You may already know that pure gold is not magnetic, and you can tell if jewelry is real gold by hovering a strong magnet over it. However, as white gold contains other metals to make it whiter in color, you may wonder if white gold is magnetic.
Although white gold often contains other metals, such as silver, zinc, and nickel, the resulting product is not magnetic. White gold may sometimes react to a high-frequency metal detector, but it will not react to a magnet like gold-plated items. Even though nickel is magnetic, white gold isn’t.
It might be slightly confusing that white gold isn’t magnetic, considering the metals that are mixed to make white gold. To help you understand the qualities of white gold, we will discuss how jewelers make white gold and how you can test to see if something is white gold or another metal.
Why Isn’t White Gold Magnetic?
To understand the properties of white gold, you must first know what white gold is made from. White gold doesn’t come from the earth. Instead, it is a mixture of yellow gold and silver, nickel, or zinc. The other precious metals are white and therefore give white gold its color.
White gold is graded according to the amount of pure gold (24k gold) present in the alloy. For example, 10k white gold has 10 parts pure yellow gold and 14 parts of another metal or mixture of metals. 14k white gold has 14 parts pure gold. 18k white gold has 18 parts pure gold and 6 parts of another metal.
The other metals are added to pure gold to give it a white color. But they are also added to pure gold to increase its durability and strength. Pure gold is incredibly soft, and it needs to be reinforced to use it for making jewelry.
Pure gold is also not magnetic. One way to test if something is made of pure gold or if it is gold-plated is to hover a strong magnet over it. On the contrary, nickel is one of four magnetic metals. As nickel is often added to pure gold to create white gold, you may wonder if this means that white gold is also magnetic.
The answer to this question is no. Although nickel could theoretically make white gold magnetic, there isn’t enough nickel in white gold to change its magnetism. In some cases, you may notice the slightest magnetic pull when placing a strong magnet next to white gold. However, the reaction won’t be nearly as strong as when you place a magnet next to fake gold or gold-plated items.
Metal detectors are often used to find gold and other metallic items hidden beneath the sand. However, as metal detectors work with magnetic fields, one might ask how they can detect non-magnetic items, such as gold.
The truth is that not all metal detectors can identify gold if it’s hidden beneath the sand. Only high-frequency metal detectors can detect gold items, as the frequency these metal detectors are set to can react to gold items. However, these metal detectors are much more expensive, and this isn’t an indication that gold is magnetic.
Is White Gold Durable?
Considering how soft pure gold is, it’s reasonable to wonder about the durability of white gold. Fortunately, because of the other metals added to create the white gold alloy, white gold is highly durable. It is scratch-proof and tarnish-proof. White gold is also waterproof, meaning you can wear it when swimming or taking a shower.
If you take care of your items well, a white gold piece can last many years. In addition, you can reuse white gold to make another piece. Therefore, you can change the white gold to make a trendier piece of jewelry.
Because of these factors, white gold is considered a durable alloy, and it is perfect for everyday wear. While white gold may become dull or dirty with time, you can clean it with a soft rag and soap. You can also have your white gold piece professionally cleaned to ensure the color stays bright and beautiful.
Is White Gold Valuable?
The following question you may have about white gold is whether it’s valuable or not. White gold has other metals mixed into it, so you may assume that white gold is worth less than yellow gold. However, yellow gold also has other metals mixed into the alloy to make it more durable.
Therefore, white gold has the same value as yellow gold when you compare them according to weight and grading. The more pure gold is in the white gold alloy, the more valuable it is. This means that 18k white gold is significantly more valuable than 10k white gold.
However, regardless of the amount of pure gold in the alloy, white gold, like yellow gold, will increase in value over time. Therefore, you can consider your white gold piece as an investment, as you can sell it later for a better price than you bought it.
Because white gold is such a valuable metal, it is often used to make engagement and wedding rings. Although white gold isn’t as durable as platinum, it is a valuable and durable metal and therefore great for items that you wear every day, such as a wedding ring.
How To Tell If It’s Real White Gold
Your final question may be how to determine if a piece of jewelry is made from white gold or if it is made from another metal. The first test, as discussed above, is to see if the metal reacts to a magnet. If the metal is magnetic, it’s not white gold. However, as many other metals look like white gold but aren’t magnetic, this isn’t a definitive test.
White gold will have a stamp indicating the amount of pure gold in the alloy. Therefore, white gold will have a stamp with the numbers 10k, 14k, or 18k. An older white gold piece may also have slight scratches, as white gold is relatively soft.
Platinum or stainless steel may also look like white gold at first glance. However, these metals have a shinier appearance than white gold. In addition, they are scratch-proof, so they won’t have any markings on them.
Sterling silver also looks a bit like white gold. However, if the sterling silver is older, it may be tarnished, meaning it looks dull and worn. White gold doesn’t tarnish and will not look as dull as sterling silver.
Conclusion
White gold is an alloy made from pure gold mixed with zinc, sterling silver, or nickel. Despite the presence of magnetic metals, white gold is not magnetic. It is durable and valuable, and its value increases with time. White gold is often used to make wedding jewelry and is perfect for everyday wear.
Other metals, such as platinum, stainless steel, and sterling silver, may look like white gold when you first look at them. However, upon further inspection, you’ll notice slight differences between these metals and white gold.
