White gold: how to distinguish from expensive metal

The special brilliancy and beauty of precious metals attracted the attention of primitive people. Their value has always been very high. Metals were used both as the first money for exchange for other valuables, and for making jewelry.

Precious metals

Even in ancient times, people noticed the unusual properties of certain metals, native ingots of which were found in nature. They did not yield to corrosion and did not change their properties under the influence of negative environmental influences. This was the main factor in determining the degree of nobility of sparkling chemical elements.

Up to the 18th century, only two noble metals were known to people, later they discovered platinum.

Gold

The most important precious metal in the world is gold. It was known to people even in the Stone Age. As a rule, a noble metal was found in nature in the form of native ingots with small impregnations of ores or in an alloy with silver.

As a chemical element, gold is characterized by high thermal conductivity and low resistance. A pleasant sunny color and a radiant surface made it the most popular metal for making jewelry. But for ornaments use not pure gold, but its alloy with other metals. This gives the mineral additional strength, changes color and quality characteristics.

The most traditional is yellow gold. Alloys of copper and silver are used for making this type of metal. Depending on the ratio of these impurities, it acquires the characteristic shades: reddish or lemon. In the jewelry business, the most common are products with hallmarks of samples 585 and 750.

Less common is red gold. It is distinguished by a democratic price due to the high copper content. Rose gold, thanks to a gentle shade and a small impregnation of copper and silver, has become popular for the manufacture of fashion jewelery houses.

There are a few rare alloys - green, black, blue and gray shades. Such colors are gaining popularity in jewelry business and become a field for experiments.

One of the most desirable and popular alloys is white gold. How to distinguish from silver and other alloys? In its composition admix platinum, silver and even palladium. These impurities positively affect the strength of products, and the shade is well combined with precious stones. Such decorations emphasize the status of the owner and are more refined in appearance.

Silver

One of the oldest noble metals. In nature it occurs both in native form and in the composition of ores. Silver is no less plastic than gold, and also more actively enters into chemical reactions.

Silver jewelry has always been popular. Metal is distinguished by a democratic price, and jewelry is perfectly combined with different shades of skin, suitable for any age and for any gender. Such jewelry looks simple, but nevertheless it is always very elegant.

Symptoms of difference

Of course, gold is much more expensive than silver. What other characteristics does white gold have? How to distinguish from silver and not overpay for scammers? The first and most important advice is not to buy jewelry in dubious places or with hands.

The external characteristics make very similar white gold and silver. How to distinguish?

The visual way to distinguish these two precious metals, of course, does not give one hundred percent reliability, but nevertheless can help highlight the external signs of products. If you look closely, you can see that the silver shines not so bright, because it does not have the characteristic for gold alloys.

How to distinguish white gold from silver visually?

Of course, with the help of modern rhodium coatings, silver can also be given a characteristic shine. And in order not to succumb to his influence, one can look at the trial, which must necessarily be present. Almost always silver has one sample - 925, and the figures are stamped in the form of a barrel, and the gold sample resembles a rectangle and can be 585 or 750 (with stones).

What common features are silver and white gold? How to distinguish a white gold alloy from silver? Let's consider further.

White gold and silver - how to distinguish? Photos of jewelry will help in this. For products made of gold are characterized by a special sophistication, originality and subtlety of work. Silver products are not peculiar, and to place precious stones in silver is also not accepted.

What else can be done to understand that in front of you white gold, how to distinguish from silver by other methods?

The authenticity of the metal can be checked with acids. At home, it is recommended to use vinegar. Upon contact with the acid, silver will turn dull and tarnish, and gold will not lose its luster. However, the acidic environment should not lose its original appearance either. If it is cloudy, it can be a sign of various impurities in the metal and a signal of forgery.

As you can see, noble white metals can be distinguished among themselves. You just need to take a good look at the product or apply vinegar.