Nickel And Palladium Alloys For White Gold Engagement Rings

White gold engagement rings are one of the hottest styles on the market. The metal offers a shiny modern alternative to its yellow counterpart while still retaining a sense of traditional flare. This article aims to help inform consumers entering the market about the two main alloys that white gold engagement rings are generally made of.

White Gold Alloys with Nickel

White gold alloys became fashionable in the 1920s, primarily as an alternative to platinum, which had itself recently become trendy. Platinum is rather expensive, requires greater temperatures than gold and is generally considered harder to work. Because of these things, the trend for white emerged. This material is made through an alloying process, which generates a different atomic structure that alters the reflectivity of light of different wavelengths.

The most common metal used to produce a bleaching effect in gold is nickel, which also has the great advantage of being inexpensive. However, white gold engagement rings made with nickel do have their disadvantages. Nickel alloys can cause dermatitis through allergic reactions when worn in contact with the skin. The material is also considered to be slightly carcinogenic. Regulations covering the use of nickel in jewellery are being implemented, and soon all or most new jewellery sold will have to be nickel-free, or at least "nickel-safe." Most American and Italian white gold alloys use nickel.

White Gold Alloys with Palladium

The other metal that is an ideal constituent for a white gold alloy is palladium, a close relative of platinum. Its main downside is its fairly expensive price. Due to current economic and production problems in Russia, palladium is selling at a higher market price than most other metals. Its other downside is the material’s high melting point. Technological advancements in jewellery manufacturing and repair equipment have improved tremendously as of late however, so most jewellers can cope with this chemical property of the element.

Given palladium’s expensive market price, every bit of it that can be recovered from the scrap metal produced during the jewellery manufacturing process is recycled and then used again in the alloying process. While this adds to the production costs of white gold engagement rings, it is still worth the effort in the long run.

While nickel and palladium are the most common alloys for white gold engagement rings, other possible whiteners include silver, platinum, chromium, cobalt, tin, zinc, and indium, but none of these metals bleach to the same effect.

Frederick Holm is staff writer for of the F&L Designer Guides, compiled and written to help consumers choose a unique engagement ring design. Whether you want white gold engagement ring a princess cut diamond or an engraved band, we have ideas and opinions covering all the options. Offering advice, tips and suggestions on how to choose that perfect ring, F&L will accompany you on every stage of your search to find the right designer.

Writer and Online Marketing Manager in London.