Are all rose golds created equal?

[sapphiregirl123]

Things being as they are, I know the difference between 14k and 18k rose gold, BUT are all 14k's the same hue? I've seen some that are rose gold and some that are just amazingly pink! I'm a *proud* new momma to a sweet OEC (my first!) and I would just love to put a little pink bezel around her.. or prongs.. not decided, but she should be hugged tightly in a sweet rose gold and I just don't feel that all look the same.

 

[Laila619]

Nope, there are some different hues. Depends on the % of copper used and other alloys. But in my experience, most of the 14k pieces I've seen look pretty similar if not exact matches.

 

[sapphiregirl123]

LAD recently posted a photo with a rose gold bezel and the hue took my breath away. It was a perfect blush. Exactly what I want. I never knew if my eyes were playing tricks on me or not.

 

[Laila619]

Well keep in mind it could also be different lighting/photography set-ups that make the rose hues look different. I have seen a lot of 14k rose in person, and to me, it did look pretty similar. I have not seen 18k rose in person though. I have heard 18k is more of a peachy, champaign pink. Rose gold tends to photograph different than it looks IRL. It's such a pretty metal though, I love it.

 

[MollyMalone]

Oh yes, there are a number of possibilities, even within the same K quality; a goldsmith with whom I conferred showed me a catalog from an alloy supplier that listed 13 in the general family, each of which was available as 9 K, 10K, 14K, and 18K, for a grand total of 52.

A major problem for us retail consumers is that what would be more accurately denominated as red, rose, pink -- and sometimes, even peach golds -- all gets labeled as simply "rose" gold by most jewelry vendors, who may not always be internally consistent, e.g., Ritani vacillates between calling their same 18K ring alloy "rose" and "pink." Another complicating factor: the alloy manufacturers seem to keep their formulations under wraps, which makes it practically impossible to suss out what combinations-percentages of metals yield the result(s) most pleasing to you. Plus, photos-renderings posted by retailers online often "punch up" the rosy color to make it more intense than in real life. And even if the pics are true-to-life, they can come across differently to you, the viewer, because of your monitor/screen display.

It ain't easy if you're picky about the pinks and the like in gold alloys.

 

[sapphiregirl123]

Thanks for the info. I've only ever seen the LAD/CVB one that just took my breath away, but I like the tone of all others as well. If I had a preference, I'd definitely want that beautiful blush tone!

 

[Skhii]

How quickly does rose gold tarnish? It'd be a shame if it needed to be polished frequently to keep it from turning grey/green/brown...

 

[Laila619]

How quickly does rose gold tarnish? It'd be a shame if it needed to be polished frequently to keep it from turning grey/green/brown...

Before I purchased my first RG piece, I wanted to know this also. I was told it does not tarnish. The RG color is stable. It can develop a purply patina, but that is after many, many years of wear and it's considered highly desirable. Some 18k rose can fade a bit and start to look more like yellow gold, but if you get it polished, it should look good as new. My pieces are 14k because of the fading issue.

 

[sapphiregirl123]

I bet a purple patina is beautiful. I'd love to see that