What Is White Gold? And How to Care for It

White gold is yellow gold mixed with white metals, then usually finished with a thin coat of rhodium so it looks bright and silvery. Pure gold is naturally yellow and soft, so it is always alloyed for jewelry. For white gold, the jeweler adds metals such as nickel, palladium, silver or zinc to pull the color toward white and to add strength. The result is a durable metal that looks like platinum or silver but is still gold, with a karat mark to prove it. The catch is that the rhodium coat wears down, and the pale yellow tint of the alloy underneath eventually shows through.

What white gold is made of

Gold in its pure form is 24 karat, and it is too soft to hold a ring shape or protect a stone for long. So jewelers mix it with other metals. The karat number tells you how much of the piece is gold. In 18K, three parts in four are gold. In 14K, a little over half is gold. Our guide What Does 14K Actually Mean? explains the arithmetic, and Karat vs Carat: Two Different Words clears up a common mix-up.

In white gold, the other metals are chosen to whiten the mix. The common recipes fall into two families.

• Nickel-based white gold. Nickel is a strong, inexpensive whitener and has been used for many decades. It makes a hard, durable alloy. Its downside is that some people are sensitive to nickel, and the alloy usually has a slightly warm, grayish-yellow cast without plating.
• Palladium-based white gold. Palladium is a metal in the platinum family. It produces a naturally whiter alloy, often needs less plating or none, and is generally a better fit for people who react to nickel. It is also a more costly ingredient, so these pieces typically cost more.

Silver, copper and zinc are often part of the recipe as well. Different makers have their own formulas, and the exact blend is rarely printed on the piece. The karat stamp tells you the gold content, not the whitening metals.

Why white gold is plated with rhodium

Even the best white gold alloy has a faint warm tone that looks slightly off next to a bright diamond. To fix this, most white gold jewelry is dipped in rhodium, a hard, bright white metal from the platinum group. The coating is very thin, which is why it looks silvery and mirror-like when new.

That plating is a finish, not a permanent layer. Everyday friction, contact with other jewelry, lotions, soaps and chemicals gradually thin it. Rings wear faster than earrings or pendants because the palm side of a ring knocks against things all day. When the rhodium thins, you notice a faint yellowish or grayish tone, usually first on the underside of a ring or along the edges.

This is not a defect, and it does not mean your ring was a "fake." It is the natural behavior of the metal. The fix is replating, which a jeweler can do in a short visit. How often depends on your wear, your skin chemistry and the alloy. Some people replate every year or two. Others go longer. A palladium-based piece may show far less change.

How white gold compares with platinum and silver

White gold, platinum and sterling silver are the three "white" metals people shop between. They look similar when new and behave very differently after years of wear.

If you want a closer look at the platinum side of that comparison, our sibling page What Is Platinum Jewelry? And How It Compares covers purity marks, patina and care. For silver, see What Is Sterling Silver? And What 925 Means.

The cleanest way to summarize it: white gold is the practical middle option. It costs less than platinum, is lighter on the hand, and is much more durable than silver, but it asks for occasional replating to keep its brightest look.

Allergies and sensitive skin

If you have ever had a green or itchy mark under a ring, the cause is almost always a metal in the alloy, most often nickel. White gold is a common source because nickel is a common whitener. If you know you are sensitive:

• Ask what the alloy is. Ask the seller whether the piece is nickel-free or palladium white gold.
• Look at yellow gold or platinum as alternatives. Both generally do not contain nickel in typical jewelry formulas, though yellow gold alloys vary.
• Do not assume plating protects you. A rhodium coat can reduce contact with the alloy while it lasts, but once it wears, the skin touches the base metal.
• Note that skin can react to things other than metal. Trapped soap and moisture under a ring can cause irritation that looks like an allergy.

If you do not know the alloy of an older piece, a jeweler can usually advise, but the maker's formula is often not recoverable from the piece alone.

How to tell white gold from other metals

Many people cannot tell white gold, platinum and silver apart by sight. A few clues help:

1. Check the hallmarks. Look inside the band or on the clasp. A karat stamp such as 14K, 18K, 585 or 750 points to gold. Pt, Plat or 950 points to platinum. 925 or Sterling points to silver. Marks can be worn, so use a loupe and good light.
2. Look at wear spots. On a plated white gold ring you may see a faint yellow cast along the inner band or on the corners.
3. Feel the weight. A platinum ring is noticeably heavier than a same-size white gold one.
4. Use a professional test. Scratch and acid testing or electronic testing is best done by a jeweler. Our guide How to Tell If Gold Is Real covers what the home tests can and cannot show, and How to Tell If Silver Is Real does the same for silver.

A note on terminology: "gold plated" and "gold filled" are not solid gold. If a piece is described that way, the gold content is a thin layer over base metal. Gold Filled vs Gold Plated: What You're Buying explains the legal and practical differences.

How to care for white gold

Good habits make rhodium last longer and keep the piece looking fresh.

• Clean it gently. Warm water, a drop of mild dish soap and a very soft toothbrush will remove oils and soap film. Rinse and pat dry with a lint-free cloth. Our guide How to Clean Gold Jewelry Safely has the full routine and the cautions around stones.
• Avoid chlorine and bleach. Pool water, hot tubs and household bleach can attack the alloy and speed up plating loss. They can also weaken solder joints over time.
• Take it off for cleaning, lifting and gardening. Abrasive cleaners, hand sanitizer and hard knocks wear plating and can scratch the metal or loosen stones.
• Put it on last. Apply perfume, hairspray and lotion first, then your jewelry.
• Store it separately. Keep it in a soft pouch or lined box so harder gems do not scratch it.
• Skip abrasive polishing cloths for plated pieces. A polishing cloth that is meant for bare metal can take off plating. Use a soft, plain cloth unless a jeweler tells you otherwise.
• Get it checked once a year. A jeweler can inspect prongs and settings, tighten loose stones and tell you if replating is due.

When you replate, ask the jeweler to clean the piece thoroughly first, because plating over dirt or oil will not adhere well. If the piece has soft stones or pearls, tell the jeweler beforehand, because some cleaning and plating steps are not safe for them.

What it means for value

A white gold piece is valued for its gold content, its design and maker, and its condition. A worn rhodium finish does not reduce the underlying gold value, and replating is a routine maintenance step, so a faint yellow tint on an older piece should not scare you off. What you should check is structural condition: thin shanks, worn prongs, cracks near a solder joint and missing stones. Our guide What Determines the Value of Fine Jewelry goes through how buyers think about all of this, and How to Sell Fine Jewelry: What Buyers Actually Pay For covers the selling side.

Seeing it live

Because white gold, platinum and silver can look alike, it helps to buy where you can ask. On ShopBidz, jewelry sellers such as NYC Watches & Diamonds in New York, NY and DeJesusTreasures in Wallingford, Connecticut, sell live, so you can ask the seller to show the inside of the band, read the karat stamp, rotate the piece under the light and tell you whether it has been replated. Questions worth asking every time: what is the karat, is it rhodium plated, are there any repairs, and what is the return policy. For the vocabulary of a live sale, see our The Live-Auction Glossary: Terms Every Bidder Should Know.

Common mistakes

• Thinking a yellowing ring is not real white gold. It is the opposite. The yellow tint appears because the plating wore off the real gold alloy underneath.
• Replating over a dirty or damaged ring. Plating hides nothing. Repair cracks and clean the piece first.
• Using harsh cleaners. Bleach, chlorine and abrasive powders damage both the plating and the gold.
• Confusing white gold with platinum by color alone. They look alike when new. Check the marks.
• Ignoring the settings. A bright finish can hide loose prongs. Have a jeweler look at the stone settings regularly.

Bottom line

White gold is real gold, mixed with white metals and usually finished with rhodium plating. It is a strong, versatile choice for rings and everyday jewelry. The plating wears, and when it does, the metal looks a little warmer, which a jeweler can fix with replating. If you have sensitive skin, ask about nickel and consider a palladium alloy or platinum. Keep it away from chlorine and harsh cleaners, clean it with mild soap and water, and have the settings checked once a year.