What makes white gold turn yellow

Have you ever looked down at your hand and noticed that your ring or bracelet seems to be turning yellow? If you have white gold jewelry, this could be very confusing and upsetting! Unfortunately, many people are unaware of how their jewelry works and some stores do a poor job of explaining the ins and outs of the metals. They choose it over sterling silver for these reasons, but are upset when it seems to be changing colors.

To make white gold stronger and give it its look, it is actually a combination of other metals, such as nickel, platinum, or palladium. In order to keep its white color through the years, white gold needs regular upkeep from a professional jeweler. When you see a yellow sheen on your white gold jewelry, it is not the result of oxidation or another chemical reaction, meaning the metal does not actually change color.

The outer layer of rhodium slowly wears away over time, eventually revealing the creamy-yellow color of un-plated white gold. It can take anywhere from a few weeks to several years for white gold to begin showing a yellow color, depending on how quickly the thin rhodium plating wears away. A wide range of factors contribute to the wear and tear of rhodium, such as how frequently the ring gets wet, the pH balance of the oils in your skin, or even the amount of pollution in the air.

Generally, the more you wear your ring, the faster the rhodium will wear away and cause the silver-white color to transition to a yellow shine.

Although white gold naturally turns yellow over time, there are several steps you can take to maintain the color of your white gold jewelry at home. One of the biggest contributors to wear and tear on jewelry is interaction with natural oils, fragrances, soaps, salt water, and chlorine. Reduce the amount of wear by taking your ring off to do laundry, shower, swim, or wash the dishes. Avoid wearing lotion to eliminate unnecessary oils on your skin that could rub against the rhodium plating of your white gold.

This is because white gold is comprised mostly of gold — which is yellow. The white gold turns yellow when the rhodium plating wears off, which is very common. The rhodium plating wears off for many reasons including exposure to chemicals, perfumes, sweat, and general day-to-day wear. The rhodium plating will wear off quickly if the coating is too thin. However, unlike the latter, it can change its colour over time and turn yellow.

White gold does not exist naturally. It is a mixture of yellow gold and white metals, such as palladium, silver, nickel, manganese and zinc. These alloys give white gold a paler colour, more hardness and durability. It is worth mentioning that a significant part of white gold still consists of yellow gold, and the resulting material will have a yellowish hue of various intensities depending on how much white metals are mixed in the alloy.

To mask this yellowish tint and achieve a silvery-white colour, jewellers plate white gold with a metal called rhodium. White gold, as we know it today, was invented in the 19th century but did not become popular until the economic boom following World War I 28 July — 11 November During that period, platinum was needed for various military purposes, and white gold was used in jewellery as an easy and less expensive alternative.

Since then, white gold has become a popular choice for engagement and wedding rings, as well as other jewellery pieces.

The short answer lies in the rhodium plating. It is important to understand that most white gold jewellery sold today is plated with rhodium to give it a perfect silvery-white look. If you see a piece of jewellery that has a perfectly white colour, without any hint of yellow, it is most likely coated with rhodium.

Rhodium plating is a good option for giving white gold its silvery colour, but it is not eternal. Your jewellery is exposed to friction and stress every day. Saltwater, chlorine, soaps, detergents, skin care products and other factors wear the plating away, exposing the lower yellowish layer.

Do not imagine that your white gold jewellery will end up with a vividly yellow piece. When the rhodium plating wears off, your jewellery will still be white but with a hint of yellow.