Gold Jewellery at Michael Hill

The three shades of gold used in jewellery are yellow, white, and rose gold. Yellow is the colour most commonly associated with gold, since gold in its pure form is a deep yellow shade.

White gold is created by blending pure gold with metals that are naturally silver-grey and white in colour, and it is usually plated with rhodium to enhance its colour. Rose gold is achieved with a mix of pure gold and copper, and often silver as well, to create a lighter pink shade.

Pure gold has a deep yellow shade and high lustre. This is also known as 24ct gold. Because gold in its pure state is too malleable for use in jewellery, it is most common to find gold alloys. An alloy is a mix of two or more metals, and in the case of gold, these alloys are created to help the gold retain its shape as well as to create other colours such as rose and white gold.

Yellow gold, white gold, and rose gold are equally beautiful choices for gold jewellery. The factors used to determine quality – such as whether your jewellery is crafted from a gold alloy or is gold-plated or gold-filled – are the same for each colour of gold. If you choose a piece crafted in at least 10ct gold, then you are buying a quality piece of jewellery that you can wear time and time again.

The rest comes down to your personal preference. Precious gold jewellery is made to last, so choose pieces in your favourite colour of gold that you will get plenty of wear from. Choosing pieces in the same colour will make it easy to mix and match everyday, but you can also mix it up by changing between yellow, rose, and white gold, or wearing two or more shades of gold together.