Shine with gold, sparkle with diamonds...
When on the hunt for your perfect piece of diamond jewellery, your choice of gold will be an important consideration.
It is advisable to learn about the different types of gold available, impacting both the price-tag and also the visual perceptions of the diamond.
Did you know that there are a total of 9 different shades of gold…?
Depending on the type and percentage of the metal alloys added to pure gold, gold can be:
- Yellow gold
- White gold
- Rose gold
- Green gold
- Grey gold
- Black gold
- Blue gold
- Purple gold
- Red gold
Trends in gold
Fashions in gold colour, like everything else tend to follow trends. For much of the 1990s and 2000s, white gold or even the greyish tinge of Platinum were a runaway success. In recent years, there was a resurgence of Rose gold, which has been very popular with the millennials, though more recently Yellow gold has been favoured.
Match the gold to your skin tone & lifestyle
It can be helpful to try on different colours of gold and see how they match your skin tone and also other pieces of jewellery which you may own. Yellow gold, particularly 18 and 24 carat gold is extremely popular in Asian communities and plays an important part of the marriage contract and ritual.
When extracted from the earth, gold is relatively soft (2,5 Mohs on the scale of hardness vs 10 for a diamond). In its pure form, gold is too soft to hold stones in place. Gold must therefore be mixed with other metals like silver or copper to lend strength and durability. The percentage of metal alloys added to gold will determine its purity.
How to understand gold purity & cost
Carat is a term used to describe the purity content of gold in a piece of jewelry. One of the most common mistakes people make is to confuse carat (gold purity) with carat (diamond weight).
- 24 carat gold (100% gold)
- 18 carat gold (75% gold)
- 14 carat gold (58% gold)
- 10 carat gold (42% gold)
As gold is traded as a commodity around the world, the price of a gold setting is largely determined by the current market value of gold. Hence, the higher the gold purity used, the more expensive the piece of gold jewellery.
The choice of type of gold in terms of purity, can also be determined by the fashions of where you live and ethnicity. For example, 14 carat gold is a popular choice in the United States while the European market prefers working with 18 carat gold, known for its higher gold percentage.
All CHELSEA ROCKS jewellery are made with 18 carat (75%) gold – unless explicitly stated as a commitment to providing a high quality, luxury product. We believe that 18 carat gold has the most beautiful gold shades and luster, together with the durability and strength to hold the diamonds in place.
- As pure gold as possible (75% gold)
- The most beautiful gold shades and luster
- Durability and strength to hold your diamond(s) in place
CHELSEA ROCKS jewellery is hallmarked by the Sheffield Assay Office with both a denotation for the purity and the fineness of the gold.
Match Gold colour & diamond grade for optimal effect
Consider the quality of your diamond (and mostly its color grade!) when choosing the gold shade of your ring.
The Gemological Institute of America‘s diamond colour scale: The GIA´s color grading scale for diamonds is the industry standard. The scale begins with the letter D, (for colorless diamonds - or extremely white) and goes up to Z (for diamonds with a light yellow or brownish tint).
- D, E, F: are colorless
- G, H, I, J: are near-colorless
- K, L, M: have a faint yellow tint
- N, O, P, Q, R: have a very light yellow tint
- S, T, U, V, W, X, Y, Z: have a light yellow tint
- White gold is a good choice for diamonds graded in the colourless to near-colourless ranges (D through I on the GIA colour scale). It will highlight the diamond´s colourlessness.
- Yellow or pink gold are a great choice if your diamond has a slight yellow tint (i.e. with a colour grade below G, H or I). In fact, yellow or pink gold will make your diamond appear whiter than it is in contrast.
Fancies colours of diamonds, (pink, blue, orange, red etc.) are another fascinating topic in themselves and shall be addressed in the next blog post! Stay tuned and #shineon!
