Gold and silver are two of the most popular precious metals that have been used since time immemorial for making jewelry for the use of mankind. Gold is much more expensive than silver, and this is why other metals are added to gold to make a new metallic compound called white gold. White gold has become very popular and is used as a substitute for silver in all parts of the world. Many people become confused between white gold and silver because of their similar color. However, despite similarities, there are differences that will be highlighted in this article.
Silver
Silver is a grayish white metal that is considered precious and used to make ornaments and other objects of silverware. It is a rather soft metal that is also least expensive among precious metals. Silver is not recommended for jewelry that is used daily for a long time periods. This is because the ornaments made of silver are prone to get oxidized. However, because of its shine and color, it is used to make many different jewelry items such as necklace, earrings, bracelet, pendants, and rings. Men and women avoid it for wedding rings as it is prone to oxidization. However, if silver jewelry turns black because of oxidization, it can be cleaned to make it sparkling new once again. Because of its shine and lustre, the appeal of silver is very high among women. It is also popular because of the fact that it is very cost effective.
White Gold
All of us know that gold is a precious metal that is yellow colored and very expensive. To make it cheaper and within the reach of people, other metals are added to gold to make several alloys. White gold is one of them. It is the most popular color of gold after the natural yellow color. White gold is an alloy of gold and white metals like silver and palladium. Earlier, nickel was the metal used to add to gold to make it white gold, but nowadays, nickel is being avoided because of the fact that it causes allergic reactions to the skin of some people. Many people prefer white gold over pure gold as it is stronger and also cheaper than yellow gold. To be labeled white gold, gold must be mixed with at least one other white metal. All white gold is not equal simply because of the addition of different white metals and their proportions.
What is the difference between Silver and White Gold?
• White gold is basically gold mixed with at least one white metal such as silver, palladium, nickel, rhodium etc.
• Silver is a precious metal that is grayish white in color.
• White gold is more expensive than silver.
• Silver gets oxidized if worn continuously or daily though it can be cleaned.
• Wedding ring is not made of silver because of this reason and many people today prefer white gold over silver.
• Nickel is not used to make white gold these days as it can cause allergic skin reactions to some people.