How Do You Define the Color of White Gold?

With the prevalence of ecommerce, wedding preparations have become so much easier. Brides and grooms can now plan their wedding, hire a florist and buy wedding bands with just a few clicks of a button. But with this convenience, came unexpected problems. For example, if you wanted to buy palladium ring, or even for your wedding bands, how would you know that you're getting something that's of high quality?

For a long time, there wasn't an industry accepted definition of what "white" should be when it comes to white gold band. Many companies have adapted rhodium plating in order to hide the true color of the white gold. Of course, this practice is legal in most countries but this has led to a lot of unsatisfied customers in the past.

Finally in 2003, the technicalities of white gold band were discussed and the World Gold Council soon released a set of guidelines to define the color. Today, these guidelines are industry standards and are used internationally.

It is defined as having a yellowness index value of 32.0 or less. The color of white gold is categorized in three ways:

• Grade 1: these are the premium white grade, those alloys which have a good white color and would no longer need rhodium plating.

• Grade 2: these are the standard grade, have a reasonable white color and rhodium plating is optional.

• Grade 3: these are off white in color and would need rhodium plating. These are generally cheaper than the other grades.

Jewelers call it white gold because it is made of gold and a white metal such as nickel or palladium. The hardest is created with nickel alloy. On the other hand, gold-palladium alloys are great for gem setting.

Just like yellow gold, the value of gold is also expressed in carats, with the highest quality pegged at 18 carat and is usually made of palladium - palladium ring. However, in recent years, gold-copper, silver and platinum rings have been produced for weight and durability.

Some white gold rings which are made of nickel alloy can cause allergic reactions to wearers. The typical reaction is a minor skin rash. To prevent this from happening, it is best to look for white gold ring which is made without nickel.

By Christopher Thomson