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Whether you’re shopping for rose gold jewelry, or you’re just curious about knowing how rose gold is made? You’ve come to the right spot. How do jewelry manufactures take gold that’s naturally yellow in color and turn it rose gold, pink, or red? Rose gold jewelry is becoming more and more popular thanks to its modern and beautiful rose gold color. So, exactly how is it made? We will cover this below.
How is Rose Gold Made?
Rose gold is made by mixing pure, real yellow gold with silver and copper to give it that pinkish, rose gold color that women across the globe have come to adore. Rose gold is real gold, however, all rose gold is alloyed, meaning it’s mixed with other metals to create its rose gold color. You will usually find rose gold made from 58% pure yellow gold, 33% coppers, and 9% silver.
Rose gold is not found naturally in nature, so it has to be created. As we mentioned above, it’s created by mixing pure gold with silver and copper.
Silver is white in color and copper is reddish in color, so when gold (yellow), silver (white), and copper (red) are combined, they give you the rose gold (light pink) color that you see on most rose gold jewelry that’s out there.
If you want to know the purity of rose gold jewelry that you have or how much gold is in your rose gold jewelry, you can do this by looking at the karats of the rose gold that you have.
Karats refer to how much pure yellow gold is an item of gold jewelry.
For example, if you have a 14k rose gold bracelet, ring, or necklace, then you should know that it is 58.3% real gold, with the remaining 41.7% being copper and silver. Although this makes your jewelry a gold alloy since gold is mixed with other metals, it’s still considered gold jewelry.
If you purchased an 18k rose gold ring, bracelet, or necklace, then your jewelry is made from 75% pure yellow gold. To calculate how much gold is in your jewelry, you should divide the karats by 24.
For example, to determine how much pure gold is in 10k rose gold jewelry, divide 10k by 24k = 41.7% pure gold.
Is Rose Gold Naturally Available or is it Manmade?
At this point, you should know that rose gold is not naturally found on earth, meaning there is no such thing as rose gold in nature, instead it is 100% manmade. The gold that we have on earth is pure yellow gold. Yellow gold is mixed with copper and silver to create the rose gold that is currently sold around the world.
Popular Karats For Rose Gold
The two most popular karats for rose gold are 14k rose gold and 18k rose gold. The difference between the two is that 18k rose gold has more pure gold than 14k rose gold. Additionally, 18k rose gold has less copper and silver than 14k rose gold.
For example, some 14k rose gold jewelry has 58% pure yellow gold, 33% copper, and 9% silver. On the other hand, 18k rose gold jewelry is made from 75% pure yellow gold, 22% copper, and 3% silver. Since 18k rose gold has more pure yellow gold and copper than silver, it tends to be darker in color and has more of a champagne color than rose gold.
Is Rose Gold Valuable?
Rose gold is valuable and is just as valuable as a comparable piece of regular yellow gold.
At Gold and Silver, we often get asked whether rose gold is more valuable than yellow gold? The truth is that a piece of rose gold jewelry has the same value as a comparable piece of regular yellow gold jewelry.
For example, a 14k rose gold ring and a 14k yellow gold ring will probably be priced the same and cost the same because they have the same amount of yellow gold. Yellow gold is the most valuable metal and so the value is based on the amount of pure gold that’s in the jewelry.
Also, an 18k gold rose gold piece of jewelry has the same amount of pure gold as does an 18k yellow gold jewelry, so both will usually have the same cost. Some sellers may charge slightly more for rose gold jewelry because it looks different, but the reality is that the value of both is the same since the amount of gold in both is the same.
So, a piece of rose gold jewelry is not more valuable and is not less valuable than a comparable piece of yellow gold jewelry. Said differently, a yellow gold ring with the same karat should cost the same as a rose gold ring with the same karat.
Why Are Silver and Copper Used to Make Rose Gold?
Silver and copper are added to yellow gold to create rose gold for a few reasons. Copper is added to give rose gold that reddish hue that women love and silver is added to lighten the reddish color of copper, giving rose gold its light pink color.
At the base of rose gold is pure 24k gold. Silver and copper are added to the pure gold to strengthen it because gold alone is very soft and malleable.
Adding silver and copper creates a gold alloy (a mixture of metals), making rose gold jewelry more durable and better for daily worn jewelry.
Depth of Rose Gold Color
If you’ve ever shopped for rose gold jewelry, you may notice that some pieces of jewelry have a darker rose color. Manufacturers of rose gold jewelry can make rose gold jewelry darker or lighter by adding more copper or more silver.
Adding more copper and less yellow gold gives rose gold a deeper, darker pink, whereas adding more silver gives rose gold a lighter pink color.
For example, 18k rose gold jewelry has more yellow gold and copper, giving it a darker color than 14k rose gold, which has less gold and less copper, giving it more of a light pink color.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Rose Gold Real Gold?
Yes, rose gold is real gold. Rose gold has a base of gold that is mixed with copper and silver, which give it its color and strength. The mixture of silver and copper gives rose gold its light pinkish color. In terms of purity, 14k rose gold and 14k yellow gold have the same amount of yellow gold.
Does Rose Gold Tarnish?
Rose gold may tarnish because it has a decent amount of copper mixed in with the gold. In some cases, the copper content can exceed 30%. So, with time you may notice that your rose gold jewelry may get darker in color. If this happens, it’s totally natural because of the copper content. Some people like the vintage look that their rose gold jewelry develops, while others don’t.
Is Rose Gold Popular Among Women?
Rose gold has become very popular among women because of its rich yellowish red color that compliments the skin tone of women over the world. For a while, the jewelry marked was dominated by yellow gold and white gold, so seeing that rose gold jewelry is becoming more popular is a welcome change.
What percentage of gold is in rose gold?
Rose gold is usually made from 58% pure regular gold, 33% copper, and 9% silver. This combination gives you the rose gold color that you will find on rose gold jewelry. 18k rose gold tends to have a darker rose gold than 14k rose gold because of the higher gold content and less silver content.
Does Rose Gold Scratch Easily?
Rose gold is pretty tough when it comes to getting scratched, however, like any other metal, it does scratch. That said, rose gold does not scratch as easily as pure gold because it has copper that makes it tougher than gold and therefore less prone to scratching, nevertheless if it makes contact with surface hard enough, it will scratch.
How many karats is rose gold?
Rose gold tends to come in 10k, 14k, and 18k. These are the most popular karats for rose gold that our jewelry store offered. The most popular from the bunch was 14k rose gold due to its awesome combination of gold, copper, and silver.
