Sterling Silver Or White Gold

How does white gold look and feel.

Sterling silver or white gold.

Regarding white gold nickel is generally used as the alloy but often white gold is plated with rhodium a silvery white metal in the platinum family. Sterling silver is mixed with copper which is a less expensive metal. Silver durability pure silver and pure gold are soft metals that are not recommended for use in jewelry. If the silver was any purer then it would be to soft to use.

To many this makes the piece lose its appeal. Sterling silver is more prone to tarnish and corrosion because it reacts with oxygen in the air because of its copper content thus requiring more cleaning. Sterling silver is the most affordable white metal on the market today. It only needs periodic cleaning to maintain its shine.

While sterling is the same metal alloy in and out. Unfortunately with time white gold may lose its rhodium coating and show its inner color. White gold is a harder more durable jewelry and demands less care than sterling jewelry. Yet if more gold has been placed into the alloy this may cause its color to alter.

White gold is resistant to corrosion because it is commonly rhodium plated. Due to it being an alloy white gold can be found in. The most obvious difference between sterling silver and white gold is the fact they are made from two different precious metals. As mentioned above sterling silver is 92 5 pure silver alloyed with copper but in some cases nickel may be present in the other 7 5 of metals.

One of the most common metal allergies is nickel which can be used in both white gold and silver. Sterling silver is the highest grade of silver that can have any practical use and is usually 92 5 percent silver and 7 5 percent copper. Normally white gold consists of gold silver and copper. Typically white gold is more valuable than sterling silver.

Sterling silver and white gold both have their pros and cons. The sterling silver ring is much more affordable than the white gold ring even though they look very similar. Though in some cases it may be made with lesser quality metals such as a skin irritating metal like nickel typically the higher the purity level gold percentage of white gold the more valuable the piece will be.