WHITE GOLD! between 10k and 14k can you tell the difference in color?

Question

i have an engagement ring that is 10k white gold (because i tend to bang up jewelry i pick this karat) anyway i'm getting married in december and i'm looking for a band. i picked one with a row of diamonds but its 14k white gold. i really like the ring and think it'll compliment my engagement ring but i'm unsure if i should get it because i dont know if it'll look the same! i have a good eye for detail and if i can tell i dont want it. i'd rather go with a regular band if i can't find what i'm looking for. my husband and i are also on a budget so we have to get something in our price range.

please let me know if you know for sure if there is a difference or not!

thanks

Answer 1

I doubt that anyone would be able to tell the difference.  Yellow gold, sure.  White gold, not likely.

Answer 2

i think they pretty much look the same. you would probably get a better answer asking a jeweler.

Summer

Answer 3

You shouldn't be able to.

Answer 4

Honestly there isn't much of a difference.  But be aware that when 14k starts to tarnish or what not it has a yellow hue to it.  But to solve that problem you can easily get the ring redipped in Rhodium plating.  It only costs about $30.  

But to be sure if you have your engagement ring with you, you can compare the two rings at the store.

Answer 5

White gold is rhodium plated so there will be no difference between the different kinds (if it were yellow, then yes you can tell.)

Answer 6

14K gold has more yellow to it than white.

Hope this is helpful!

Answer 7

It's going to depend on the quality of the gold and the length of time you've had it. "White gold" is actually yellow gold that has been treated. Over time, white gold will turn yellow. It can be treated to be made white again, but the best thing to do is to compare in person. Sometimes 10k from 2 different jewelers can be very different colors.

I worked for a jeweler with low quality white gold when I started and high quality when I left. So the old rings that came in for repair turned yellow very quickly. I would suggest going with a well established jeweler and like I said compare in person if you want them to match.

Answer 8

The K rating is the percentage of pure gold in the alloy, expressed in 24ths.   However, the other metals in the alloy effect the color too, so not all white gold is the same color,even though they are "white". They may be quite similar though.

I would think a jeweler would let you see them together, to see what you think.

Answer 9

Try here: http://www.jamesallen.com/wedding-and-an...

Answer 10

There shouldn't be, the karat rating is mostly the strength of the metal.  Also, most white gold jewelry is coated in an outside layer of nickel (which makes it white) beyond just the mix of metals. So that outside coating will be identical no matter the karat.

Eventually, over a lot of time, they may fade and yellow (which all white gold does) at different rates, but that would be a very subtle difference.  And you can always get them re-plated with nickel.

Answer 11

there isnt really a difference in color. If there is, its so slight nobody would notice. I think the carat is mainly how strong the gold actually is, so u should be ok. 10k and 14k arent that big of diff. anyways

Answer 12

14 K  is about 58.3 % real gold

10 K is about 41.7% real gold

it may not sound like a big difference but it is i would suggest getting the same you can always change the band

Answer 13

White gold is an alloy made up of yellow gold and another metal to whiten it....palladium or nickle...really top quality white gold is whitened by the use of platinum...only an experienced goldsmith can do that so you really pay....the metals are mixed together, much like mixing white and red paint to get pink.....the end result is white gold thru & thru...it is NOT a surface treatment, this is an alloy, a 'created' metal...inside & out, the metal is consistant in it's composition.

10k white gold contains less real gold than 14k white gold...both are coated with rhodium for that bright white mirror shine that seems to be popular today-real white gold is never that brilliantly shiny no matter how it is polished, also, lessr quality white gold will have a slight yellow cast to it (top quality has more of a silvery-gray look, like platinum) and the rhodium coating hides that fact.....and it's not a matter of 10k vs. 14k, but the quality of the metals used to create the white gold alloy......

To the eye, with the rhodium plating, you will not be able to tell the dif.....when the plating wears off the gold underneath will look slightly yellow if the white gold is of lesser quality, or silvery-gray if it's of a better quality.....

white gold is NOT yellow gold plated in rhodium, white gold, or nickle....that is nonsense...it is white gold thru & thru......the color purity of the white gold depends on quality.....period.

I suggest you check out antique stores that sell old white gold jewelry so you can see for yourself what really good white gold looks like in it's 'natural' state...it should be close to platinum in color....it will be shiny but not mirror bright.......that's the rhodium coating doing that...just be aware of this when you shop...my engagement ring setting to my first marriage (1974) was white gold...no plating...it was a silvery-gray, couldn't tell it from platinum, and never turned yellow......good luck.