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Friday, June 17, 2011

White Gold, The Contemporary Precious Metal

For times immemorial, mankind has loved gold and has been fascinated by it. Man has not only collected gold for adornment, he has also made temples for Gods from it. Gold has always had a high value over the ages no matter what era of history we look at. At the forefront of this fascination for gold have been women. 


Gold has never intrigued and seduced anyone more than women. And that continues to his day. In many cultures around the world, a wedding is not complete without huge amounts of gold that the bride wears.

But over the years and with modernization the concepts of items of adornments have changed. We no longer look at inferior metals as unfit for making jewellery. The old concept of something glittery and precious being symbolized by the golden color has also changed. Now we also see the value of metals that are silver in color. Hence is the era of white gold.

For those of you not familiar with white gold, it is an alloy of gold with white metals such as silver, nickel and palladium plated with rhodium alloy. Gold in this form is harder and less malleable. The rhodium plating adds lustre and shine to the alloy, and it begins to resemble its expensive counterpart platinum. It is a lot cheaper than platinum and gold.

Nowadays is the trend for white gold. As not everyone can afford platinum that easily. White gold is used in making all items of jewellery ranging from necklaces to bangles to rings. The other advantage of white gold jewellery is that they can be worn with all kinds of clothes as they compliment all colors.

The major market for white gold is in engagement rings. People nowadays want engagement rings of white metals, gone are the days of golden metals. White gold looks a lot more elegant especially if studded with a precious stone. The best combinations of stones with white gold are the semi precious stones as they are cheaper alternatives to platinum, diamond or ruby rings. Pearls embedded in white gold are usually the most elegant of combinations.

Designs matter a lot when moulding a metal to make desirable jewellery. What makes white gold stand out is that it not only looks good in elegant and delicate designs, but also retains its charm in bulky and heavy designs of jewellery. Vintage designs are also ever popular and go very well with white gold. In fact many people prefer combining white gold, with vintage designs and semi precious gem stones to create beautiful pieces of jewellery. These not only look beautiful, but also seem quite expensive and only an expert can judge their true value, and as experts as such are rare, therefore you can rest assured no one will ever find out.

The added advantage of white gold is that it is not only an option for women, but also for men. Although gold has always been thought of as something that is rather feminine there are no such concepts about white gold. From the most decent of men wearing their white gold engagement rings, to the rock and hip hop stars with their chains, rings, and other accessories made of white gold.

But keep in mind that white gold is an alloy of gold with nickel and other metals, and can cause allergic reactions in certain individuals. Therefore think carefully before buying items of white gold if you have a history of allergy.

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