Is Rose Gold Really Gold?
Walk into any jewelry store and you’re likely to see a bunch of rose gold rings. Unlike regular gold (also known as yellow gold), this type has a pink, copper-ish tint to it.
And, while it’s called “gold”, it certainly doesn’t look like it. In fact, it looks more similar to a penny than it does to a gold coin.
This leads many people to ask:
Is rose gold really gold?
Does the have the same properties as actual gold or is it just a cheap knock-off?
In this article, we’ll answer all of those questions and more.
What is the Difference Between Gold and Rose Gold?
The most noticeable difference between rose gold and regular gold is their color. Traditional, yellow gold looks exactly like you’d expect gold to look. Rose gold, on the other hand, is slightly reddish.
This coloration happens because rose gold has copper mixed into it. The copper is helpful because it hardens the gold and makes it possible to wear.
See, gold is a naturally soft material. If you made a ring out of pure gold, you wouldn’t be able to wear it because it’d bend and fall apart.
So, jewelers mix a metal alloy into their jewelry to harden it. With rose gold jewelry, the alloy is made primarily from copper. In yellow gold jewelry, the alloy is made from other materials like zinc and silver.
Can You Wear Rose Gold with Gold?
Some people worry about clashing rose gold jewelry with yellow gold jewelry. For some reason, there’s a myth out there that says they don’t look good together.
I’m here to tell you that that’s not necessarily true – both types of gold look great together!
Some people go so far as to buy a rose gold engagement ring and a yellow gold wedding band. You could even mix in a white gold ring with them and it’ll still look fine.
When it comes to gold jewelry, there are no rules. Just use your best instinct, go with your taste, and forget about the “rules” that people try to impose.
Is Rose Gold Valuable?
Even though it doesn’t have a golden color to it, rose gold is just as valuable as other types.
With any piece of jewelry, it doesn’t matter which type of gold it has in it. What matters more is the amount of gold it contains.
For example:
A 14k piece of rose gold has the same value as a 14k piece of yellow or white gold. Both are made from 58.3% pure gold.
As we’ve explained above, the difference lies in their metal alloy. While rose gold contains more copper, yellow and white gold contain a larger amount of other materials.
The value, however, comes from the amount of pure gold in it, so rose gold is a valuable material.