What is Rose Gold?

Rose gold is an alloy of gold, copper, and silver. By combining these three metals, metalworkers can create highly durable jewelry with a classic, beautiful look. For decades, rose gold has been the material of choice for people who want to add a romantic touch to their engagement rings, necklaces, or even earrings. 

Hero Bullion deals primarily in bullion. Our gold coins and bars usually feature a fineness of .999 or more. While we don’t sell rose gold, we do have a wide range of gold products to help you build your gold stack. 

Still, the phrases we use to describe jewelry-grade gold can be complicated. We’ve created this guide to help readers get a better understanding of rose gold and its place in the precious metals industry. What is rose gold? Read on – and learn with Hero Bullion! 

Understanding Rose Gold

Rose gold is part of a larger family of gold alloys called “colored gold.” We all know what traditional, pure gold looks like. Gold minted without any additional metals looks like the gold we sell on our website. Its yellowish appearance is easier to notice as your gold becomes more and more pure. 

But when gold is mixed with other substances like copper and silver, it takes on an entirely different appearance. For example, gold mixed with silver turns into what jewelers call “white gold.” The whiter the gold, the more silver the alloy contains. 

So what is rose gold? Unlike white gold, rose gold is made from mixing copper with pure gold bullion. The resulting metal is called an alloy. What is an alloy? Alloys refer to multiple metals mixed together. 

To make things simpler, rose gold is just a mixture of gold, copper, and silver. These three materials make a rose-colored metal when they’re mixed together. As you could probably guess, this makes rose gold perfect for romantic gifts like an engagement ring. 

Rose Gold Vs. Traditional Gold

What is rose gold, and how is it different from traditional gold? Both yellow and rose gold are made using gold bullion, but extremely pure yellow gold usually contains only a trace amount of other metals, such as copper. 

Rose gold, on the other hand, is made using gold, silver, and copper. Ratios of each metal may vary depending on the particular type of rose gold you buy. Generally, 18 karat rose gold will contain 75% gold, 22.25% copper, and nearly 3% of pure silver. 

Traditional gold and rose gold are both used to make jewelry. Many couples choose rose gold because of its durability and romantic pinkish appearance. What is rose gold’s main application? While rose gold is used for many different purposes, it really finds its home in engagement rings and other romantic gifts. 

Is Rose Gold Really Gold? 

What is real gold – and is it real gold? Rose gold is indeed real gold. Compared to yellow gold, rose gold does have a lower percentage of actual gold bullion. Because rose gold is an alloy metal, the gold inside of it is mixed together with both copper and silver to give it the rose-like color it’s known for. 

What is a Gold Alloy? 

Gold alloy is a metal that includes both gold and another metal. Sometimes, metalworkers will combine three or more metals in a single piece of jewelry. This is how rose gold is made. When silver and copper are added to gold, they change the color of the metal. In rose gold’s case, this color is pinkish. 

Rose gold isn’t the only alloy version of gold. These types of gold are also known as “colored gold” because they don’t look exactly like classic, 24 karat gold. What is rose gold, and why does it get its color? Let’s look into this question by exploring how rose gold is made. 

How Rose Gold is Made

To make rose gold, metalworkers combine liquid gold, silver, and copper together. For jewelry, the liquid metal gumbo is then shaped into a ring, bracelet, necklace, or anything else you might make out of the colored gold. 

Making any alloy requires that metals be heated into their liquid form. New technology has made it easier than ever for metalworkers to shape gold alloys into all sorts of jewelry, coins, and bars. 

What is rose gold’s melting point? Gold needs to be heated to around 1,000 degrees celsius in order to be malleable enough to mix with anything. Needless to say, most people will never be able to make rose gold in their basement without purchasing some special equipment! 

What is Rose Gold Made For? 

So what is rose gold used for? To really answer the question, “what is rose gold,” we need to take a closer look at how the material is used to craft some of the world’s most popular luxury goods. 

Jewelry 

We find that the primary market for rose gold is jewelry. The unique color produced when we combine gold, silver, and copper looks beautiful on jewelry. As we’ll discuss more below, rose gold is often used in engagement rings because of its association with romantic love. 

What is rose gold jewelry? Rose gold is also sometimes used to make bracelets. This shouldn’t be surprising; the lighter color of rose gold might make it ideal for a Valentine’s Day or Christmas gift for that special someone. 

What is rose gold’s primary use? Let’s take a look. 

Engagement Rings 

To be more specific, rose gold is most often used to make engagement and wedding rings. The dark pink appearance of rose gold makes it the ideal metal to make high quality, beautiful jewelry that just screams “romantic.” What is rose gold used for? For the most part, we find that engagement rings are some of the most popular rose gold products. 

Rose gold as a material for engagement rings is nothing new, either. Rose gold engagement rings have been used to celebrate marriage for over one-hundred years. Their popularity seems to be increasing, too. Men and women looking for a unique, beautiful way to commemorate their commitment often turn to the tried and true look of a classic rose gold ring. 

What Color is Rose Gold? 

What is rose gold, and why is it colored? Rose gold can vary in appearance. Its color is the result of combining three different metals, each with its own distinct coloration. 

As you might guess, silver has the effect of lightening the color of gold. Copper darkens gold, giving it a more reddish appearance. When you combine all three, gold’s color goes from gold, to white, to… rose! To get gold to the right color, precious metal experts need to meticulously curate the mixture of metals in their gold alloy. 

The process for refining rose gold jewelry is complicated. In a way, it’s a bit like mixing paints to create a new color. Adding too much gold will make the final product look more yellow. Too much silver lightens the color up and might create pink gold. But when we add the correct amount of gold, silver, and copper, we get rose gold! 

Benefits of Rose Gold

What is rose gold good for? There are a few different advantages to buying rose gold, especially compared to other gold products. Notably, rose gold is often more durable, affordable, and even prettier than traditional gold jewelry. 

High Durability 

Durability is an important factor for you to consider when shopping for precious metals. After all, the last thing you want is for your engagement ring to be easily scratched or damaged. What is rose gold’s durability? Compared to traditional 24k gold, rose gold is extremely durable. 

This has a lot to do with its status as an alloy. Gold itself is very malleable. This is why we’re able to use gold to make high quality coins and bars. But even the purest possible gold products contain at least a trace of other metals, such as copper. Without these added materials, gold coins would be easily broken or damaged. 

Rose gold contains both silver and copper. Its lower gold purity might be a concern for some collectors, but rose gold’s increased durability makes it perfect for jewelry – including engagement rings meant to last a lifetime. 

Affordable 

Rose gold can also be cheaper than other gold products, including 24k gold. In addition to its beautiful appearance, this helps to explain why a growing number of couples are opting for rose gold in their engagement rings. 

Affordability can vary from product to product. Some d

ealers might mark up prices on their rose gold engagement rings, especially during periods where this alloy is particularly popular. As a general rule, however, it’s often the case that rose gold is cheaper than purer gold products. 

 

If you’re looking to buy rose gold jewelry for a loved one, try shopping around at multiple jewelry dealers. Just like when you buy gold coins and rounds, your goal should be to get the most beautiful product possible without paying a hefty premium over spot price. 

Vintage Look and Appeal

The classic look of a rose gold engagement ring is tough to match. What is rose gold, and what does it look like? On an engagement ring, this alloy gold offers a lovely, romantic appearance. We don’t have trouble understanding why, either. Who wouldn’t want their lifetime engagement ring to be wrapped in a beautiful pinkish band. 

We won’t make any comments on which type of gold looks better. To some people, a pure gold ring can’t be beaten. For others, rose gold is a romantic touch that you can add to make an engagement ring even more beautiful and treasured. 

Disadvantages to Buying Rose Gold

What is rose gold’s main downside? Rose gold is beautiful, affordable, and extremely durable. But this doesn’t mean it comes without its disadvantages. Namely, rose gold is both allergenic and relatively rare to find. 

Allergenic 

24 karat gold is 100% pure gold. Because it contains no additional metals, it’s considered hypoallergenic. In other words, you’re unlikely to have any kind of allergic reaction when exposed to 24k gold jewelry. 

The same cannot be said for rose gold. What is rose gold’s allergen content? Rose gold always contains some percentage of copper. Copper percentages can vary, so people with copper allergies should look for rose gold alloys with a lower copper content. Still, the presence of copper means that rose gold is not hypoallergenic. 

Relatively Rare

The process for making rose gold involves combining several different metals into one alloy. Many gold mints are capable of doing this, but they might also specialize in 24k gold – which is a bit more popular with most precious metal consumers than rose or white gold. 

That being said, rose gold is still pretty easy to find. You should be able to pick out a beautiful rose gold bracelet or engagement ring from most online dealers. But if we’re tallying the downsides of buying rose gold for jewelry, its rarity might be a problem. Supply and demand governs everything in the world of precious metals, and rose gold is no exception. 

What is rose gold, and why is it so rare? The truth is that rose gold isn’t all that rare. However, it’s often harder to find than 24k gold. This might drive prices up, especially during peak seasons for buying jewelry. 

Final Thoughts: What is Rose Gold and Why Buy It? 

So what is rose gold? The terms used to describe types of gold can be confusing, especially if you’re new to the market. The good news is that rose gold is actually just an alloy of gold, silver and copper. When we combine these three precious metals in just the right proportions, we end up with a beautiful, pinkish, rose-colored gold product. 

Rose gold is used all over the world to make engagement rings, bracelets, and other types of beautiful jewelry. 

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• What is Fractional Gold?