When most people think of gold they think of the sunshine yellow colour of 24 karat (pure gold). However, when alloyed with other metals the colour possibilities of gold are endless. It’s a little like baking a cake, the ingredients you use determine the type of cake coming out of your oven.

For our bespoke pieces and our customisable jewellery pieces (like our wedding rings) we offer three choices of colour; yellow, rose and white gold. So how do you know which gold colour is right for you?

Things to consider when choosing your gold colour

PERSONAL PREFERENCE

Nobody knows your personal style quite like you, which colour are you immediately drawn to?

DURABILITY

Pure gold is a very soft metal so gold jewellery relies on its alloy for much of its hardness. This means that different colours have different durability. Rose gold is our most durable option, followed very closely by yellow gold. White gold is a slightly softer material so if you are quite hard on your jewellery perhaps yellow or rose may be a better choice for you.

You may have seen some jewellery websites claiming their white gold to be more durable than their yellow gold. This could well be true. An alloy, just like a recipe, is always a balancing act of desirable properties. We choose not to use any nickel in our white gold as nickel is a common cause of allergic reactions and we also use a relatively high percentage of silver for a beautiful white hue that doesn’t require rhodium plating. Jeweller’s alloys differ, and every jeweller knows (or should know) the ins and outs of their particular alloy recipe.

Each gold colour has it's own 'recipe', a specific ratio of metals.

YOUR SKIN TONE

Because jewellery is worn right up against your skin choosing the right colour to complement your skin tone can be key.

If you have cool skin tones white gold will work with the natural colour of your skin rather than against it, creating a fresh look. If your skin tends more towards the warmer tones, yellow and rose gold jewellery which enhance your natural glow. If you have a neutral skin tone, you'll look good in all of the options, lucky you.

The best way to determine your undertone is to look at the veins in your wrist under natural light. If they look slightly green you have warm undertones. If your veins have more of a blue hue or even a hint of purple, your undertones are cool. If you see a mix of both colours, then you may have neutral undertones.

Of course, this is just a guide, people are far more complex than three neat skin tone categories, always choose what feels right to you.

THE KARAT OF GOLD

The karat of a gold has an effect on the colour as well. The higher the karat the more pure gold there is in the piece relative to the amount of alloy. What that means is, for example, 18k yellow gold will be yellower than 9k yellow gold simple because there is more pure gold in it.

The same is true for white gold, 9K white gold will look very similar in colour to silver but 18K white gold will have a slightly warmer, creamy colour to it.

Interestingly enough this isn’t the case with rose gold. The high percentage of copper in the alloy is enough to overpower the yellow tones even in 18k gold so you will notice very little colour shift between our 9, 14 and 18k rose gold options.

Still not sure about choosing your colour of gold? Book an appointment to come and visit the workshop and see our colour samples. Contact us here.