have yellow undertones to it. We have found that the palladium alloyed rings tend to stay more white than the nickle alloyed rings. When you first come into our store and look at the rings in the showcase, the first thing you notice with the white gold is how bright white it is! Nearly every piece of white gold jewellery you see today in every jewellery store has a rhodium plating on it to make it that extra bright white. Rhodium is a rare silver to white metal that comes from the platinum family. It is one of the most expensive metals, at almost twice the price of platinum and three to four times the price of gold. Rhodium has an extremely high reflectivity and doesn’t normally form an oxide, even when heated. But, rhodium plating doesn’t last forever… after all it is only a plating. How long the plating will last depends on how hard you are on your jewellery, and sometimes variances in your body chemistry.
FYI ….here, at European Goldsmith, we rhodium plate your white gold on-site to three times the industry standard, and we offer 48-72 hour service! We look forward to helping you choose the perfect piece of white gold jewellery and helping you to maintain its beauty and lustre.
Now….let’s talk about romance! As you may know, from October 30th through to January 31, 2014, we are running our first ever Sweetheart Proposal Contest! You, the reader, are going to hear stories about real proposals. And all from people we know and love! We want to share them with you in hopes that you will share your proposal story with us. We have started collecting proposal stories from our readers and facebook fans. The winner will be announced on Valentine’s Day. (That’s Feb.14, for all you guys that don’t know!)
So what’s in it for you? Our favorite proposal stories will be featured on our blog and Facebook. Our top pick story will receive a $100 European Goldsmith gift card to spend any way you choose! So tell your friends and family and send in your proposal story! If you like, include a picture of your ring(s) or an engagement or wedding photo too.
So here is our second proposal story about Melanie and Jason… Click here to read our first proposal story!
They had been planning it for months, a trip to Australia to get away from the cold and to visit Jason’s daughter who had been living there for the past year. Jason had everything organized right down to how he was going to get the beautiful custom made rose gold diamond ring past security at the airport. “Lets make a game of it” he said to Melanie. “Lets see who can get through the security line up the quickest! You take this line here and I will take that one over there.” Melanie didn’t think anything of it, after all Jason was always one for fun and games. Not wanting to put his precious cargo in his checked luggage, Jason had every so carefuly hidden it in his eyeglass case. The only thing he was worried about was security scanning it and seeing something out of place. Luckily he got through with no problem and Melanie was none the wiser.
They landed in Sydney after a grueling 17 hour flight plus layovers. They were exhausted upon arrival but they weren’t about to let jet lag get the best of them. They rested up and with no time to spare were out the next day exploring the city. They decided to take a tour of Circular Quay with Jason’s daughter as their guide. One of their stops was a well known park that had the Sydney Light Opera House as its back drop. As they were looking at the magnificent scenery Jason had the “idea” to have his daughter take a picture of himself and Melanie with the Opera House behind them. It was there that Jason dropped down on one knee and asked Melanie if she would spend the rest of her life with him. All the while his daughter was capturing this special moment for them. Melanie shed a tear as she said YES! And the tourists and locals around them cheered in celebration with the happy couple.
Photo by Photography by Larissa
It has been 6 years and Melanie and Jason still visit the park in Sydney where Jason proposed.
Thanks for submitting your entry Melanie & Jason!! Now that you have heard two of our stories, we want to hear yours! Message us on our Facebook page or e-mail your story to sales@europeangoldsmith.com. You have until January 31st to submit your entry!
