Craftmanship & Quality

Solid gold is a precious metal that will not oxidize or discolor since it is the least reactive metal. Although it’s true that the colour of pure gold is yellow, gold jewellery or objects are almost always alloys. The metal they are alloyed with changes their colour to a variety of shades depending on:

• The type of metal alloys included
• The percentage of each metal alloy
• The metals used to alloy gold, which include: zinc, copper, nickel, iron, cadmium, aluminum, silver, platinum and palladium

Yellow Gold 

A mixture of silver, copper, pure gold (and a trace of zinc) gives yellow gold jewellery its rich shine. Although the percentages of each metal used to create the alloy vary, all formulas starts with 75% pure gold for 18k gold and 58.3% for 14k gold. The result gives off a classic warm glow.

If you’re interested in 14k yellow gold, which is slightly less rich in colour than 18k yellow gold, it’s important to note not only the difference in colour between the two karatages, but also the difference in durability and hardness. 18K is softer and will therefore show scratches more readily. 14K is harder which makes it a little more resistant to scratching.

White Gold

In order to give white gold jewellery its modern silvery-white colour, pure gold is often alloyed with a mixture of nickel, or palladium and silver, plus other whitening alloys. The piece is then plated (meaning it’s covered with a layer of another metal) with an extremely hard element called rhodium. While rhodium plating is relatively long-wearing, some occasional replating may be required. It’s not uncommon after a few years to see a slight champagne-coloured tint in your white-gold jewellery. This can be a sign that your jewellery needs replating to restore its original whiteness. We recommend routine cleaning and annual maintenance. 

Rose Gold 

The romantic pink hue of rose gold jewellery is created by using a copper alloy. The more copper in the alloy, the rosier the hue. Rose gold has the same amount of pure gold as yellow or white gold. What’s different is the ratio of other metals that make up the remaining percentage of the alloy mix. Rose gold is a beautiful and unique choice for engagement rings, and its modern-vintage appeal has been a hot trend in the last few years. The preference of one karatage over another comes down to whether people want a lighter (18k) or slightly deeper (14k) rose colour for their setting or band.