It’s a question as old as time: Which to choose, rose gold vs white gold engagement rings?
Okay, it’s not quite as old as time, but it may be a question prospective brides have been asking themselves since the retro era. That’s when rose gold saw it’s first popularity surge. This period spans from 1935 to about 1950.
To be quite frank, the choice often comes down to personal preference, but there are a few things you should know about white and rose gold before you buy your ring.
The Basics About Gold
Before we can jump into the differences between white and rose gold, you must first understand the very basics about how gold is made. Gold is a metal that’s actually too soft for jewelry, so it has to be mixed with other metal alloys to increase its strength.
These alloys can impact the color of the gold. For example, if you want to create white gold, you’d mix gold with a silver alloy like palladium or silver. To get rose gold, you’d need copper. Other alloys can be mixed in also, but copper is what creates the rosy hue.
The number you see on gold jewelry indicates how much gold is in the piece. 24k is pure gold, and it’s too soft for most jewelry. That’s why you’ll commonly see 10k, 14k and even 18k gold in yellow, rose and white.
A Rose of Any Other Color…
Rose gold is interesting because jewelers can play around with the shades of red that show up in the final piece. If they are only using copper and gold, you’ll see a variation between 10k rose gold and 18k rose gold. The 10k rose gold would appear redder because it contains more copper and less gold.
That’s a cut-and-dry example, but jewelers can also add different metal alloys with copper and gold to create a different look. If you had a piece of jewelry that contained 14k gold with copper and silver alloys, it would appear lighter than a 14k rose gold piece of just copper and gold.
A Unique Characteristic of White Gold
Have you ever owned silver jewelry? Most of us have. Over time, you’ll notice that it gets tarnished, especially if it’s an older piece of jewelry.
When gold contains silver alloys, as it does with white gold, it becomes prone to tarnishing. That’s why almost all white gold jewelry is Rhodium plated. Rhodium is a metal in the platinum family that’s used as a layer of protection on the white gold.
Rose Gold vs White Gold Engagement Rings
As we said in the beginning, your personal preference will prevail in most cases. But if you’re really torn between rose gold and white gold, there are a few things that may sway your opinion.
1. Trendiness – Rose gold is hot right now, but time tells us that it’s slightly more trendy than white gold. What we mean by this is that rose gold’s popularity is more fluid. It was all the rage in the 40s and 50s, made a splash in the 80s and is going strong today. White gold has also fallen in and out of trendiness, but it has been a bit more consistent throughout history.
2. Allergens – Some people are hyper sensitive to the copper in rose gold. So, if you’re thinking about a rose gold engagement ring, you may way to test your sensitivity with a less expensive rose gold ring first. It’s also possible to be allergic to white gold, so keep this in mind.
3. Maintenance – If you don’t want to worry about re-plating the rhodium on your white gold ring, you may want to opt for the rose gold engagement ring.
Final Thoughts on Rose Gold vs White Gold Engagement Rings
Rose gold engagement rings can have more of a romantic and vintage vibe. If that’s what you’re going for, you can join the ranks of celebs like Blake Lively who wear rose gold as their right-hand ring.
White gold has more of a classic appeal that doesn’t go out of style. Because it is so similar looking to platinum, white gold will always have a place in engagement ring style.
Ultimately, the choice is yours. As long as you don’t have an allergy, you can choose the ring that appeals most to your sense of style.
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