Green Gold
Also: Electrum, Green Gold
Green gold is a gold alloy with a high silver content that gives the metal a characteristic greenish-yellow hue.
Green gold is created by alloying gold with a high proportion of silver – occasionally supplemented by small amounts of copper or cadmium. The combination of these metals absorbs certain wavelengths of visible light more strongly than pure yellow gold, producing the characteristic greenish shimmer. The current gold price forms the basis for valuing the fine gold content it contains.
Composition and Colouring
The colour depends directly on the silver content: from around 15% silver upwards, the yellow tone begins to fade and shifts towards green. Typical compositions for 18-carat green gold (750 gold) involve roughly 20–30% silver, with the remainder being pure gold. Historically, the term electrum was used for naturally occurring gold-silver alloys with 15–45% silver – the first coins of antiquity, for example in Lydia (7th century BC), were made from it.
| Silver content | Colour effect |
|---|---|
| 5–10% | Slightly paler yellow gold |
| 15–25% | Clearly greenish-yellow |
| 25–35% | Pale green |
| > 40% | Light grey-green (rare in jewellery) |
Cadmium as an additive intensifies the green tone considerably, but due to its toxicity it is largely banned in modern jewellery production.
Use in Jewellery Making
Green gold is found above all in fine jewellery and designer pieces, where it is used as a contrast to red, white or yellow gold. Technically it is easy to work with – similar to yellow gold – and can be soldered, drawn and stamped. The high silver content makes the alloy somewhat softer than red gold, which gains considerable hardness from its copper content.
The melt value can be calculated quickly if the weight and fineness are known; when selling, only the fine gold content it contains is paid out.
Distinction from Other Gold Colours
- Yellow gold – classic gold-silver-copper alloy, warmer in tone
- White gold – palladium or nickel alloy, cool silvery
- Red gold / rose gold – high copper content, warm red tone
- Green gold – dominant silver content, cool yellow-green tone
In Brief
Green gold is not a quirk of modern jewellery designers but one of the oldest gold alloys in human history. Anyone wishing to value a piece of green gold should check the fineness stamp and consult the current gold price – the silver content increases the weight but not the gold value of the piece.