More About Metals: Yellow Gold
1 09 2008
I get a lot of reader emails about the kinds of metals we feature in the jewelry here on the blog. It’s hard to address every individual question, so I am going to write a series of posts this month about these precious metals. Hopefully, you’ll be able to learn more about the metals in your jewelry collection - and maybe even find some metals you didn’t know anything about! Enjoy!
Gold is a chemical element. It is a highly sought-after precious metal which has been used as money, a store of value and in jewelery since the beginning of recorded history. The metal occurs as nuggets or grains in rocks, underground “veins” and in alluvial deposits. Gold is dense, soft, shiny and the most malleable and ductile substance known. Pure gold has a bright yellow color traditionally considered attractive.
Because of the softness of pure (24k) gold, it is usually alloyed with base metals for use in jewelry, altering its hardness and ductility, melting point, color and other properties. Alloys with lower caratage, typically 22k, 18k, 14k or 10k, contain higher percentages of copper, or other base metals or silver or palladium in the alloy.
Copper is the most commonly used base metal, yielding a redder color. Eighteen carat gold containing 25% copper is found in antique and Russian jewellery and has a distinct, though not dominant, copper cast, creating rose gold. Fourteen carat gold-copper alloy is nearly identical in color to certain bronze alloys, and both may be used to produce police and other badges. Blue gold can be made by alloying with iron and purple gold can be made by alloying with aluminium, although rarely done except in specialized jewelry. Blue gold is more brittle and therefore more difficult to work with when making jewelry. Fourteen and eighteen carat gold alloys with silver alone appear greenish-yellow and are referred to as green gold.
This 14K Yellow Gold Hollow Fancy Curb Necklace features the lustrous precious metal combined for maximum elegance and versatility in this striking necklace. Warm yellow gold is exquisitely formed into a fancy curb chain. It’s priced at just $725.
