Ever wonder where the classy and elegant rose gold metal comes from? Whether rose gold is an actual creation of Mother Nature or if it was made in the lab?
Here we’ll look at everything you need to know about rose gold and what the metal is made of. This is important because there is a huge chance that the early mixing societies, along with optimistic dreams, resulted in the development of the subtlest gold colors.
Rose gold, also known as the pink gold, is one of the most beautiful colors and varieties of gold, and it’s also the most popular option because it works just perfectly on all skin tones, even as it offers a nice warm glow. The gold color not only works great on different skin tones, but it also elevates the appearance of gemstones much better than metals in all other colors. As a result, rose gold is one of the most wonderful color combinations, especially if you are looking for dramatic designs and finishes.
The brief history of rose gold
Before we take a look at some of the features of rose gold and what makes it the best option for you, if you are looking for something unique, let’s first take a look at the history of rose gold.
Rose gold has a rather rich history, with the first sightings and use of rose gold dating back to the Roman Empire times. At the time, gold coins were made of rose gold, and they featured the characteristic reddish-gold color rather than the golden yellow color of gold coins seen today. The reddish hue of the rose gold was because of the impurities present in the gold. These impurities found their way into the reddish Roman coins, which meant that the rose gold color was rather unintentional.
A look down memory lane shows that after the Roman Empire times, the next time that rose gold was created and used during the Nahuange Period. This was from an archeological discovery made in South Africa. This discovery that was believed to date to between AD100 – 1000 showed that there was a preference for the red gold hue of rose gold. This discovery was made in the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, in the Columbian mountain ranges near the Caribbean Coast.
The artifacts collected and stores in museums in Columbia indicated that the skilled metal workers collected from the period created red as well as orange colors for the metal colors. There also were several bright colors resulting from copper and gold, among several other metals.
These archaeological findings show that the rose gold pieces with the red hue were quite common in the Caribbean and in Columbia.
Then, the Crown gold common in the High Societies brought into existence the pink gold. This was in 1526 in England when Henry the VIII introduced the world to the 22kt red gold, better known as the Crown Gold. The Crown Gold was redder than the pink gold with a hue of gold. As expected, this version of rose gold was very soft, and this high karat gold that contained large amounts of copper wasn’t appropriate and ideal for daily wear. This version of gold would have only worked out well for the Royal Soirees, as well as the unblemished hands of the aristocracy.
From the premium-quality rose gold that was common with the royals, there is no doubt that the rose gold pieces sold around the time were the lower karat rose gold versions.
A deeper look into the history of rose gold further reveals that this metal was used around 1750 by the French. This was seen in the Quatre-Couleur jewelry that boasted the best of multi-gold incredible loveliness. These pieces were made by Jean Ducrollay.
In the 1800s, however, rose gold was used in the multicolored eggs that were created by the renowned Russian jewelry house Peter Carl Faberge through the House of Faberge. This all took place between 1885 and 1916.
Then in the Early Victorian and wedding rings created between 1837 and 1860, there was pink gold worn during the era of Queen Victoria.
Historically, the other types of rose gold include the Fever Dreams along with the Enduring place by Henri LeBeau that included images of leaves, vines, and grape clusters. These pieces were discovered in South Dakota at the Black Hills.
After World War II, in the 1940s, retro jewelry became popular, and the rose gold pieces common at the time would be paired with diamonds, rubies, etc., But in modern and not-so-subtle shapes and designs.
Today, rose gold is one of the most popular forms of gold used in jewelry, and the rose gold comes in numerous versions and designs, meaning that everyone gets what they like. You can find rose gold used in everything from watches and iPhones to unique designer pieces by Michael Kors and Birkenstocks, among other brands.
Does rose gold occur naturally?
Rose gold is not naturally occurring. This version of gold is made from alloying of pure gold with different metals such as copper.
Rose gold is made from pure, 24 karat gold. The reason for this is that pure gold is too soft to be used in jewelry making on its own, and the only way to end up with hard metallic gold is by adding harder metals like copper to the gold.
This process is also known as alloying, and it not only strengthens the gold but also gives the gold its characteristic rose gold color.
Why is it called rose gold?
The reason why rose gold is called rose gold is that it is a blush-colored metal that’s available in color, rose. It is one of the varieties of colored gold because of its design and development from the gold-copper alloy, something that is often used in specialized rose gold jewelry.
How is Rose Gold formed?
The recipe for creating the rose gold is a bar of simple gold and metal alloy procedure that involves the use of 58.3% pure gold, 23% copper, 11% nickel, and 7.7% zinc. In other cases, rose gold may contain 75% gold, 22.25% copper, and 2.75% silver.
The reason for the pink or the redder gold tone is because of the copper, and the depth of the red color depends on the percentage of copper incorporated into the gold.
For the rose gold created in the Roman Empire, the reddish ting results from the addition of impurities to the pure gold.
What is 14k rose gold made of?
14K rose gold is made of 58.3% pure gold and about 42% copper and other metal alloys. This is the recommended combination for the 14k gold used in wearable jewelry, and it is the acceptable gold quality across The United States and in the United Kingdom, as well as all other Western countries.
Up to 90% of all the wedding and engagement rings are of 14k rose gold. Generally, the 14k rose gold contains richer hues, thanks to the presence of a higher percentage of copper in the rose gold pieces. Compared to the higher karat rose gold pieces of jewelry, the 14k rose gold jewelry will have more of a rose-pink color than the pink rose color on the 18k rose gold.
What is 18k rose gold made of?
18K rose gold is made of 75% pure gold and as much as 22.25% of copper, ad 2.75% silver. Unlike the 14k darker color of the rose gold, the 18k rose gold contains more of a pink hue because it contains more gold than copper, which means that the resultant color isn’t very dark. Often, the 18 karats rose gold comes in a soft champagne rose color.
Note that the 18 karat gold contains 18 parts of pure gold out of 24 parts that make up pure gold, which means that the the18k gold is one of the purer forms of gold that’s worth significantly more.
Is Rose gold worth more than gold?
Rose gold is a gold alloy, which means that it is made of pure gold alloy and additional metal. Some of the metals that are added to the gold to form the gold alloy include silver, zinc, copper, and nickel. For rose gold, the most predominant metal used is copper, and it is the reason for the distinct pink hue color of the rose gold.
The design of rose gold doesn’t, however, make it more expensive than other forms of gold, and it is, in fact, one of the more affordable forms of gold alloyed jewelry. So, in comparison with 18K solid gold, rose gold would be worth a little less than solid gold.
Conclusion
While there are no specifications on the guidelines for the amount of copper that’s required for rose gold, the estimates of the gold and copper used to make rose gold will determine the hue of rose gold that you end up with. But generally, a gold alloy that contains more copper than other metals will form a darker rose gold.
So, if you ever wonder where rose gold jewelry comes from and what makes it unique, this article answers all your questions.
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Tiger is a fashion&jewelry lover. He is also a fashion jewelry manufacturer that help thousands of small business to grow and also do business with some big fashion jewelry brands. He is a truly metal expert and he will share some information you are looking for.