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What is Rose Gold? History & How its Made
Although yellow and white gold has been the traditional metals that people choose for their engagement rings and wedding rings, rose gold has started becoming extremely popular.
Related Link: What is Rose Gold? Everything You Need to Know
Rose gold jewelry has been taking the fashion world by storm with its unique color and elegant style. Let’s talk about rose gold, what it is, its history, and also about how it is made.
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What is Rose Gold?
Rose gold is an alloy, otherwise known as a blended metal, made from pure 24-karat yellow gold, silver, and copper. This is a precious metal that is sometimes called pink gold due to the pink shade that the copper blended into the gold can produce. Although to the untrained eye, it can be easy to mistake copper for rose gold, it can be easily discerned if you can remember that rose gold gives off a pinkish hue while copper is an orange-brown color.
One of the things you may be wondering about rose gold is if it is considered to be real gold. The answer is a resounding yes, it is considered real gold. Many people may not believe that rose gold can be considered precious gold because it is mixed with copper, but what many do not know is that virtually all gold jewelry is a blend of metals or alloyed.
Related: Can You Wear Gold And Silver Jewelry Together?
The most common gold used for jewelry, 14k gold, contains a little less than 60%, with the rest of the materials in it being other alloys such as copper, zinc, nickel, iron, silver, aluminum, or even platinum.
That being said, the most common type of rose gold made is 14k rose gold, and 18k rose gold is a close second. This can be due to the beautiful and unique pink coloring that is unique to 14k rose gold. Many prospective buyers of rose gold jewelry want their metal to look distinctly pink, so rose gold jewelry connoisseurs tend to seek out rose gold with higher copper content.
Some people may want the pink color of their ring metal but have a hard time letting go of their love of yellow gold. For these individuals, 18k rose gold may be the perfect option since it blends much more gold and less copper to create a rose gold that is a happy medium between that beautiful pink hue and the traditional yellow gold.
History of Rose Gold
Although rose gold has become wildly popular as a jewelry metal, it may shock you that it wasn’t first created until the 19th century in Imperial Russia. In fact, the first name for rose gold was actually Russian Gold.
The jeweler to the Tsars, a man named Carl Fabergé, was one of the first to gain recognition for using rose gold in jewelry and decorations, particularly in decorative eggs that he called Fabergé Eggs, and are still collected and treasured to this day.
Related: Rose Gold VS Yellow Gold: What’s the Difference?
The Roarin’ 1920’s, which is remembered as a decade of social, artistic, and cultural excess combined with outrageous luxury, saw a resurgence in the popularity of rose gold. Vivid colors were all the rage at the time, which motivated famous jewelers like Cartier to start heavily incorporating rose gold into their jewelry before trends moved jewelers towards platinum.
Cartier, the jewelry designer, created an iconic ring called the Trinity Ring that had yellow gold, white gold, and rose gold beautifully intertwined with each other. This incredible piece of jewelry art brought rose gold burst onto the world stage.
When World War II began, jewelers found that platinum was a scarce resource since it was declared to be a vital resource for the war effort. Once again, rose gold became the preferred precious metal due to the scarcity of platinum.
In modern times, rose gold still remains one of the most popular metals for rings, especially engagement rings, as well as bracelets, necklaces, and other jewelry.
How is Rose Gold Made?
Pure gold, or 24-karat gold, is much too soft and susceptible to dents and deformation to be used for jewelry, especially a ring. That is why pure gold is mixed with another metal to create an allow. In the case of rose gold, pure gold is combined with silver metal alloys along with copper metal alloys that will give the gold the signature pink color that rose gold is known for.
The ratio of the metals will affect the final color but generally, a combination of 75% pure gold, 20% copper, and 5% silver is used to make the classic rose gold color. The ratios can be changed to create metal that is more golden in appearance or even make the rose gold look red in appearance. There are other metals, such as zinc or palladium, that may be added to alter the final color.
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Final Thoughts
Rose gold is a beautiful precious metal that has an incredibly rich history. From its start as Russian gold and Fabergé eggs, rose gold has been desired and sought after for over a century.
If you are looking for a beautiful piece of jewelry that is sure to turn heads, try wearing some rose gold.
