Introduction
Rose gold is becoming a popular choice for engagement rings nowadays. You can find all sorts of rose gold jewelry in the market. The feminine look of rose gold jewelry, its refined nature, and its unique color appeal to a wide mass audience – all with different tastes and desires for different styles. Another plus point with rose gold jewelry is, that it looks beautiful with diamonds and other precious gemstones such as amethyst, opal, moonstone, larimar, turquoise, citrine, etc., thus making rose gold engagement rings well sought after.
While rose gold is the common name for the type of gold you see in the pictures below, it is also referred to as red gold or pink gold because of its various hues. At this juncture, you must be thinking of how rose gold is made and how it gets its coveted rosy color… Let us discuss all this step by step, from how rose gold is made, its composition, and the uniqueness that makes it so desirable.
History of Rose Gold
Historians claim that rose gold was first popularized in Russia in the early 18th century, which is why it is sometimes referred to as “Russian gold.” However, it didn’t stay confined to the borders of Russia for long – during the Victorian era, it became a fashionable choice for designer jewelry and fine jewelry. In the late 1920s, rose gold made its way into the United States, and gained a lot of popularity there. It was at this time that rose gold was famously used in Cartier’s eye-catching “Trinity Ring” alongside yellow gold and white gold. This mix is quite popular even in today’s times.
Despite the highly famed trinity ring, rose gold quickly fell out of popularity after the 1920s. But again, it regained its popularity in the 1940s when platinum, which was that particular time’s top metal choice for engagement rings, was needed for war efforts. This reignited the demand and use of rose gold for wedding bands and engagement rings.
In today’s times, rose gold is widely used in making rose gold jewelry such as rose gold rings, rose gold earrings, and rose gold bracelets, and for a good reason. Its rosy sheen is seen as romantic and it pairs beautifully with diamonds as well as precious and semi-precious gemstones such as morganite. The popularity of rose gold as a metal has spread everywhere – from makeup to laptops to hair colors.
What is Rose Gold Actually Made Of?
Unlike gold, the rose gold you find in your jewelry is not a pure substance occurring in nature, which is why it can never be mined. Similar to other gold materials used in jewelry, rose gold is an alloy made from a combination of gold and other metals. Pure gold is considered to be far too soft for jewelry making, which is why it is generally paired with other, stronger metals so as to withstand daily wear and tear and last for a long time.
The particular metal with which gold is paired impacts its color. In the case of rose gold, the additional metals that make up the rose gold alloy are chosen for the very reason of impacting the alloy’s color. A combination of copper, silver metal alloys, and sometimes zinc turns yellow gold into rose gold. When these alloys are added to pure yellow gold, the color of the resultant metal is an irresistible pink hue.
How Is Rose Gold Jewelry Made?
To understand how rose gold is made, you first need to know how is all gold jewelry made. 24-karat gold is considered as pure gold. The problem with 24-karat gold, as we mentioned above, is that it is too soft to be made or cast into durable jewelry. This is the main reason why gold jewelry is offered in 18-karat gold and 14-karat gold. When comparing 14K gold with 18K gold, you will find many similarities as well as differences. Although the 18K gold is purer, which is why it is more valuable, it is also weaker than 14K gold. Similar to gold, rose gold also comes in 14 karat and 18 karat varieties. The remaining 10 karats and 6 karats respectively come from additional metals such as nickel, copper, zinc, silver, or palladium.
Thus, you can conclude that rose gold is made by combining copper metal alloys and silver metal alloys with pure gold. The amount of each metal used in making the rose gold alloy affects the final hue of rose gold. This is why variations exist in rose gold varieties, and you may find rose gold appearing lighter than other rose gold, rose gold appearing redder than other rose gold, and rose gold appearing pinker than other rose gold.
Rose Gold Jewelry Ages Nicely
We all know that fresh from the furnace, every gold jewelry has a beautiful color, but the beauty often diminishes with time as the jewelry is used and worn regularly. But this is not the case with rose gold – its beauty only grows over time. Over the course of time, the copper tinge that is seen in any rose gold jewelry continues to grow into elegance, giving the jewelry a vintage feel. As time progresses, the reddish part of rose gold mixes with air making a pretty patina on the surface of the rose gold jewelry.
This particular look is seen only and only in the case of rose gold, making all rose gold jewelry super special. This is also the reason why rose gold is chosen as the base metal for the jewelry which has to be passed down in your family line. Within your rose gold jewelry, you will find that as it changes bit by bit with time, it often tells a story about the person who wore it.
The Durability of Rose Gold and Rose Gold Jewelry
Some people might think that rose gold is not that strong, but in reality, that’s not the case since rose gold is found to be tougher than white gold and yellow gold, mainly because it has copper in it. This strength of rose gold is very important, especially when you are considering rose gold as the base metal for your engagement ring… Which is something that you will wear every day and something that you want to last for a long time.
Another plus point with rose gold is, that it does not require much upkeep – unlike white gold which needs special coating every few years, rose gold does not need that. To make sure that your rose gold jewelry always looks nice, all you have to do is clean it and shine it regularly.
Conclusion
Rose gold is considered to be extremely versatile and is widely used in jewelry making, which is why rose gold jewelry is found in an array of types and styles. Rose gold is an ideal choice for everyday jewelry such as dainty rose gold necklaces, exquisite rose gold rings, ornate rose gold earrings, and chic rose gold bracelets. The main reason behind this is that the rose gold tarnish does not occur if it's real. Another plus point with all rose gold jewelry is its subtle color complements most skin tones, and clothing while also pairing beautifully with other colored jewelry.
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