What Is White Gold?
White gold is an alloy of gold and at least one white metal – sometimes more than one. Those additional metals could be nickel, silver, palladium, and/or zinc. Sometimes a little copper is added too, to make the alloy less brittle and easier to shape. But only a little copper can be added, because if you add too much of it to gold, the resulting alloy becomes pinkish in hue. (That’s where so-called pink gold comes from.)
How Can You Tell If You’re Looking at White Gold?
Let’s say that you own a bright, shiny, white-colored ring. Is it silver, white gold, platinum, or something else? Here are some ways to tell . . .
The definitive way is to have your item tested by Specialty Metals Smelters and Refiners. Call us at 800-426-2344. We can quickly test your ring – or any other metal item(s) you have.
White gold does not tarnish. If that ring you are looking at is covered with oxidation (a dull, matte, whitish surface), it is almost certainly made of silver - either pure silver, or base metal that has been silver plated. Silver is a nice precious metal to have, but it is much less valuable than gold.
Platinum is harder and shinier than white gold. Yes, both metals are white in hue. But platinum looks a little brighter. And if you see scrapes or abrasions on the surface of that ring, it is probably made of white gold, not platinum, which is less likely to exhibit signs of wear.
Aluminum doesn’t look like a precious metal. It is soft, likely to show scratches and other signs of wear, and can be easily bent if it has been fashioned into a ring. That explains why it is unlikely that you will find a ring that has been made of aluminum. We mention it here because aluminum is another white metal.
Stainless steel is harder than silver, platinum, or gold. It is not a precious metal either. The most common use of stainless steel in jewelry is in watch cases because stainless is durable and scratch-resistant.
Is White Gold Worth More than Other Gold?
Not necessarily. White gold is karat gold – in other words, it’s an alloy of gold and other metals. It sometimes is an alloy of gold and platinum. If that is the case, white gold could be worth as much as other forms of karat gold, or even more. But white gold can also be an alloy of gold and silver or even nickel.
Many Factors Can Influence the Value of White Gold
If you have a ring that is made of a form of 14k white gold that is made up mostly of gold and silver and palladium, for example, that will be worth a certain amount of money per ounce. If that same ring is made of a form of 14k white gold that contains gold and nickel, that will be worth less per ounce. And when you throw in other variables (maybe you have a ring that is made of 18k white gold, or a ring that is made of 10k white gold . . . the variations go on and on) the range of value per ounce of precious metals becomes almost infinitely large.
You Need a Qualified Precious Metals Refinery to Do Your Testing
So as you can see, there is no easy answer to the question, “Is white gold worth more than other gold?” If you have items made of white gold – or pink gold, rose-colored gold, or any other form of the precious metal – call us at 800-426-2344 and we will explain how to send your items to us for testing. Be sure to ask about free or discounted shipping of your items to us.