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White Metal Jewelry Still Popular by Russell Oslhita Originally posted on Oceanic Cable Road Runner August 2007 White is still the hottest, most popular color metal of choice in the last decade for engagement rings pendants earrings and bracelets. Our experience has been that there were very few yellow gold requests in the last seven years; almost all of them were for some white metal. Consumers have several choices of white metals to choose from, all with different characteristics, advantages and disadvantages. If you are thinking of getting a new setting or mounting for your diamond or other stones, you can consider these choices. You can have it made in silver, white gold, 18k or 14k, platinum, and now palladium. Silver Silver is probably the whitest metal used in jewelry. Sterling silver is 92.5 percent silver, other alloys are added to make it harder to make it more practical for jewelry purposes generally copper. Silver is softer than most metals and will become dented and scratched sooner, leaving a dull and marred surface. It will also tarnish, at worst it will turn black. There is now Argentium Sterling Silver available that adds some germanium to the traditional copper alloy making it more tarnish resistant. It is the most inexpensive white jewelry metal and that may be its greatest strength and its weakness. It may not be viewed as precious enough to hold your diamond or semi precious stones. White Gold White gold is a possible alternative. It has is more valuable than silver and is not too expensive. White gold is gold that has white metal added to it to make it look whiter. Metals used to add are nickel, zinc and palladium. Understand that gold in its natural state is yellow. Twenty four karat gold is pure gold, adding alloys to make it white will reduce the karatage and make it appear whiter. Eighteen karat is 18 part out or 24 which makes 18k gold 75% gold the rest is alloy. Fourteen karat will be 58.3% gold and the rest alloy. Adding white alloys will make gold whiter but a tinge of yellow will still remain. Fourteen karat white gold is usually whiter that 18k whiter gold. Graphically, it would look as follows: 14K White Gold (24k 2 color) 
+ =58% gold + 42% white alloy = (14k Color) 
14K white gold 18K White Gold (24k 1 color) 
+ =75% yellow gold + 25% white alloy = (18k color) 
18K white gold To mask the yellowness, Rhodium plating is generally applied over white gold jewelry. Rhodium is a platinum group metal that is white, and when used as plating makes the piece look like platinum. Unfortunately, Rhodium plating eventually wears off and the original metal color shows through. Those of you that own 18k white gold will probably attest to the fact that your jewelry pieces have turned yellowish over time. Rhodium plating has to reapply from time to time to sustain the platinum white color, an irritating problem for some. This existing condition is not always disclosed at the point of sale. There are now new proprietary alloys that are now used that will makes white gold whiter than it has been previously and it does not change color over time. Although white gold is a practical metal for jewelry there exists a problem experienced by some people and that is that they are allergic to the nickel content used to make white gold. Its presence makes it inappropriate for them to wear. Platinum Platinum is the most popular white metal of choice for a quite a while now. Platinum is a very durable natural white metal. Prongs made in platinum will not break due to brittleness as it may occur with white gold. It will just slowly wear out over time. It is a dense metal 1.6 times heavier than 14k gold of the same volume. To be sold as platinum jewelry, it has to contain at least 90% platinum. Other alloys are added to make it harder and more practical for jewelry wear. It is hypoallergenic, so people allergic to nickel will not have any problems. It is though the most expensive of the precious metals used for jewelry. Currently platinum prices bounce around $1250 to $1300 per ounce, as compared to gold at about $670 an ounce. It is stronger than white gold but it is not harder. People mistakenly think strength is hardness and are surprised how easy it is to scratch and dent platinum jewelry. It is about as hard as 18k yellow gold. It is softer than most of the metals used for jewelry and will be dented and or scratched more easily, making it dull sooner. It can be repolished to restore its luster, it just has to be done more frequently to keep that look. Palladium There is now Palladium jewelry. Palladium is not new and has been used before but it did not become popular when it was used in the past. Palladium is part of the Platinum family of metals. It is just as white as platinum, it is also about 10% harder, making it more scratch resistant. It is less dense and weighs a little less than14k gold. It also costs less than platinum, about the same as 14K white gold to manufacture. It is hypoallergenic like platinum. It is a good metal that address the disadvantages of the other white metals. It is more valuable than silver. It is whiter than white gold. It is harder and less expensive than platinum and it is hypoallergenic. This makes it a wonderful choice for those that want the look of a white metal without the extra cost or the problematic allergic consequences.  Silver White gold Platinum Palladium These are your choices. Depending on your budget, your preference of color, weight, and durability, one of these metals is right for you.
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