May 4, 2022

What is an alloy?

An alloy is a mixture of two or more metals to give it greater strength. Alloys are essential in fine jewelry as metals like gold are naturally too soft for wear, so stronger metals must be added to them. Yellow gold, rose gold, and white gold all contain alloys.

“Karat” describes a metal’s fineness or purity. You’ve probably heard of 24kt gold. This is 100% pure gold that does not have alloys but can’t be used for jewelry. 14kt gold, on the other hand, is strong enough for everyday wear and is 41.7% alloy, 58.3% gold.

Here are the alloy percentages in gold:

Karat Rating	% Of Gold	% Of Other Metals Present
24kt	100%	-
18kt	75%	25%
14kt	58.3%	41.7%
10kt	41.7%	58.3%

Alloys Can Affect Color

White gold and rose gold are not naturally occurring. So how do they get their color? The answer is: alloys.
White gold still contains real gold, has an abundance of white metals added to it such as silver, zinc, nickel, and palladium.
Rose gold also contains real gold but gets its beautiful hue from extra copper added to it.
The specific alloys in each metal will vary from jeweler to jeweler; for example, not all white gold will have nickel in it.

Alloys Can Cause Allergies

Nickel is a common allergen. Some are sensitive to copper as well. Because of this, white gold and rose gold may not be the best for those with sensitive skin. Yellow gold is the most hypoallergenic of the golds. Platinum is a great option for those with metal allergies.

Common Metals in Yellow Gold

Yellow gold may contain:

Copper
Silver
Zinc

Common Metals in Rose Gold

Rose gold may contain:

Copper
Silver
Zinc

Common Metals in White Gold

White gold may contain:

Nickel
Palladium
Silver
Zinc

Platinum Is Alloyed, Too

Platinum is a naturally occurring metal. However, pure platinum is too soft for jewelry, and adding extra metals improves its strength and makes it less likely to scratch. The most common is 950 platinum, which is 95% platinum, 5% alloy. Platinum usually has palladium, iridium, or cobalt added to it for increased hardness.

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