Pink, Rose Or Red Gold? The Attraction Of Warm Colored Precious Metals

Especially since we are moving into autumn, the appeal of warm colored gold seems to be at a height. These hues have an even warmer tint and glow to it than traditional 18 karat yellow gold. Its popularity has been on the rise for quite a few years now, and many brands utilize its rich appearance to create exceptional watches. But what are these types of gold exactly?

As pure, 24 karat gold is not used in watchmaking, at least not for cases, bracelets or clasps, as it is too soft, all gold is an alloy. This means that it is mixed with other metals. With 18 karat gold, 75% of the mixture is pure gold, and the additional metals determine the color of the gold, either maintaining its yellow luster or giving it another tint. Many brands have their own ‘recipes’ for this. Which also means that terms like red, rose and pink gold are used interchangeably and that one brand’s red gold, can be another brand’s pink gold. It also doesn’t help that rose and pink as a word can also often be interchanged with each other!

In general, it is the amount of copper in the gold-alloy that determines if it is more on the red side or moves towards the rose/pink edge of the spectrum. The traditional composition of red gold is 75% gold, 4.5% silver, and 20.5% copper, with lighter colors lowering the amount of copper in favor of a higher content of silver. Mixing an alloy sounds much easier as it actually is, as this needs to result in a stable color that maintains its original luster for years. For this reason, many brands have created formulas of their own.

Hublot is one of the brands that are at the forefront of it, and one of their special colors of gold is called ‘King Gold.’ This has an even richer color than traditional red gold. Hublot achieved this by adding a higher copper content and stabilizing this with the addition of platinum. Rolex had a similar need and created their proprietary ‘Everose’ gold, a variety of pink gold, which they introduced in 2005.

Yet no matter how it is made, or named, the true appeal of these rich colored gold alloys lies in the eye of the beholder. Its tints especially perfect to add some additional warmth to our lives now the days are shortening.