About rose gold. About white gold. About green gold.


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 Rose, White, and Green Gold

There is no such thing as naturally occurring rose, white, or green gold. Gold itself is only one color: yellow. All of these other "colors" of gold are produced by mixing pure 24K yellow gold with various other metals. The percentage of the other metals (copper, silver, zinc, nickel) produces the different shades of gold. Any karat other than 24K gold (pure gold) is called an "alloy". For instance, 14K gold is an alloy consisting of fourteen parts pure gold and ten parts other metals.



Rose gold: what to expect

Rose gold, also known as pink gold, has a very subtle and delicate color that intensifies with age. Different computer monitors may show rose gold pieces at varying intensities. Also, the pink color of rose gold jewelry may show up differently when viewed under different lighting situations: natural light, incandescent light, or fluorescent light.

Before ordering, you might want to familiarize yourself with the color of rose gold. Perhaps a friend or your jeweler can show you what rose gold jewelry looks like. The famous Black Hills rose gold jewelry is a good example.

Rose gold is created by increasing the copper-colored alloys normally found in gold and decreasing the silver-colored alloys. 14K rose gold contains as much gold as 14K yellow gold but is slightly pinker in color. Rose gold is available in both 14K and in 18K. The 14K, rose gold (which we use) has a more pronounced rose color.

Why we don't sell enameled conchs

We do not sell enameled conchs because enamel is prone to cracking and is extremely difficult to repair, often requiring a complete re-enameling at considerable expense. More importantly, as a local lady says (and she's a Key West native), "They look like an explosion of bad pink fingernail polish." For those who want their conch jewelry with a pink lip that is very beautiful and will last forever, we offer our Key West Conch with lip of solid 14K rose gold invisibly soldered to the 14K yellow gold shell.

Whitfield Jack



White gold is created by increasing the silver-colored alloys (zinc, silver, nickel) normally mixed with gold and decreasing the yellow-colored alloys (copper). 14K white gold contains as much gold as 14K yellow gold but is nearly white in color: NOTE -- white gold still has a very, very faint yellowish hint unless it is plated with rhodium, a common industry practice which we do not use because of the following reason: Because the rhodium plating eventually wears off in raised areas, it leaves splotches of yellowish color which show up noticeably against the unworn areas. White gold is available both in 14K and in 18K. The 14K white gold (which we use) has less of the yellow hint.

Whitfield Jack



Green gold: Unless one is familiar with the appearance of green gold, the term can be quite misleading. The green color, like rose gold, is very subtle. Green gold is best described as yellow gold with a slightly greenish hint (not a definite green like this background). Green gold is most noticeable when it is used in a piece of jewelry next to areas of yellow, white, and pink gold. The classic mixture that produces green gold is an alloy of pure yellow gold and pure silver -- though, for rings, harder metals such as nickel or zinc are sometimes added to make the gold more durable. 14K green gold would contain fourteen parts yellow gold and ten parts silver. 18K green gold would contain eighteen parts yellow gold and six parts silver.

Whitfield Jack


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