Pink gold seems easily rusting

[naomi]

I only have one pink gold ring and found several tiny rusting spot. None of my other yellow gold rings shows such problem even after longer possesion. Does pink gold tends to rust?

 

[Diamond*Dana]

Gold should not be rusting...is it tarnish maybe? I have noticed that some of my 10K gold pieces tarnish, but not all of them.

 

[naomi]

Thank you for the reply.

Tarnish seems less worrisome than rust (I do not know exactly the difference). As spots (light brown) did not come off when I try to clean with soft jewerly leather cloth, it may not be sarface... metal portion in my 18K pink gold starts rusting... I would ask jewerler to polish.. But if it repeats, I am afraid that my thin pave band may not have enough metal to polish again in future... Am I worried too much? I do not wear this ring often and have been careful not to leave moisture/oil.

 

[eac]

It is not rust, but I would love to know what it is! I have an antique pink gold ring that I wear every day, and it too has developed a tiny "pit" inside the band.

Any experts?

 

[neatfreak]

Gold really shouldn''t rust at all. If it indeed IS rusting, then I think the ring probably isn''t really gold, or at least is a very very low gold content?

 

[Diamond*Dana]

If the spots that you speak of are the same as what I have seen, I am usually able to polish them off with a silver polish cloth. I wonder if it has to do with what alloy was used with the gold??? Hopefully one of the experts will give their 2 cents.

 

[strmrdr]

Pink gold has a high copper content(thats how it gets its color) so yea it will tarnish.

Pink Gold mix (18K)
Gold 75%
Copper 20%
Silver 5%

Rose Gold (18K)
Gold 75%
Copper 22.25%
Silver 2.75

Red Gold (18K)
Gold 75%
Copper 25%

edit: slightly different alloys listed here: http://www.gold.org/jewellery/technology/alloys/index.html

But the point that it has more copper is the same.

 

[naomi]

Thank you very much everyone, and for composition info, too.
So 25% of 18k yellow gold is not tarnishy material, but copper portion of 18k pink goldd is tarnishy.
I hope this does not mean copper postion starts rusting/oxidizing?
I should put pink gold in air-free bag...
I only hope tarnish occurs on very thin layer of surface that I can take off again and again in future without worrying strength of thin pave band.