Through the ages, metalsmiths and metallurgists created various kinds of gold-like materials to satisfy various demands. A broken piece of jewellery made from pure gold might have inspired the metal-loving ancestors to try out different methods of experimentation. Gold is strengthened when you add some zinc and silver, for instance. Jewellers have embraced a variety of gold alloy metals and have developed cheaper layers of metals that they can use to make the material. In the article below, we'll discuss various types of golden metallics that play a great role in modern-day jewellery production. It is crucial for modern metalsmiths to be aware of the strengths/disadvantages of every material selection.
Did You Know?
The country hosts between 80 lakhs and 1 crore weddings annually, and it estimates over 60% of jewellery consumption within the nation. Bangles and Chains are the most popular jewellery items people buy throughout the country.
Also Read: Know All About Hallmark, KDM, and 916 Varieties of Gold
What Can You Do to Test Gold Quality?
There are many methods of determining the quality of gold in the item, whether it's the gold-plated jewellery, gold coin or gold biscuits.
Being a buyer, it’s vital to ensure that the prices of gold in the jewellery shop from where you’re buying are in line with the industry standard and the cost of gold. To achieve this, we've got a few tricks in our sleeves.
- The most secure, safest and least harmful option is to use an x-ray fluorescence camera to determine the gold's fluorescence. This lets us determine the chemistry of the material within the item so that we can precisely gauge the fineness of gold.
- Another test involves rubbing the gold object against a test slab, leaving a mark then applying nitric acids to the scratch to determine whether it dissolves. This is a traditional method that goldsmiths have been using for centuries.
Here Are the 8 Different Types of Gold
Rose Gold
Rose gold is also popular as pink/red gold. You can obtain it when you mix pure gold with copper, which is red in it. The shades of rose gold differ significantly as per the proportions you use to mix the gold and copper. The greater the amount of copper and the higher the copper content, the darker the final colour.
In jewellery, a mix of 75%:25% gold and copper is typical. It is impossible to create pure rose or white gold. The best choice is to mix it with other elements to attain the perfect hue as per your liking.
It is also the least expensive kind of gold because it makes use of inexpensive copper to colour. Copper content makes it stronger in comparison to white or yellow gold.
White gold
Another favourite choice for jewellery is white gold, which is produced by combining pure gold and alloy metals that have a silvery-white colour, such as nickel and palladium. The properties of white gold are different according to the proportions of alloys in the blend.
A gold-nickel alloy is durable, which makes it ideal for pins and rings. Gold-palladium is flexible and soft. They are typically perfect for setting white gold gemstones. If nickel is used, certain white gold alloys can trigger an allergic reaction if used for long durations.
White gold is also coated in rhodium to ensure toughness and long-lasting. It has a beautiful white sheen on its surface. In general, white gold is thought to be desirable and valuable, and people frequently trade to exchange this gold for cash.
Yellow Gold
The most common way to use the term "yellow gold" when discussing gold jewellery. Since the discovery of gold in its natural state, yellow gold has been the most common kind of gold throughout the history of mankind.
Older items like sacred artefacts of religion were made from yellow gold due to limitations of the methods for making its alloy. It was also easily accessible. In addition, it is the purest form of gold.
In jewellery, pure gold is mixed with other metals like silver, zinc and copper to form an alloy. The common alloys made for yellow gold include 75% gold, 12.5% silver and 15% copper in the 18k gold. The composition of the yellow gold with the darker hue is 75% gold, 10% silver and 15% copper.
Black Gold
Black gold also is a typical jewellery choice. There are various methods to produce black gold. One of them is through oxidation which involves sulphur oxygen-based substances, and another method is the controlled oxidation of cobalt-containing chromium or gold.
The alloys that contain cobalt create an oxide layer of black that creates black gold. With the help of potassium sulphide, it’s possible to create colours that can range from black to brown with copper-rich metals. It is possible to use iron and titanium to get the same result.
Grey Gold
It is an outcome of the mixture of palladium with gold. This kind of metal is a less expensive alternative. It is made by combining iron, iron, silver and copper manganese in specific proportions. The most commonly used components of the alloy are 75% pure gold with 8% copper and 17% iron.
Blue Gold
To create blue gold, mix pure gold with either gallium or indium. Gold-indium alloys have 46% gold content and 54% of indium which creates an intermetallic substance with an intense blue hue.
In the case of alloys with gold-gallium, the gold catches an almost blue hue. You can obtain a 20-23K deep blue-coloured gold by combining rhodium with the element ruthenium.
Green Gold
We call it the Green Gold electrum. It is usually combined with silver, gold and, in some instances, copper. Silver is the reason for the greenish hue in this particular gold alloy.
The use of green gold by the ancient people around 860 BC. It was also popular as electrum. The naturally occurring silver and gold alloy have a more greenish-yellow hue than green.
It’s possible to create green colour by adding cadmium to gold alloy. This is not widespread because it's extremely poisonous. For a dark-green alloy, you will require 4% cadmium, 15% silver, 6% copper and 75% gold.
Purple Gold
We call it amethyst or violet gold. In contrast to other forms, it is more brittle because it has an intermetallic compound. Take care when handling it, as an impact could break it.
Most commonly used in traditional jewellery as a gem, purple gold is a mixture of pure gold and aluminium. The best combination is 25% pure aluminium and 75% pure gold.
The main consideration when purchasing gold is the colour. You may decide on your personal taste or based on the hue which best matches the tone of your face and fashion.
After looking through these gold types, they can be highly beneficial if you buy them and later sell them when the rate increases. You can invest in digital gold through platforms like Khatabook. You can begin by saving tiny amounts of money and storing gold in an insured locker until maturity. If you require physical gold, you can have coins or gold bars delivered to your doorstep.
Also Read: Gold Monetisation Scheme: How to Earn Income From Your Gold?
Types of Gold Karats in Different Forms
Gold's purity measures in kilograms. The purest form of gold has an amount that is 24 carats. This indicates that there isn't any other metal in the mix with gold. Since the gold cartage reduces, it indicates the presence of other metals with gold. The most common ones are silver and copper.
Another method of indicating the purity of gold is through the degree of fineness. Fineness is the purity of gold in the alloy in terms of parts per thousand. A purity of 99.5 or .995 is 995 parts gold and five parts metallic.
999.99, or 5 nines fine, is the best quality of gold. 22-carat gold which is perfect for making jewellery has a purity of 916. A purity of 100% is impossible to achieve since there will be a degree of impurity present in commercially-available gold.
Pure gold is not possible to use for jewellery. Depending on the metal it alloys with, the colour and workability of the gold alloy may alter. For instance, the white colour of gold comes from an alloy made of palladium or silver. Copper is perfect for making rose gold.
Conclusion
Although there is only one gold type, however, the variety of alloys available is practically limitless. There are three general gold colour categories: yellow gold, white gold and rose gold. Craftsmen and manufacturers will employ any kind of alloy to create the perfect appearance and performance in the budget available. Follow Khatabook for the latest updates, news blogs, and articles related to the gold industry.
