White Gold Metals
Also: whiteners, bleaching metals (gold)
White gold metals are the precious metals that give gold a silvery-white colour when used as alloying partners — chiefly palladium, platinum and nickel.
White gold metals are the alloying partners that give gold its characteristic silvery-white colour. Because pure gold (fine gold 999) is naturally a rich yellow, metals are added deliberately to neutralise or fully mask that yellow tone. Depending on the whitener chosen, the resulting alloys can differ greatly in their properties — technically as well as in skin compatibility and price.
The main white gold metals at a glance
| Metal | Effect | Typical share | Distinguishing feature |
|---|---|---|---|
| Palladium | strongly whitening | 5–15% | hypoallergenic, valuable |
| Platinum | whitening | up to 10% | very hard, expensive |
| Nickel | strongly whitening | 8–20% | cheap, but allergenic |
| Silver | lightening | 10–25% | slightly yellowish residual tone |
Palladium is today the preferred whitener for high-quality jewellery alloys. A platinum-group metal, it is hypoallergenic and gives 750 white gold (18 karat) a natural whiteness without necessarily requiring rhodium plating. Pd white gold typically contains 5–15% palladium alongside further alloying metals such as silver or copper.
Platinum as a whitener also produces a very bright, allergen-free alloy, but is less often encountered because of its high cost. More frequently platinum is used as a jewellery metal in its own right, in pure alloys (950 Pt).
Nickel was the most common whitener until the 1990s. Since the EU nickel directive (Directive 94/27/EC, carried forward into REACH) nickel content in jewellery has been tightly limited, because nickel often triggers contact allergies. Older white gold therefore frequently still contains nickel — recognisable by the stronger yellow cast once the rhodium plating has worn off.
Rhodium plating as a surface protection
Most white-gold jewellery is given a final rhodium plating — an electrodeposited layer of rhodium (0.1–0.5 µm). Rhodium is a platinum-group metal, extremely hard and corrosion-resistant, and it reinforces the white appearance considerably. After years of wear the layer rubs off and reveals the slight yellow tone of the base alloy; a refresh at the jeweller is then customary.
Price and market significance
The palladium price and the platinum price directly affect the input cost of white-gold alloys. Rising palladium prices — as seen between 2016 and 2022 — can prompt makers to switch to nickel or higher silver shares. The melt value of a white-gold piece therefore stems not from the gold content alone but from the entire alloy composition.
Note: statements about the tax treatment or return prospects of white-gold alloys are not tax or investment advice.
In brief
White gold is created by deliberately adding palladium, platinum or nickel to fine gold; the choice of whitener determines the alloy's colour, skin compatibility and price. A final rhodium plating provides the distinctive high gloss and protects the surface.