Is white gold the same as titanium?

The answer is No. White gold and titanium have their own properties which make them unique. The following white gold information and titanium information will show you the difference between the two metals.

You will discover the difference between white gold and titanium and whether white gold or titanium is best for your needs.

White Gold

White gold is an alloy of gold and some white metals such as silver and palladium. White gold can be 18ct, 14ct, 9ct or any karat. For example, 18ct yellow gold is made by mixing 75% gold (750 parts per thousand) with 25% (250 parts per thousand) other metals such as copper and zinc. 18ct white gold is made by mixing 75% gold with 25% other metals such as silver and palladium. So the amount of gold is the same but the alloy is different.

Traditionally nickel was used in white gold, however, nickel is no longer used in most white gold made today as nickel can cause reactions with some people. We do not use nickel in our white gold

When white gold rings are new they are coated with another white metal called Rhodium. Rhodium is a metal very similar to platinum and Rhodium shares many of the properties of platinum including its white color.

The rhodium plating is used to make the white gold look more white. The natural color of white gold is actually a light grey color. The Rhodium is very white and very hard, but it does wear away eventually. To keep a white gold ring looking its best it should be re-rhodium plated approximately each 12 to 18 months. Most local jewellers are able to rhodium plate jewellery for a cost effective price.

See Gillett's Jewellers white gold jewellery by choosing a category below:

• Ladies white gold engagement rings
• Design your own engagement ring setting section
• Ladies white gold wedding rings
• Men's white gold wedding rings
• Ladies white gold dress rings
• Men's white gold dress rings
• White gold earrings
• White gold pendants.
  
  

Titanium

Titanium is a white metal, but unlike gold it is used in jewellery in almost its pure form (approximately 99% pure). Titanium is extremely long wearing. Its natural color is a gray color.

Titanium is very lightweight, so a titanium ring will feel much lighter than an 18ct gold ring and much lighter than a platinum ring.

Titanium is also 100% hypoallergenic.

Titanium also has a unique property which allows the titanium to be colored to bright colors such as blue, purple and black. See more information about colored titanium rings here.

Unlike other metals (such as gold, platinum and silver) titanium is a difficult metal to work with from a jewellery perspective. Titanium is a very hard metal which wears down jewellery making tools very quickly. Titanium also cannot be soldered (joined by heat).

Soldering is used in the manufacture of the majority of traditional jewellery items. Because titanium cannot be soldered, the method of making some jewellery items is restricted when using titanium.

For example titanium cannot be used to make a prong setting for an engagement ring. That is why you will see that many titanium rings have parallel bands rather than tapering bands and why you will not see titanium rings with prong settings.

(To cater for our customers wanting a titanium engagement ring, we can add a gold bezel setting to a titanium band.)

For the metal itself titanium is generally less expensive than 9ct white gold. However, because titanium is difficult to make jewellery with the labor costs of titanium can make the price of a titanium jewellery a little higher. Though white gold will still normally command a higher price than titanium.

See Gillett's Jewellers titanium jewellery by choosing a category below:

• Titanium rings
• Titanium engagement rings
• Design your own titanium ring section
• Titanium bracelets

Which metal should you choose?

• Titanium and white gold are available in a wide range of rings
• Titanium is hypoallergenic vs. Some people experience skins reactions to gold
• Most white gold rings can be resized vs. Titanium rings cannot be resized
• White gold can be used to make virtually any ring style vs. Titanium cannot be used to make prong and bezel settings (though we can use gold prong and bezel settings with a titanium band)
• Titanium can be made in bright colors such as blue or purple vs. white gold cannot be made in bright colors
• White gold normally will need to be rhodium plated each 12-18 months. vs. Titanium in its natural color does not need to be re-coated.
• Both titanium and white gold rings can be re-polished by a local jeweller.
• Both titanium and white gold can be re-textured by a local jeweller.
• Titanium is normally less expensive than white gold