Pure gold is slightly reddish yellow.
While often simply described as "yellow," the color of pure gold has a subtle reddish tint. This is due to the way gold atoms absorb and reflect light. However, it's important to distinguish the color of pure gold from colored gold alloys, which are created by mixing gold with other metals.
Pure Gold vs. Colored Gold
Pure gold (24K) has its characteristic reddish-yellow hue. However, when gold is alloyed with other metals like silver, copper, or nickel, the resulting alloy can have different colors.
Colored Gold Examples:
- Yellow Gold: An alloy of gold, copper, and silver. The proportions of copper and silver influence the depth of the yellow color.
- White Gold: An alloy of gold with white metals such as nickel, palladium, or platinum, and often coated with rhodium for extra shine and durability.
- Rose Gold: An alloy of gold and copper. The higher the copper content, the redder the color. Sometimes also contains a small amount of silver.
- Green Gold: An alloy of gold and silver. It can appear greenish-yellow.
- Blue Gold: An alloy of gold with indium or gallium.
Therefore, while pure gold is reddish-yellow, the term "gold color" can refer to a range of hues depending on the alloy composition.
