Gold vs. rose gold – it can be hard to choose which metal you want to wear. They’re similar in the sense that they’re much warmer than silver, but they both have very different qualities. Those different qualities make for different aesthetics, and in turn, can change how an outfit – or even a person – look. So which is best for you? That all depends on what you’re looking for, but if you need a bit of help, we’ve laid it all out for you in this blog post.
How They’re Made
Before we go anywhere, we’ve got to talk about the basics. It’s important to know what material is in both metals in case you’ve got allergies.
Just as we talked about in our blog post, What You Should Know About Sterling Silver, no jewellery or other items are made with “pure” gold or rose gold. Both are made by mixing different materials together. Yellow gold is made by mixing pure gold with alloys like zinc and copper. Because of that, they’re considered to be the most hypoallergenic of the two.
Rose gold is made by mixing gold with more copper than anything else, making it less pure. It can also cause an allergic reaction if you’re allergic to certain metals, so be sure to take caution.
Maintenance
Just as any other metal, gold needs to be maintained through polishing and cleaning – but is there a difference in frequency?
Rose gold is more durable thanks to the high copper content. Yes, rosegold will still suffer from scratches, but not at the same level as yellow gold. It doesn’t have to be re-plated as often – if ever. While you’re still going to need to maintain it, you can rest easy knowing that it isn’t as fragile.
Yellow gold is more likely to chip or lose lustre, and a bit of shape over time. Even polishing or oils in the skin can wear out the colour. For someone who lives an active lifestyle, yellow gold isn’t the most ideal choice. That said, it’s still more durable when compared to other metals.
Creativity
Since gold is the most popular for wedding and vintage jewellery, you would think that it’s easy to manipulate into intricate designs. Well, you’re not wrong.
Yellow gold is the easiest for jewellers to manipulate into different designs, especially if it’s as close to pure as can be. There’s also the fact that gold has a vintage look to it, so
The opposite can be said with rose gold. It’s not as malleable as yellow gold because of that percentage that’s copper. That’s also why some styles of jewellery aren’t available in rose gold.
Price
For many, the price is the main indicator of what jewellery they want to buy.
Even if yellow and rose gold both contain the same amount of karats, there’s still a difference in price. The lack of purity will cause an 18k rose gold ring to cost less than an 18k yellow one. That’s part of the reason as to why rose gold is becoming a popular choice for engagement rings.
Skin Tones
For some people, how metals appear on the skin is very important.
Yellow gold looks better on skin with warm or neutral undertones. People with cool or pale ones won’t have the same look.
When it comes to rose gold, there are a few different opinions, but most will agree that rose gold looks good on most – if not all – skin tones.
When it comes down to choosing which is best for you, that’s something to decide for yourself. At the end of the day, you know what will look best on you. No matter your choice, if you wear it with confidence, you’ll look fantastic.
