White gold and rose gold: what they are worth to a buyer

The colour of a piece does not tell you how much gold is inside it. White gold and rose gold get their colour from the other metals mixed into the alloy, not from a special kind of gold. A white gold piece is commonly 18 karat and often carries a thin rhodium plating on top for shine. What decides what you are paid is the actual gold content, tested on a karatmeter, the same way we test yellow gold at our counter in Noida Extension, Greater Noida West, with pickups across Delhi NCR.

Why does white gold look white if it is gold?

Pure gold is yellow. To make a white alloy, jewellers mix gold with white metals such as nickel, palladium or manganese, then plate the finished piece with rhodium for a bright, even white shine. Even a well-made white gold alloy has a faint warm tint on its own; the rhodium coat is what gives it that hard white-silver look in the showroom.

Because more of the piece is alloy metal, white gold is usually made at 18 karat rather than 22 karat. It can be made at 14 karat too. The karat is what a buyer reads on the karatmeter; the colour is not read at all.

Does the rhodium plating mean I am not really selling gold?

No. Rhodium plating is a thin surface layer, a few microns thick, sitting on top of the gold alloy underneath. It does not add meaningfully to the weight of the piece and it is not counted as part of the gold. What you are selling is the alloy underneath, and that is what gets tested.

This is also why old white gold jewellery sometimes looks slightly yellow or dull after some years of wear, especially on rings. The plating wears thin with daily use. Jewellers replate it to freshen the colour, but the gold content of the piece has not changed either way.

Can a karatmeter read gold through the plating?

A karatmeter reading is taken directly on the metal, and a worn spot, clasp or the inside of a band usually gives a clean reading without any preparation. Where the plating is thick or fresh, we may take the reading at more than one point on the piece, or on a small area, to confirm the purity of the gold underneath rather than the coating on top. You are free to watch this happen; nothing about the process is hidden from you.

If you are not sure whether a piece is white gold, or some other silver-toned metal, call or WhatsApp 9217742656 and describe it before you make the trip. We can tell you what to expect at the counter and, if needed, arrange a pickup instead of a visit.

Why does rose gold look pink?

Rose gold gets its colour from copper. The more copper in the alloy, the deeper the pink or red tone. Copper is a normal alloying metal in Indian gold jewellery generally — it shows up in 22 karat pieces too, just in a smaller share — so its presence in rose gold is nothing unusual. Rose gold pieces are typically made at 18 karat or 14 karat, similar to white gold.

Is coloured gold worth less than yellow 22 karat gold?

Not because of the colour. A white or rose gold piece is not worth less for being white or pink; it is valued the same way any gold is valued, on its actual purity and its weight. The difference shows up because white and rose gold pieces are usually lower karat than the 22 karat, 916-marked gold common in traditional yellow jewellery. Gram for gram, an 18 karat piece carries less pure gold than a 22 karat piece of the same weight, and that is what the karatmeter reading and the day's rate are applied to. For more on how karat changes the maths, see our note on 22k, 18k and 14k.

If you searched for cash for gold or sell gold near me while holding a white or rose gold piece, purana sona in a different colour, the process at the counter does not change. We weigh it, read its karat on the karatmeter, and work out the figure from there. If Hindi terms are easier for you to read in, see gold bechna hai for the same explanation in Hinglish.

Questions people ask

Does white gold sell for the same rate as yellow gold? The published rate applies to a fixed purity. What you are paid depends on the actual purity of your piece, so an 18 karat white gold piece and a 22 karat yellow gold piece of the same weight are valued differently because their purity differs, not because of colour.

Does the rhodium plating on white gold reduce what I get paid? No. The plating is a thin surface layer. The karatmeter reads the gold alloy underneath, and the piece is valued on that reading, not on the plating sitting on top of it.

Is rose gold the same purity as regular gold jewellery? Not necessarily. Rose gold is usually 18 karat or 14 karat, while much of the yellow gold jewellery sold in India is 22 karat, marked 916. Colour does not tell you the purity; only a karatmeter reading does.

How a karatmeter reading is taken, step by step · What 916 means on your jewellery, and how to read the other marks