Rose Gold
Also: Red Gold (lighter variant), Pink Gold
Rose gold is a gold alloy with a characteristic pink to reddish hue that arises from a deliberate copper content.
Rose gold owes its warm, pink to reddish shimmer entirely to the alloying partner copper. The higher the copper content, the more intense and reddish the hue appears — which is why the boundary between rose gold and red gold is fluid and is governed more by convention than by any binding standard. You can quickly determine the fineness of the pure gold contained using the melt value calculator.
Composition and Colour Scale
The colour of rose gold results from the ratio of gold, copper, and a smaller silver content. Silver lightens the alloy and softens the red tone; without silver, a stronger red arises, which is referred to as red gold.
Typical compositions at a glance:
| Designation | Fineness | Gold | Copper | Silver |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rose gold 18 carat | 750 ‰ | 75.0% | 20.0–22.5% | 2.5–5.0% |
| Rose gold 14 carat | 585 ‰ | 58.5% | 30.0–33.0% | 8.5–11.5% |
| Red gold 18 carat | 750 ‰ | 75.0% | 25.0% | 0% |
The gold price always refers to pure fine gold (999.9 ‰); rose gold contains only the stated gold proportion — the remainder consists of base alloying metals that carry no precious metal value.
Properties and Processing
Copper makes rose gold noticeably harder than pure yellow gold of the same fineness. This has practical advantages:
- Greater scratch resistance — jewellery pieces retain their surface longer.
- Good dimensional stability — delicate settings and thin ring shanks are possible.
- Lower material cost — copper is considerably cheaper than gold; the copper price is far below the gold price.
A drawback is that copper can tarnish: perspiration and acids attack the surface and may cause skin irritation in sensitive wearers. Unlike white gold, rose gold is usually not rhodium-plated, since the colour of the base metal is the intended design goal.
Fineness and Hallmarking
In the United Kingdom, gold jewellery must be hallmarked in accordance with the Hallmarking Act 1973 and assayed at an official assay office (for example London, Birmingham, Sheffield, or Edinburgh). Rose gold carries the same statutory fineness marks as any other gold alloy, expressed in parts per thousand:
750 ‰ = 18 carat rose gold → gold content: 75.0%
585 ‰ = 14 carat rose gold → gold content: 58.5%
375 ‰ = 9 carat rose gold → gold content: 37.5%
A piece of jewellery marketed as "rose gold" need not necessarily be 18 carat. When buying, it is worth checking the stamped hallmark, which indicates the actual fineness. You can quickly determine the material value of a rose gold piece — based on the current gold price — in the gold calculator.
Distinction from Similar Terms
- Red gold: no or barely any silver, copper content ≥ 25% → distinctly redder tone.
- Yellow gold: classic gold-silver-copper mixture without a colour shift towards red.
- Tombac: a copper-zinc alloy without any gold content, gold-coloured, not a precious metal.
- Vermeil: silver jewellery with a thick gold layer — not solid rose gold.
In Brief
Rose gold is not an invention of the modern era — it was already popular in Russian jewellery ateliers in the 19th century, which is why it occasionally bears the historical name "Russian gold". Anyone wishing to determine the exact material value of a rose gold piece should simply multiply the gold content (fineness × weight) by the current gold price — copper and silver play only a minor role in the buying price.