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WHITE GOLD OR YELLOW GOLD COSTS MORE?

WHAT COSTS MORE? WHITE GOLD OR YELLOW GOLD?

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White Gold or Yellow Gold Costs More?

This is an interesting debate…

What costs more? White Gold or Yellow Gold?

Is one particular Color of Metal More Expensive than the other?

The Answer: Yes and No!

Let’s take a closer look at the most popular Gold there is: 14k

14k Gold

14k Gold is 14k Gold, whether it be Yellow Gold or White Gold. It’s all the same Karat weight.

In 14k Gold, there are 14 parts Gold and the other 10 parts are various Alloys (Pure Gold is 24k).

These Alloys (like Copper, Silver and Nickel) are what helps determine the Color of the Gold. Yellow or White, or even Rose or Green Gold… It’s all in the mix.

White Gold does have its Differences!

It’s true! White Gold does get Alloys mixed in that Yellow Gold does not.

White Gold gets Zinc! Zinc is a durable White Metal that gives White Gold that White look.

Note this: White Gold is nothing more than Yellow Gold with Zinc added. White Gold is not a natural Metal. It’s a man-made product that was created as a substitute for Platinum.

So both 14k White Gold and 14k Yellow Gold are identical except for the Alloys.

Is one Gold more Expensive than the other?

The Alloys mixed in should NOT cause White Gold to be more expensive than Yellow. The Karat weight is the same: 14K. The Gold Content is what you’re paying for… Not the Alloys!

But… There is actually one simple reason why some Jewelry Stores charge more for a White Gold Ring…

The Rhodium!

Rhodium Plating

All White Gold is Rhodium Plated. Rhodium Plating is a Thin Metal that is Electroplated onto the Jewelry that makes it more Durable and it makes it look Brighter and Whiter.

Without this Rhodium Plating, White Gold would look yellowish or dingy (not pretty).

You’ll notice this when the Rhodium Plating starts to wear off, erode, or rub away. You can’t prevent this from happening.

When it happens, you’ll need to get your Rings replated (every couple of years or so) just to bring back that Polish and Whiteness.

This is where the extra cost comes in!

Rhodium is Expensive!

Rhodium Plating can cost an extra $50 – $100 or more depending on the piece of Jewelry and the size of it. The bigger the piece, the more Rhodium will be needed.

This extra cost is sometimes tacked onto the price of the ring. Someone’s got to pay for it!

So in some cases, YES, White Gold could cost more!

I don’t think it’s the rule, but I have seen some stores demand a higher price for an item just because it’s White.

There isn’t much you can do about this either. White Gold needs to be Rhodiumed… Rhodium costs bucks!

Plus, it also takes extra time and labor as well.

So when you buy White Gold, expect to pay a little bit more…

Plating is not Cheap!

Recommended Jewelry Supplies:

Ultrasonic Jewelry Cleaner Jewelry Steam Cleaner Complete Jewelry Cleaner Kit Diamond Dazzle Stick
Gold Silver Jewelry Polishing Cloths Jewelry Making Supplies Kit Gold Acid Test Kit Watch Tool Repair Kit
Ring Adjusters EMT Emergency Ring Cutter 10x Jewelers Loupe Jewelers Microscope

Recommended Jewelry Supplies:

Ultrasonic Jewelry Cleaner Jewelry Steam Cleaner
Complete Jewelry Cleaner Kit Diamond Dazzle Stick
Gold Silver Jewelry Polishing Cloths Jewelry Making Supplies Kit
Gold Acid Test Kit Watch Tool Repair Kit
Ring Adjusters EMT Emergency Ring Cutter
10x Jewelers Loupe Jewelers Microscope

1 Comment on WHITE GOLD OR YELLOW GOLD COSTS MORE?

  1. I guess the fact that rhodium is not only part of the platinum family of metals, but is MORE expensive than platinum on an ounce for ounce basis might have something to do with the cost too?

    My white gold engagement ring and wedding band got about the same amount of wear, except that I had the engagement ring for about nine months longer than the wedding band, but the engagement ring started looking a little on the dingey side well before my wedding band ever did!

    They came from different vendors though, and I guess the engagement ring was what they call in the retail trade a “loss leader” to get you in the store, and then try to upsell you. So, not much rhodium was allowed on those pieces. It was in one of their pre-Christmas sales fliers in mid November, and was just the bargain we needed at the time + $119.00 for a ¼-ct diamond solitaire in a four prong 14kt white gold mount. The wedding band on the other hand, (no, not really on the other hand!) didn’t get, or seem to need replating at all, until I took it to be sized up while I was pregnant with our first child three years later, and of course it got replated with that work. Then my engagement ring really looked awful! I saved up the money to get it done ASAP because of that, and then they finally looked like they belonged together! It sure was nice, having a shiny, new-looking set of wedding rings again!

    I think it cost me all of $25 to have my wedding band done, with the resizing and replating, and $15 to have just the replating done on my engagement ring. But that was in 1979 dollars! Was a lot of money for us at the time under any circumstances, considering I was spending about $35-40 a week on groceries in those days.

    Fortunately for me, I now have “a friend in the diamond business” and she gives me nice breaks on repair type work when I need something done! And one thing I really love having done is getting one of my white gold rings, or even just the prongs on a two tone ring with the yellow gold band with a white gold head, replated with rhodium. It really makes it look brand new right out of the Jeweler’s window display! And just getting the prongs redone makes that diamond really sit up and sparkle too! Any dinginess the diamond was picking up from the dull prongs disappears, and of course in the process, the prongs are checked and tightened if need be, and the diamond itself (along with the whole piece of course) has been CLEANED within an inch of its life! Sparkle, glitter, shine!! And it doesn’t cost as much generally as having a whole ring done, because it doesn’t use as much rhodium. Well worth the investment!

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