Precious Metal Colours

A precious metal is a rare, naturally occurring metal which are not reactive and therefore ideal for jewellery.  April only uses ethical or Fair trade precious metals in her jewellery.  Fairtrade Gold and other precious metals are mined in accordance with Fairtrade Standards set by Fairtrade International.  Fairtrade Gold provides small-scale miners in developing countries the opportunity to improve their living and working conditions.

Pure gold is slightly reddish yellow in colour.  100% gold is 24 carat..

Typically silver and copper are blended with gold in varying proportions to give different properties, such as hardness and colours like white, yellow, green and red golds All coloured golds are less than this, with the common being 18 carat, 14 carat and 9 carat.

Yellow gold, below 18 carat, is a gold alloy and includes metals such as, silver, copper and zinc to strengthen the metal and enhance the yellow sheen.

 Rose gold, gets its distinct rose colour by adding to the gold a small amount of silver and copper.   Like yellow gold, the purity of rose gold is given in carats. Rose gold's properties and colour vary depending on the metals and proportions used.

 Green gold is a naturally-occurring alloy of gold, silver and cadmium. It actually appears as greenish-yellow rather than green. Like yellow gold, the purity of green gold is given in carats.

White gold the beautiful light colour of white gold results from the addition of a white precious metal to the gold.  Like yellow gold, the purity of white gold is given in carats. White gold's properties and colour vary depending on the metals and proportions used. 

April's white gold is created by mixing traditional yellow gold with high palladium (a metal similar to platinum), to produce the white colour, the palladium gives the ring a rich dark white gold colour which also makes it more durable.

Platinum, due to its scarcity, is a highly valuable precious metal.  It is a beautiful white metal, used almost in its pure form (approximately 95% pure).  Its properties make it extremely resistant to wear and tarnish which means that it is more resistant to scratching than gold.  As a consequence it keeps it's highly-reflective finish for longer.   It is a very dense precious metal, so it will feel even heavier than an 18ct gold ring.

 Applying a plating of rhodium gives rings a nice lustre, but the plating may need to be replaced during the lifetime of the ring, sometimes after a year depending on the conditions it is exposed to.  White gold rings are just right for people who prefer silver to gold jewellery, but want a more durable and hard-wearing wedding ring.

April does not generally plate rings but this can be done for a small extra charge.