By Gary A.
Edited by Brian M.
Published Mar 12, 2022
Edited on Dec 8, 2024
When it comes to choosing between white and yellow gold, the right option will not only complement your diamond but also reflect your personal style, offering a distinct look and feel for your engagement ring.
One of the great things about white diamonds is that they pretty much look good with anything. Their bright shine and attention-grabbing sparkle make them a clear focal point for any wearer, against any clothing or style, and in any shade of gold.
Nevertheless, making the choice between white and yellow gold isn’t as easy as shrugging peaceably and saying, “They both look good.” It’s a big choice and one that will totally change the look and feel of your ring once it is complete.
Putting as much thought into your diamond as you have, you want to make sure it’s complemented as much as possible by the setting, so which is the right metal for you? Read more below.
Before we dive deeper into the specifics, here are some practical tips to help guide your decision-making process:
Now that you’ve got these practical tips, use Jeweler AI below to find the perfect engagement ring that suits your style and budget:
Gold is naturally yellow. In fact, it’s naturally a lot more yellow than you might realise. 24K gold (pure gold) is very bright and saturated in color, whereas 18k gold, 14k gold, etc get noticeably less vibrant as you go down the scale.
You should never use pure gold for jewelry that is intended to be worn even semi-regularly since it’s too soft to withstand normal wear and tear. Alloys make the gold less pure, but they make it stronger and, in some cases, even more beautiful.
Some alloying metals change the color of gold, and that’s how we get white gold and the ever-trending rose gold. These shades of gold aren’t naturally found, but they are incredibly popular.
Impact: Bright, Modern, Celestial, Luxurious.
White gold is a combination of yellow gold, alloying metals like silver, nickel, and palladium – all colors can help to ‘dilute’ gold’s warmth to a near-white color. For that near white to become the stark, bright white you are used to seeing in jewelry, the metal needs to be dipped in rhodium, which forms a thin layer or ‘plate’ over the surface and takes away those yellow undertones the gold content will create.
Some people do prefer the look of white gold before the rhodium plating has been added, but it’s significantly less popular as it can make the jewelry appear a little antiquated.
We’ve written a much more comprehensive guide to white gold already, and it’s worth looking at if you’re considering this metal for your engagement ring.
White gold is often valued for the arresting contrast it creates against the skin but, when used to set a white diamond in place, the opposite holds true.
Like platinum, the silvery sheen of white gold creates a dazzling combination with a white diamond. It appears luminous – more intense than the rest of the wearers’ jewelry collection. Coupled with the brilliance and fire of a beautiful center stone, creates a radiant focal point on the wearer’s finger.
True, from a distance the boundary between metal and diamond is a little less clear than it is between a colored gold (yellow or rose) and a white diamond, but whether you see this as a positive or a negative comes down to personal preference.
White gold creates an elegant and understated setting for a diamond and a bold impression against any skin tone.
Impact: Classic, Warm, Romantic, Opulent.
The intensity of yellow gold’s color totally depends on karat type, since a lower karat will yield a much paler hue, while a higher karat type will yield a bolder, stronger yellow that stands out more against the skin – and a diamond.
Whichever karat type you choose, however, the effect will follow the same lines: a beautiful and compelling contrast of warmth and cold (the icy brightness of the diamond), and a timelessly opulent impression.
While white gold blends with the diamond, yellow gold has the opposite effect, maintaining that distinction between stone and metal, and allowing the elegant shapes of the setting to stand out without detracting from the diamond. Each prong, bead, and thread of gold stands out as a feature, but a skilled jeweler will ensure that these features remain secondary – architectural, yet decorative.
The contrast emphasizes the brightness, brilliance, and fire of the diamond, and makes it appear all the more luminous as a result.
One of the more practical benefits brought by yellow gold is its ability to ‘mask’ a small amount of color in a diamond. Since the setting will feature significantly more warmth and color, a diamond of, say, an I or J color will appear brighter as a result of this contrast. It’s not a miracle-worker and won’t make an L color diamond look like a D color diamond, but it’s handy to know.
Then again, while diamonds that have been graded at the lower end of the Near Colorless range tend to be complemented by yellow gold, the opposite holds true for diamonds that are practically colorless. If you invest in a diamond with a D, E, F, or even G color, you may find it is wasted against a yellow gold setting, particularly if the shape is prone to holding onto color.
White gold is similarly tricky. Any slight trace of visible color in your diamond is likely to be more noticeable in white gold than it would be against yellow gold, because of the contrast created between the two. Spending slightly more on a diamond with a higher color grade (around a G or H) will be the best solution, particularly if the diamond shape you have chosen is known for retaining color – for instance, the Cushion cut.
Just as the moon stands out better against a dark sky, so does a white diamond against a colorful setting. Sure, no one is going to overlook your diamond just because it’s in a white gold or platinum setting, but there is something particularly striking about the contrast of warm gold and stark white.
The main advantage to a white gold setting is the fact that it looks good with any color. If any of the accents in your ring’s design are fancy colored diamonds or gemstones, it’s a given that white gold will offer the ideal neutral frame for them – no clashing or awkward color combinations.
The clean, crisp beauty of white gold and platinum engagement rings is pretty much timeless. Some of the most influential engagement rings of all time – rings belonging to Elizabeth Taylor, Princess Grace of Monaco, and Beyonce, as well as signature pieces from brands as notable as Cartier and Tiffany & Co. – are defined by the timeless combination of bright, colorless metal and white diamond.
Yellow isn’t the most versatile color, although the natural beauty of yellow gold makes it more versatile than, say, a primary yellow. Besides, jewelers have combined the metal with every color of diamond and gemstone under the sun over the years, with dazzling results.
The question of white gold vs yellow gold is not easy to answer. Both metals have been used time and time again to create some truly beautiful designs, and there will never be a definitive ranking for the two.
One of the easiest solutions is to look in your partner’s jewelry box and see what they gravitate toward. A lot of people have a preference for one or the other.
Alternatively, consider a mixed metal engagement ring. Modern, bold, and a great way of incorporating the benefits both metals offer for diamonds into a single, unique piece.
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