Hello Lynnie48,
I have gathered numerous sites with information on gold alloys.
Please read each site for complete information. If any part of my
answer is unclear, please request an Answer Clarification, and allow
me to respond, before you rate.
The definition of alloy:
1. A homogeneous mixture or solid solution of two or more metals, the
atoms of one replacing or occupying interstitial positions between the
atoms of the other: Brass is an alloy of zinc and copper.
2. A mixture; an amalgam: ?Television news has . . . always been an
alloy of journalism and show business? (Bill Moyers).
3. The relative degree of mixture with a base metal; fineness.
4. Something added that lowers value or purity.
http://www.answers.com/alloy&r=67
Nickel, palladium, copper, and silver are alloys added to create
different colors and strength to gold jewelry. Copper creates gold and
pink tones. Nickel is added to produce a white-grey color, silver is
added to produce a greenish color. Palladium, in amounts of 10-12% are
added to make white gold, which is heavier, stronger and more
expensive!
?Colored gold alloys are just as "real" as their golden colored
counterparts. Since pure gold is generally too soft to be used for
jewelry, other metals are nearly always added to it, no matter which
color is desired.?
?Making alloys isn't as simple as it might sound. Jewelers must
consider how metals will react with each other. Adding too much of one
metal or another can make the mixture brittle, too hard, or difficult
to work with. Other ingredients might make the mix too soft.
Metallurgists must fine-tune their recipes to find combinations that
produce pleasing metals that are durable and can be successfully
worked into pieces of jewelry.?
http://jewelry.about.com/cs/goldbuyingtips/a/gold_alloys.htm
?For most uses of gold the pure metal is too soft on its own and is
therefore hardened by the addition of alloying elements, copper,
silver, nickel, palladium and zinc. Gold is of course yellow and the
various colours seen such as red, white and green are simply alloys of
gold. The final colour is dependent on the ratios and type of alloys
added.?
?Gold is yellow, copper is reddish, and all other metals are a silvery
grey in colour. There are however gold alloys, that is mixes of
differing metals, that appear grey/white.
White gold (alloy) became popular around 1920 as a substitute for
platinum, as platinum was quite expensive. Simply mixing a white and
yellow metal together will not produce a colour in the same way that
mixing paint does. The most common metal used to 'bleach' gold is
nickel which is both inexpensive and provides a good platinum
look-alike in 18ct alloys.?
?Many new alloys are coming to market, most of which rely on manganese
additions as the main whitener. Some are palladium-free and others are
low palladium alloys. Chromium and iron are also be used as whiteners.
They tend to be hard and more difficult to process.?
?18 carat and 22 carat gold alloys are almost completely resistant to
chemical attack and 9ct alloys are much less resistant. Nine carat
alloys can dull or even blacken from exposure to chemicals in the
atmosphere, and might discolour in contact with household chemicals.
9ct chain is usually finished with a deeper yellow 18ct or 22ct
coating by manufacturers, which is why the bright finish on a new 9ct
chain gradually tones down to match other jewellery that you wear on a
daily basis.?
There are some nice charts on this site that show percentages.
http://www.jewellerycatalogue.co.uk/gold/gold_alloys.php
?There is no such thing as red, pink or rose gold!
There are however gold alloys which appear rose, red, or pink.
When jewellers speak of coloured gold, they mean coloured gold alloys.?
?It is very simple to produce a gold alloy with a reddish colouration.
All that is needed is to increase the proportion of copper in the
mixture. To maintain the correct proportion of gold in the alloy, this
usually means decreasing the silver content. In the past, many
goldsmiths have reduced the silver content and increased the copper
content to save cost, as copper is less expensive than silver.
We encounter many people who believe that red gold is old gold, and
vice versa; also that old gold is better than new gold. Neither of
these beliefs are accurate.?
http://www.18carat.co.uk/whatisrosegold.html
?There is no such thing as green gold!
There are however gold alloys which appear green.
When jewellers speak of green gold, they mean green gold alloys. Green
gold alloys are made by leaving the copper out of the alloy mixture,
and just having gold and silver. In most cases, it is more of a
greenish yellow, rather than what most people would describe as green.
Eighteen carat green gold would therefore contain:- Gold 75%; Silver 25%
Most green gold alloys are rather soft to be used for general
jewellery purposes, but it can be used very effectively for decorative
effects on hand-made pieces of jewellery?
http://www.18carat.co.uk/whatisgreengold.html
?There is no such thing as white gold!
There are however gold alloys which appear white, silvery, or grey.
When jewellers speak of white gold, they mean white gold alloys. In
most other major languages these alloys are described as grey rather
than white. We will stick to "white".
?White Gold Alloys with Nickel
White gold alloys became fashionable in the 1920's, mainly as a
substitute for platinum, which had itself recently become fashionable.
Platinum is quite expensive, needs greater temperatures than gold, and
is generally considered harder to work with than gold, although it is
ideal for use in diamond settings. At least three patents were issued
for different "recipes" of white gold alloys during the 1920's, using
different components to produce the whitening or "bleaching" effect.
Simply mixing a white and a yellow metal together does not just
produce a pale yellow colour, alloying produces a difference in the
atomic structure which alters the reflectivity of light of different
wavelengths.?
A typical nickel containing white gold alloy might be, in parts per thousand:
Gold 750, Copper 55, Nickel 145, Zinc 50
A typical palladium containing white gold alloy might be, in parts per thousand:
Gold 750, Silver 40, Copper 40, Palladium 170
http://www.18carat.co.uk/whatiswhitegold.html
?Gold alloys, aside from strengthening gold for jewelry, can also
affect its color. Various combinations of alloys and gold create
different shades of gold. When gold is combined with copper, a pink or
red tint is created. When gold is alloyed with copper and silver, it
retains its natural yellow shade. Yellow gold is the most popular
shade in the United States. Most gold jewellery contains a mixture of
at least two other metals. Green gold is achieved when silver, and
sometimes small amounts of copper and zinc, are used as the alloys.
When gold is alloyed with copper, nickel and zinc, white gold is the
result.?
http://www.pineglen.com/g_facts.htm
?Most pure metals are grey or silvery in colour except for gold and
copper. When carat gold contains large amounts of copper, compared to
other alloying metals (like silver & zinc), a red or rose gold is
produced. Many different rose golds have been alloyed and it is
difficult to match an old rose gold with modern alloys.
18 kt red gold is a subtle warm rosy colour. Yellow gold usually
contains gold, silver, zinc and other metals to enhance hardness.
Alloyed with silver (Electrum), it is very soft and is greenish-gold
in colour. 22kt gold is a very rich yellow colour and is soft. White
gold is usually from gold, silver and nickel (see table) and sometimes
palladium.?
Another good chart can be found on this site.
http://www.timezone.com/library/archives/archives631703251272822958
Gold Color Alloys Chart:
?Gold color is created by mixing in other various elements with gold
to create a gold alloy with various colors. No matter which gold color
is created, the pure gold is always present in the correct percentage.
For example, 18K gold will always have 75% pure gold contained in the
jewelry, while the rest of the alloy colors can be altered to create a
different color. One color for example is the popular white gold. It
is created by mixing in nickel to give it a whiter appearance. For
more information regarding the percentages and elements used, see the
chart below.?
http://www.dyjewels.com/je_goldcolor.shtml
?The purer the gold content in a piece of jewelry, the more valuable
it is. Gold is mixed with alloys, metals added to strengthen the gold
to create more durable jewelry, particularly in gold rings and gold
bracelets.?
http://goldprice.org/gold-jewelry/2005/12/24-karat-gold-jewelry.html
Not just jewlers use gold alloys--- ?Schroers and colleagues have now
shown that alloys containing gold, copper and silicon, with smaller
amounts of silver and palladium, have much better properties than
existing alloys. Although the new alloys are only 50% gold by number
of atoms, they are 75% gold -- which is equivalent to 18-carat -- by
weight because gold atoms are much heavier than copper and silicon
atoms.?--- although it CAN be --- ?"If headed into the supercooled
liquid region our alloy can be formed into complicated shapes at
around 150°C compared to the processing temperature of conventional
gold alloys of about 1000°C," says Schroers. "The alloy is very
interesting for the jewellery industry and we anticipate it being used
shortly because of its processing advantage and high hardness at room
temperature. It will improve current jewellery and might even allow
for new designs." The team now plans to vary the colour of the alloy
while keeping the other properties constant.?
http://physicsweb.org/articles/news/9/8/6/1
Question - Is it possible for the density of an alloy containing
gold to ever equal the same density of pure gold?
Rita,
Answer -- The only way that the alloy could have the same density as
that of pure gold (19.3 grams per cubic centimeter) is if the alloying
metal had the same density as that of gold AND the alloying atoms
packed (fit) in the solid crystal lattice in the same way as gold
atoms. Since those elements (metals) that are known to alloy with gold
all have densities and atomic sizes different from that of gold, I
think the answer to your question is, "no."
Regards,
ProfHoff 870
http://www.newton.dep.anl.gov/askasci/chem03/chem03313.htm
?Gold quality is determined by karat content or fineness, and each
karat is 1/24th part of the entire substance. Pure gold is 24 karats,
and as it is alloyed with other metals, the gold content decreases.
For example, 18k gold is 18 parts pure gold and 6 parts of alloy
metals; 14k gold is 14 parts pure gold and 10 parts other metals.
Red or pink gold (also called rose gold) contains large percentages of
copper and a small amount of silver in addition to gold. Green gold
is usually gold alloyed with additional silver or with silver that has
a small percentage of copper. White gold is primarily 75% gold with
the balance nickel, or both nickel and zinc. Gold alloyed with silver
alone minus nickel or zinc will be less hard than a nickel and zinc
alloy and also a lighter yellow color.
Copper alone added to gold makes the pure gold harder and more
difficult to work; therefore, some percentages of copper and silver
are usually combined in the alloy. White gold- formerly made of an
alloy consisting of gold, silver, and/or palladium (from the platinum
family)-is now also alloyed with nickel, copper, and zinc to produce
more ideal melting characteristics.?
http://www.handwovenbands.com/gold.htm
?Because pure gold is too soft to resist prolonged handling, it is
usually alloyed with other metals to increase its hardness for use in
jewelry, goldware, or coinage. Most gold used in jewelry is alloyed
with silver, copper, and a little zinc to produce various shades of
yellow gold or with nickel, copper, and zinc to produce white gold.
The color of these gold alloys goes from yellow to white as the
proportion of silver in them increases; more than 70 percent silver
results in alloys that are white. Alloys of gold with silver or copper
are used to make gold coins and goldware, and alloys with platinum or
palladium are also used in jewelry. The content of gold alloys is
expressed in 24ths, called karats; a 12-karat gold alloy is 50 percent
gold, and 24-karat gold is pure.?
http://www.goldandsilvermines.com/abtgold.htm
?Term "gold" can only be used if gold content is 10 K or better.?
http://www.asia-gems.com/jewelry/gold.php
Pricing:
========
Exact prices of precious metals and heavy metals change day to day.
Actual cost of an alloy is impossible to give, as it depends on the
price of gold that day, along with the price of the alloy and the
karatage of gold being made. Nickel and silver will decrease the cost
of a gold alloy. Today, palladium is less than gold.
Gold Prices today:
http://www.kitco.com/charts/livegold.html
Silver Prices Today
http://www.kitco.com/charts/livesilver.html
Palladium Prices Today
http://www.kitco.com/charts/livepalladium.html
Metal Prices
http://www.pleo.com/bcwire/metal_1.htm
?Spot silver <XAG=> rose as high as $9.43 an ounce but eased to
$9.38/9.41 by 1404 GMT, compared with $9.17/$9.20 late in New York on
Tuesday.?
?"Silver has lagged gold this year so some sort of catch up was
inevitable," said John Reade, analyst, UBS Investment Bank.
At its peak on Wednesday, silver was 7 percent higher than its level
at the start of 2006. It gained 30 percent in 2005.
Industrial metals prices traded around new record or multi-year highs
in Wednesday's London Metal Exchange (LME) midday floor business on
persistent fund buying. [nL25747595].
PLATINUM AT RECORD HIGHS
Platinum surged to a record $1,055/1,059 an ounce from $1,047/1,051 in
New York as positive fundamentals lifted fund buying.?
?In other metals, gold <XAU=> rose to $563.30/$564.00 from
$558.20/$559.00 an ounce in New York and near Friday's 25-year high of
$567.60. It has risen nearly 10 percent this year.
Palladium <XPD=> was up at $278/282 from $273/$277. (Additional
reporting by Lewa Pardomuan in Singapore, Miho Yoshikawa in Tokyo) ?
http://futures.fxstreet.com/Futures/news/afx/singleNew.asp?menu=latestnews&pv_noticia=MTFH25138_2006-01-25_14-36-05_L25686726
?But palladium does have one significant limiting factor: cost. The
recent rise in the price of palladium has made palladium white gold
alloys quite expensive. As a result, the alloy you use often depends
on the karat range you?re working in and the type of jewelry you?re
producing.
For example, most manufacturers of 10k jewelry would be delighted to
find a 10k white gold that does not require rhodium plating, does not
tarnish, can be either investment cast or mechanically worked using
standard techniques, and is appropriate for all product types.
Although they can get those properties from a 10k palladium white gold
that contains about 20 percent palladium, they aren?t willing to pay
the hefty price tag: Since palladium sells for $300 to $450 per ounce,
the 10k alloy in question would cost considerably more than a 14k
yellow alloy- around the 16k mark.?
?But for those who find the price prohibitive, there are other
elements that will bleach gold to varying lesser degrees, but most
have undesirable properties. Poor corrosion and tarnish resistance,
high degrees of segregation, embrittlement, and poor mechanical
deformation properties are often experienced with these palladium
alternatives.
Recently, though, alloy designers have introduced palladium
alternatives that have improved dramatically over their predecessors.
There are several alloys that replace some or all of the palladium
with other elements, such as manganese. (These were used in Europe a
number of years ago but were either modified or withdrawn due to
processing difficulties.) A nickel- and palladium-free alloy that
contains manganese is available in the United States. This is a
relatively new product and I am not very familiar with its
processing.?
http://www.ganoksin.com/borisat/nenam/white-alloys.htm
?Jewelry made from gold alloys may also be called ?gold-filled?
jewelry. This is not to be confused with gold-plated (costume)
jewelry, which usually is made by covering very inexpensive metal with
a thin coating of a gold alloy.
An ounce of solid gold is very expensive. Although gold prices
fluctuate from day to day, on October 12, 2005, the price of an ounce
of gold soared to $480.75, the highest in over 25 years (Reuters). In
addition, pure gold is also very soft and easily dents, scratches, and
abrades. The solution to making gold consumer-friendly is to mix it
with another metal, creating an alloy that results in a sturdier and
frequently less-expensive piece.?
http://www.asia-gems.com/jewelry/gold-alloys.php
?The main factor that effects the price of gold jewelry:
When purchasing gold jewelry, one secret that jewelry stores don?t
want you to know is that the weight of the gold jewelry is what
determines it's wholesale cost. This rule applies to all precious
metal jewelry, including silver and platinum.?
?Why do most jewelry stores fail to let you know the actual weight is?
Because the easiest way to make gold jewelry cheaper is to use less
gold and make it lighter. The main problem with using less gold is
that lighter pieces of jewelry such as gold chains can not hold a
higher tensile load when pulled. Or in the case of hollow rings and
bracelets which often come in contact with desks and other hard
surfaces, they may deform inwards like a banged up car. Some jewelry
stores that do not display the weight say that ?fine jewelry? is not
sold by the weight. Jewelry stores are not supermarkets, right??
?Because the weight of the precious metals in the jewelry make up the
majority of its cost. In gold jewelry, over 90% of the cost is
accounted from the cost of the gold itself. The manufacturing cost
required to turn the gold into finished jewelry is only about 10%.?
http://www.dyjewels.com/je_pricing.shtml
Historical Gold Prices
http://www.finfacts.com/Private/curency/goldmarketprice.htm
Additional Information:
=======================
About gold
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gold
An alloy calculator
http://www.legor.com/eng/matematica/index.php
http://www.goldensoftwareengineers.com/GoldSilverEngInfo.htm
I hope this answers your question! If not, simply request an Answer
Clarification, and I will be happy to assist you further on this
question, before you rate.
Regards, Crabcakes
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