How is White Gold Different from Yellow Gold?

Yellow gold Gold in purest form (commonly called 4 carat gold) is yellow in color and very soft in texture, which seems to be a disadvantage or cumbersome process for goldsmiths to make jewelry out of 24 carat gold. It is an alloy made of copper and zinc. Yellow gold is very much prevalent in India and the Middle East. The amount of gold present in yellow gold is measured in terms of carat. For instance, an 18-carat gold consists of 70% of pure gold approximately.2 White Gold White gold alloy is made of a mixture of gold with palladium and/or silver. The metal is generally stronger when compared with other alloys of gold. White alloy made with zinc along with the above-mentioned metals makes the metal very hard, which is used to manufacture prong settings. A nickel mixed white gold finds its applications in producing pins and rings. The quantity of pure gold present in white gold, just like that of yellow gold, is measured in terms of Carat. Apart from the above information there are a few prominent differences that exists between white gold and yellow. They are illustrated below based on different attributes. 1. Composition Yellow gold is made out of pure gold mixed with copper. To make it a bit harder, zinc is added for making jewelry. Whereas white gold consists of pure gold mixed with palladium or platinum and nickel or zinc. 2. Texture Yellow gold is very soft and malleable when it is in its purest form. But whereas white gold is harder and stronger to that any other gold alloys, mainly because of the presence of zinc and palladium. It is brittle in a few compositions. But the hardness in white gold fades out eventually on subsequent usage of the metal. 3. Cost Yellow gold is less expensive when compared to white gold. White gold, on the other hand, is costlier than yellow gold due to presence of other precious metals like palladium or platinum. 4. Color Yellow gold is of the bright yellow color that is also known as golden yellow color, which eventually becomes dull due to wear and tear or due to regular usage. White gold is white in color mainly because of the rhodium plating which is done on the surface of the white gold. 5. Uses Yellow gold finds its application in making wedding jewelry especially the wedding bands. Since it is very soft in its original form it cannot be used in many applications unlike the case of the white metal wherein it is used in manufacturing instruments and equipments mainly because of its hard composition. 6. Allergy Yellow gold suits almost every different skin types and it doesn’t cause any harmful effects on a person’s skin when he or she is in contact with the yellow gold especially when a person wears yellow gold. But in white gold, due to the presence of nickel, the metal causes allergy in the contact person’s skin. That’s why the use of nickel in making white gold is no longer in practice.