Does 'lighter' yellow gold exist or is it due to lighting?

[Tartansparkles]

Hi all, I'm in the UK and doing a project with a local jeweller where I will be providing the (yellow) gold to be melted down and recast.
I've noticed that some of the US vendors (David Klass) have what I *see* as a paler, butter yellow gold and wondered if this gold is mixed to be paler of if it's just lighting affecting what I see?
The UK norm is 9ct or 18ct but I don't really see a difference colour wise. I can buy 14ct yellow casting grains, but if 9ct and 18ct are mostly the same, I'm not sure that 14ct will be a drastically different colour (in the UK at least).

For example, a 9ct clasp next to 18ct ring - with Lurpack butter for contrast





The Lurpack yellow is closer to what I'm aiming for and if my gold is being melted down I thought there might be an opportunity to add something else to the mix to achieve the lighter colour, if it does exist. I know the best person to speak to is the jeweler but I'd like to be more informed before having that conversation. Thanks!

 

[AV_]

There certainly are many shades of gold. Excepting some unusual alloys www, differences are fairly slight.

 

[Tartansparkles]

Thanks @AV_ I think the colour I'm aiming for is this middle one:



Any ideas on what to add to 'regular 9ct' to achieve the paler colour?
(And some of their (Niessing) settings are right up my street too).

 

[Rfisher]

Different alloys within the same karat between different casting houses for sure have different colors.
Are you specifying DK from photos or what you’ve seen in person? 18k I’ve gotten from him looks more like 14k in some of his photos over others so yes that’s a lighting thing.
Getting close to your Lurpack (lol!) I’d think it’d be closer to go to an unplated 18k white alloy that’s out there and really warm.
I think dictating the alloy mix and sourcing the granules yourself is interesting - but not something I’d want to do! I just point at pictures and say ‘find me this, please?!’

 

[GearGirly]

I like that color too. Maybe look into peach gold? I also like unplanted white gold but that’s not as warm as you are showing. Peach seems to be a combination of pink with the yellow and creates a warm but less yellow shade.

 

[Rfisher]

Going back to comparing to the butter color as inspiration - here’s some awesome info down to giving exact composition. Dang:

Oh Rosebloom I'll never tire of this topic, I don't think I took this today and thought it was pretty nifty, and wanted to post it here.

The five middle rings are all 18k-WG (unplated). I white-balanced with an 18% grey card and I think the differences are very true to life:



A - PT950/Ru

B - 18k (custom piece) from DBL, exact composition: "Palladium-WG" - don't know exact alloy

C - 18k WG (custom piece) from RDG, exact composition: [75% Fine Gold] [17% Palladium] [5% Pure Silver] [3% Platinum]
In-person the RDG alloy (C) looks slightly warmer than (B)

D - 18k WG (stock piece) from e-wb, exact composition: ?

E - 18k WG (custom piece) from WF, exact composition: [75%AU] [9.8%CU] [9.8%NI] [5.22%ZN]

F - 18k WG (custom piece) from e-wb, exact composition: [75%AU] [16.5%CU] [4%NI] [4.5%ZN]
In-person (F) is slightly yellower and pinker than (E), especially under fluorescents

G - 14k YG

 

[Karl_K]

Gold alloys come in many different shades.
For a long time:
European: 9k 14k and 18k were alloyed to look very close to one another and US 14k was very similar.
US 18k had a slight greenish/blue undertone.
Asian 18k was a dark yellow allow to look more like 22/24k.

That still holds true some times but not as much as it has in the past.

 

[yssie]

Hah. @Rfisher said everything I wanted to AND posted the picture I was searching for!




Edit - another thread with pictures of other PSers’ unplated WG, and a few more of my bands:
https://www.pricescope.com/communit...white-gold-experts-my-head-is-done-in.175144/

 

[AdaBeta27]

That's an interesting question. The 14kt yellow gold that is common in the USA is most definitely paler than 18kt. The typical 14kt white gold we have is slightly buttery, not white
Both of those have the same proportion of gold, and the alloys change the color. Whiteflash says 14kt yellow is 58.5% gold, 33% copper, 5.5% silver, 3% zinc. And 14kt white is 58.5% gold, 24% copper, 9% zinc, 9% nickel. Apparently, reducing copper and boosting zinc will make it paler.

Other "recipes":
https://www.thoughtco.com/composition-of-gold-alloys-608016
https://www.jewelry-secrets.com/Blog/what-is-the-content-of-14kt-gold/
https://www.callagold.com/education/gold-jewelry-alloys/

 

[AdaBeta27]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colored_gold

 

[Tartansparkles]

Thanks all, @yssie I'm keeping your thread for 'after dinner' reading. I haven't seen DK's work in person so I am comparing the different pictures I see on Instagram.
I have an 18ct white gold unplated ring, compared below with 18ct gold and platinum, but I think I need more yellow:

(It's difficult to take the photos without the black of the phone case appearing).

 

[yssie]

@Tartansparkles In some parts of the world, including I believe UK, white gold is not alloyed with Ni by default (by government mandate). Your ring is most likely a Pd/WG alloy - alloys of nickel are warmer than palladium.

 

[Rfisher]

Hah. @Rfisher said everything I wanted to AND posted the picture I was searching for!




Edit - another thread with pictures of other PSers’ unplated WG, and a few more of my bands:
https://www.pricescope.com/communit...white-gold-experts-my-head-is-done-in.175144/

Can you tell I’ve had that info of yours saved for quite a while? I’ve been wanting to use it for something of mine very badly!
Sorry for threadjack OP!

 

[yssie]

 

[Tartansparkles]

Thanks for the recipes @AdaBeta27 !
And almost unbelievably, the company that @AV_ linked to at the top of the thread have a stockist in Glasgow I might get to see some of this lighter gold in person (which always helps )

 

[EC8]

Hi, you can’t just add to an existing alloyed gold as the alloys can be incompatable and cause brittleness, porosity etc.
You may want to check out green gold which is an alloyed mix of pure gold and pure silver to give you the pale yellow color you are after.

 

[AV_]

.

Niessing is worth a visit!

Any ideas on what to add to 'regular 9ct' to achieve the paler colour?

No.

I am not sure how these other varieties of gold might be available to jewelers - most do not compose their own.

 

[Ally T]

I would go for an unplated 18ct white gold. I have an 18ct white gold ring that periodically ever few years, the plating wears off & it turns a straw colour. I usually take it to be re-rhodiumed as all of my other stuff is platinum so I like it to match, but by itself, I like the beaten butter colour.

Good luck!

 

[distracts]

I am not sure how these other varieties of gold might be available to jewelers - most do not compose their own.

There are plenty of different places you can order casting grain, and most offer multiple varieties. If OP is set on a particular type, they ought to contact their jeweler and ask them to find it.

 

[Snowdrop13]

I hope you let us see the results of your project, I’m always very happy to see things made by jewellers in the U.K.!

 

[Tartansparkles]

Thanks for your interest @Snowdrop13 and I'm sure I'll love the results but I'm not sure it will be up to PS standards. The jeweller I'm using is well known locally, his shop has been in town for years but there are no wax versions or CADs. (Those are available from one or two other places but are way beyond my means.) The jeweller is going to melt my gold (donated from the bottom of my parents' jewellery box) to make a ring and then use either a claw or a bezel from his 'findings' catalogue. The choice of settings is restricted because I have a 9mm (zircon) stone - most stock settings don't go to that size. (And for love nor money, I cannot find the catalogue he used, online).
I'm thinking of a semi bezel but I haven't seen any stock settings for one, so I'm wondering if I suggest to the jeweller that he takes a bezel setting and saw it in half?
All of these things will be resolved by talking directly with the jeweller but the first conversation was along the lines of 'what they can do' rather than stopping to ask what I wanted, so I need to be clearer in my head about what my options realistically are, so I can have a more informed conversation next time.

 

[AGBF]

There are many threads on the color of gold on Pricescope. I used to try to keep all of them in one centralized place where someone could go to see all of them at once. I do not remember into what thread I tucked all the other threads, however. I will look.

Deb/AGBF

 

[Snowdrop13]

Thanks for your interest @Snowdrop13 and I'm sure I'll love the results but I'm not sure it will be up to PS standards. The jeweller I'm using is well known locally, his shop has been in town for years but there are no wax versions or CADs. (Those are available from one or two other places but are way beyond my means.) The jeweller is going to melt my gold (donated from the bottom of my parents' jewellery box) to make a ring and then use either a claw or a bezel from his 'findings' catalogue. The choice of settings is restricted because I have a 9mm (zircon) stone - most stock settings don't go to that size. (And for love nor money, I cannot find the catalogue he used, online).
I'm thinking of a semi bezel but I haven't seen any stock settings for one, so I'm wondering if I suggest to the jeweller that he takes a bezel setting and saw it in half?
All of these things will be resolved by talking directly with the jeweller but the first conversation was along the lines of 'what they can do' rather than stopping to ask what I wanted, so I need to be clearer in my head about what my options realistically are, so I can have a more informed conversation next time.

No idea about the bezel, but it all sounds very exciting!