A rainbow of gold? The metal that caused the rise and fall of kingdoms does indeed come in a wider spectrum than you may guess. But it takes an alloy to reflect a hue – other metals are added to 24K gold to take the color in a new direction.
Far from watering down the gold, mix-ins strengthen the precious metal and enhance its color. Even white gold comes with a little something extra: manganese, nickel, palladium, and platinum are common choices for lightening the tone (even then, the alloy is usually coated with a thin layer of rhodium to whiten and brighten). For that delightfully warm and whimsical hue we recognize as rose – or pink – gold, copper is called upon to work its magic, usually at a 75/25 ratio (so gold is still the dominant element). And in an attractive twist unique to the alloy, the color brightens and deepens with age – that's thanks to the tarnishing of the copper.
As for the other hues, there's purple (mixed with aluminum), blue (with indium), green (with silver), and black (with rhodium or ruthenium). Sound easy to mix and mingle? While all start with a malleable 24K gold, getting just the right percentages of the mix is a tall order – too much or too little and the alloy could be too hard, brittle, or impossible to work with.
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