🥇 White, Red, or Yellow Gold: What’s the Difference and Which is More Expensive
Gold is traditionally associated with yellow color, but in jewelry stores you can also find other shades — white and red. Differences between them are not only in appearance, but also in alloy composition and the price of the piece.
What is gold karat?
Pure gold, 999 karat, is soft and fragile, easily deforms, and is difficult to work with, so it is not used for jewelry.
Pure gold, or bullion, is cast into bars and primarily used for gold reserves. It is stored in special packaging to protect it from damage.
Important: Karat indicates the content of pure gold in the alloy, expressed in thousandths. The higher the karat, the more gold in the piece and the higher its price. For jewelry, 585 karat gold is most common, combining attractive appearance with ease of handling.
| Karat | Color | Composition | Durability | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 585 | Yellow | Gold + Silver + Copper | Medium | 🟨🟨⬜⬜⬜ |
| 750 | Yellow (Lemon) | Gold + more Silver | Medium | 🟨🟨🟨⬜⬜ |
| 585 | White | Gold + Silver/Nickel/Platinum/Palladium | Medium/High | 🟨🟨🟨🟩⬜ |
| 585 | White (Rhodium) | Gold + Silver/Nickel/Platinum/Palladium + Rhodium | High | 🟨🟨🟨🟩🟩 |
| 585 | Red | Gold + Copper | High | 🟨🟨🟩⬜⬜ |
| 750 | Red | Gold + Copper | High | 🟨🟨🟨🟩⬜ |
Legend:
- 🟨 = base price
- 🟩 = above average
- ⬜ = low or negligible
Yellow Gold
To make the metal stronger and suitable for jewelry, alloys are added. Yellow color is achieved by adding silver and copper in various proportions.
Fun fact: Lemon-yellow shade is more common in 750 karat gold, where silver exceeds copper. In 585 karat pieces, copper is about 20% more than silver.
White Gold
White gold is obtained by adding silver, nickel, platinum, or palladium, which reduces yellow intensity. Often, pieces are coated with rhodium to give a silvery-blue shine.
Fun fact: Depending on the alloy, unprocessed metal may range from steel gray to pale yellow. Due to platinum or palladium, white gold is often more expensive than comparable yellow or red gold.
Red Gold
Red color comes from copper — about 25% of the alloy, the rest is gold. This composition makes the metal particularly strong.
Fun fact: Unlike yellow gold, red and white gold are always alloys because their color is achieved only with added metals.
💡 Conclusion:
The price of jewelry depends not only on karat but also on the color and composition of the gold. White gold with platinum or palladium is usually more expensive than yellow or red gold due to the cost of the alloys. Red gold is valued for its strength, while yellow gold is appreciated for its classic look. When choosing jewelry, consider appearance, alloy composition, and durability.
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