The color rose gold has been trending for a while now, popping up in unique places such as interior décor, phone colors, and even makeup brushes. Rose gold is the best friend of everyone from the trendy blogger to the businesswoman on the go, and it seems that everyone needs a bit of rose gold in their life.
For all the attention rose gold gets, not many people know what rose gold is. So, what is rose gold? What are the details on this gorgeous and trendy metal?
In the short time rose gold has been around, it has had a few different names such as pink gold, red gold, and even Russian gold (the latter being a largely obsolete term). In jewelry, rose gold is an alloy made from a combination of yellow gold and copper. Depending on the ratio of gold to copper, the color, and name, of rose gold jewelry can range from orange-yellow to dusky pink to red-orange. The most popular is the pink rose gold color, containing the least amount of copper.
“18K Red gold is a mixture of 75% yellow gold and 25% copper. 18K Rose gold is a blend of 75% yellow gold, 22.25% copper, and 2.75% silver. 18K Pink gold is 75% yellow gold, 20% copper, and 5% silver.” (Nature’s building blocks: an A-Z guide to the elements by John Emsley).
Rose gold, first known as “Russian gold” was created by Carl Fabergé of Fabergé Russian Eggs in the 1800’s and was very popular in the age of the Russian Czars. After this, rose gold became briefly popular during the Victorian Era due to the pink-hue being perceived as romantic.
Rose gold was reintroduced in the 1920s by famous jewelry design house Cartier when they introduced their famous signature Trinity Band which consisted of three metals woven in one ring: yellow, white, and rose gold.
In the 1950s during World War II, the government had to place a ban on platinum for any other purpose other than commercial use. This in turn reintroduced rose gold back into jewelry design, appearing in some well-known designer’s and watchmaker’s collections.
Since the mid-1950s, rose gold has often been a favorite metal for many Avant Garde jewelry designers. While the demand for rose gold has fluctuated since it became more widely introduced in the 19th century, it has never seen this type of popularity that is happening currently. Rose gold is now a headlining color, pairing well with yellow and white gold thanks to its versatility.
It doesn’t seem that rose gold is going anywhere soon, with tech giants such as Apple and Samsung even producing rose gold phones. Not only is rose gold the hottest color right now, but as a metal, it is also highly durable, doesn’t tarnish and can be made into a wide variety of jewelry options. If you’re looking for a piece of rose gold jewelry, visit one of our Precious Metals Refinery locations to see our bespoke collection of jewelry at low prices!
