To make jewelry, gold is mixed with other metals to enhance its properties.
Why Gold is Mixed for Jewelry
Pure gold (24 karats) is naturally very soft. This makes it unsuitable for everyday wear in jewelry as it can easily scratch, bend, or lose its shape. By mixing gold with other metals, jewelers create alloys that are much stronger and more durable. Alloying also allows for changes in the gold's color and other physical characteristics.
Metals Commonly Mixed with Gold
Based on the reference, metals commonly alloyed with gold for jewelry purposes include:
- Silver
- Copper
- Nickel
- Iron
- Zinc
- Tin
- Manganese
- Cadmium
- Titanium
These additions not only increase the strength of the gold but also change its working properties, melting point, and especially its color, leading to different gold varieties like white gold, rose gold, or green gold, depending on the specific metals and their proportions in the mixture.
Common Gold Alloys and Their Components
While the reference provides a list of metals, the combination and proportion of these metals determine the specific type of gold alloy and its characteristics. Here are a few common examples:
- Yellow Gold: Typically mixed with silver and copper.
- White Gold: Often mixed with nickel, palladium, silver, or zinc.
- Rose Gold: Created by mixing gold with copper, sometimes with a small amount of silver.
- Green Gold: An alloy primarily of gold and silver, sometimes with a small amount of cadmium or copper.
The karat system indicates the proportion of pure gold in the alloy. For example, 14K gold is 14 parts gold and 10 parts other metals (like silver, copper, etc.), making it 58.3% pure gold.
Mixing gold with these metals allows jewelers to create beautiful, durable pieces suitable for various designs and everyday wear.
