White Gold and Rose Gold Explained: Alloys, Karats and Value
White gold is not a different metal, and rose gold is not a cheaper version of the yellow kind. Pure gold is always yellow: the white and pink shades come from the metals a jeweller mixes in, and the value of a piece still comes down to its karat and weight.
This guide explains what each alloy contains, which karats you will find in UAE shops, how well they wear, how they are priced, what happens when you sell, and what to ask if you are allergic to nickel.
White gold: white metals and a rhodium finish
White gold is gold alloyed with white metals that tone down its yellow colour. The usual partners are palladium, nickel and silver, sometimes with a little zinc. Recipes vary between manufacturers, and each behaves differently:
- Nickel makes a hard, strong and relatively inexpensive alloy, but it is one of the most common causes of skin allergy.
- Palladium, a precious metal from the platinum family, gives a nickel-free white gold that is slightly softer and costs more to produce.
- Silver is usually combined with other metals to fine-tune the colour and make the alloy easier to work.
Even after alloying, most white gold keeps a faint grey or warm tint. That is why most pieces are plated with rhodium, a rare platinum-group metal that gives the bright, mirror-white finish you see in shop windows.
The plating is thin and wears away with friction, especially on rings and bracelets, so the underlying colour starts to show after months or years depending on how you wear the piece. Re-plating is a routine job for most jewellers and usually costs little compared with the value of the piece.
Rose gold: it is all about copper
Rose gold owes its warm colour to copper. In 18K rose gold, 75% of the metal is pure gold and most of the remaining quarter is copper, with a little silver and sometimes zinc. More copper means a deeper shade, ranging from soft pink to what jewellers call red gold.
Because the colour is in the metal itself, rose gold needs no plating and does not fade with wear. Over the years it can take on a slightly deeper tone as the copper reacts with air and skin, which many owners see as part of its charm. Copper also hardens the alloy, so rose gold tends to resist scratches better than yellow gold of the same karat.
Which karats are available, and how tough are they?
Colour only appears where there is room for other metals. 24K is almost pure gold, so it cannot be white or rose. White gold is rarely made above 18K, because the more gold an alloy contains, the harder it is to hide the yellow. Rose gold is occasionally made in 21K or 22K, but with so little copper the pink is subtle.
| Type | Usual alloy metals | Common karats | Care needed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yellow gold | Silver and copper | 24K, 22K, 21K, 18K, 14K | Cleaning and polishing when needed |
| White gold | Palladium, nickel or silver, plus rhodium plating | 18K, 14K | Re-plating when the original colour shows |
| Rose gold | Copper with a little silver | 18K, 14K, occasionally 21K or 22K | Normal cleaning; no plating needed |
For durability the rule is simple: the lower the karat, the more alloy metal and the harder the piece. 18K is the standard choice for diamond and gem-set rings because it holds stones securely while keeping a high gold content, while 14K copes better with rough daily wear and costs less per gram. Our guide to gold karats compares them in more detail.
The price follows the gold, not the colour
A gram of 18K contains 75% pure gold whether it is yellow, white or rose, so its gold value is identical. Right now a gram of 18K costs 360.61 AED (UAE dirhams), and you can follow it minute by minute on our 18K gold rate page. The copper, silver or nickel in the alloy is worth very little next to the gold and is not priced separately.
What separates two price tags is the making charge, the stones and the brand. For example, take two 18K rings weighing 5 grams each, with 18K at 300 AED a gram: each contains 5 × 300 = 1,500 AED of gold. If the yellow ring is a simple band with a making charge of 50 AED per gram and the white one is rhodium-plated with a charge of 90 AED per gram, they cost 1,750 AED and 1,950 AED before VAT, with exactly the same gold inside. Our explainer on gold making charges shows how these fees are set.
Palladium-based white gold can cost more to produce because palladium is itself a precious metal. You will usually see that reflected in the making charge or the overall price rather than in the quoted gram rate.
Selling: what counts and what does not
When you sell white or rose gold, the buyer normally pays for the gold it contains: net weight × the gram rate for its karat, minus a deduction that varies from shop to shop. The colour adds nothing, the rhodium plating is not counted, and the making charge you paid is generally not recovered.
Stones need particular attention. Their weight is deducted before the gold is valued, and many shops will not buy them or will offer little for them. For example, a ring with a gross weight of 4 grams set with a one-carat diamond has 3.8 grams of gold to value, because a carat of gemstone weighs 0.2 grams. Shops in the Gulf write gold purity with a K, as in 18K, while the carat on a diamond certificate is a unit of weight.
A buyer may also want to test a white piece if its hallmark is unclear, since white gold looks much like silver, platinum or cheaper white metals. Platinum is a separate metal with its own price, which you can follow on our platinum prices page. Keep an invoice that shows the karat, gold weight and stone weight: it makes selling or exchanging far easier.
Nickel allergy: what to ask before you buy
Nickel is one of the most common causes of contact allergy. The usual signs are itching, redness or a rash where the metal touches the skin, often on a finger or earlobe. With white gold, problems can take months to appear, because the rhodium plating acts as a barrier until it wears through.
- Ask the seller what the white gold alloy contains, and request nickel-free white gold if you know you react to nickel.
- Yellow and rose gold do not normally contain nickel, but it is still worth asking.
- Higher karats contain less alloy metal, so 18K is usually less likely to cause a reaction than lower karats.
- Have white gold re-plated once the original colour shows through, to limit direct contact with the skin.
- If symptoms persist, see a dermatologist rather than simply switching pieces.
Frequently asked questions
Is white gold real gold?
Yes. An 18K white gold piece contains 75% pure gold, exactly like 18K yellow gold; only the added metals and the plating differ. Check the hallmark: 750 means 18K and 585 means 14K.
Why is my white gold ring turning yellowish?
Usually because the rhodium plating has worn away and the natural colour of the alloy is showing through. It does not mean the ring is fake; cleaning and re-plating normally restore the white finish.
Is rose gold cheaper than yellow gold?
Not in gold value: a gram of 18K rose gold contains the same amount of gold as a gram of 18K yellow. Any difference in the final price comes from the making charge or the design, not the colour.
Choose the colour that suits your taste and skin tone, then compare pieces on karat, weight and making charge. This is general information, not financial advice.
