Why Does White Gold Turn Yellow?

Often times a person’s white gold jewelry will turn yellow or look tarnished. Has this happened to you? Have you wondered why or think that the piece of jewelry was just of poor quality? If this does happen to you and it most likely will as time goes on, there is no need to worry.

White gold does not really exist. It is a common misconception that white gold is just like yellow gold that has been mined, the only difference is that it is white. I’m going to set the record straight. White gold is actually an alloy of yellow gold and at least one white metal, generally nickel and or palladium. This gives it the white appearance. Once the alloy has been created it will look dull, so to give it a shiny look like platinum, it will be covered with a thin layer of rhodium.

Rhodium can withstand natural elements, but unfortunately it cannot withstand the natural oils from our bodies and possibly chemicals we work with, so over time the rhodium will tarnish. So, there is no need to worry about the quality of your jewelry, but to make your ring look as shiny and beautiful as possible, you should have your ring rhodium dipped every 12-18 months.

Comments

[James Greene]

Cloud Nine,

I read many blogs and find yours to be most enlightening.

All details are covered and that is rare with many blogs.

Keep up the good work.

Jim

[Donna]

So true... Thanks for this informative article, will definitely help a lot of people.

[juwelen]

so does that mean that all white gold jewelries will eventually turn yellow in time? i didn't know that white gold isn't a naturally occurring metal. thanks for posting this very informative and enlightening article. great job! :)

[online pawn shops]

Thanks for the useful information.I also encountered the same problem with my 18k white gold given by my fiance.

[tungsten jewelry]

You was definitely right,that's also a reason why i liked white gold.

by: rhianne

[Viagra Online]

Interesting information about white gold , thank you.

[Vintage Jewelry]

Very interesting. I never knew this fact before. I always thought that in nature exist two types of golds: white and yellow. Thanks for the post.

[silver bracelet]

i like yellow gold's jewelery,
This is very attractive jewelery.
I also love silver bracelet