14k yellow gold - nickel free setting vendors?

[Lynniiee]

Hi, I'm looking to have a setting custom made and I've heard from a few vendors that they could do a nickel free 14k yellow gold alloy and a few that they could not...

I was wondering if anyone knew of any vendors who had nickel free 14k yellow gold? Really curious about the popular JA, Blue Nile vendors, and also any custom setting vendors.

I've reached out to David Klass about my custom engagement ring, but haven't heard back yet. I might try to take advantage of some black friday sales for the wedding band!

 

[Karl_K]

I want to say all, but will settle for all that I know about yellow gold alloy is nickel free.
Nickel was/sometimes still is used in white gold to turn it white.
Many designers will not use 14k, the min. they will use is 18k in yellow gold.

One classic mix for yellow gold is:
14K Yellow Gold
58.5% fine gold
29% copper
12.5% fine silver

18K Yellow Gold
75% fine gold
15% copper
10% fine silver

There are a lot of variations of that mix but none of them that I know about have nickel.
Verify with the person making the ring and have them check to make sure.

 

[Karl_K]

Another classic mix:
Caratage Gold(Au) Silver (Ag) Copper (Cu)
Yellow Gold 14k 58.30% 30% 11.70%
Yellow Gold 18k 75% 15% 10%

Again no nickel.

 

[Karl_K]

If your looking for nickel free white gold you want: White Gold with Palladium

 

[Lynniiee]

Thank you! I thought that as well, but for some reason I've been told from a few that it wouldn't be possible and that there's nickel in some yellow gold alloys (BrilliantEarth, Green Lake Jewelry Works)

I'm not sure if they just didn't know and were assuming based on their white gold alloy, or what...

 

[Karl_K]

Strange, ok im going to ping some other experts but I dont expect any replies tonight.

 

[rockysalamander]

@Karl_K . I'm with you. I've never heard of nickel in yellow gold. The whole point of the nickel is to whiten the yellow of yellow gold. I wonder if the vendors saying this are really being overly cautious about any potential minor contaminations. Looking forward to hearing from your peeps.

{p.s. I'm thankful for all your input and help here on PS!}

 

[Garry H (Cut Nut)]

Absolute rubbish!
There may be a tiny bit of zinc in 10K, but never nickel in yellow golds. If there is it cracks and is nasty to work and looses its yellow color

 

[AprilBaby]

I hav,e never been allergic to yellow gold and I am very allergic to nickel.

 

[oldminer]

No sane jeweler would mix nickel as an alloy in a yellow gold. It was commonly used for white golds years ago and is far less commonly used today. It is illegal to use nickel in some countries as a white gold alloy, but it is a world-wide known fact that some people have an allergy to it, so generally it is avoided. One rarely sees anyone allergic to 14kt or 18kt yellow golds, but white gold can more often cause some minor issue and who knows without x-ray analysis if it might even be nickel?

 

[Karl_K]

Thank you Dave and Garry that is what I was thinking.
Some people have a reaction to the copper in yellow gold but it is much more rare than a reaction to nickel is the closest I can find.

 

[david b]

In yellow gold there should be no Nickel at all. Nickel is inserted in White Gold alloys to make it look whiter since Gold is yellow and it is a hard task turning yellow into white.

 

[Garry H (Cut Nut)]

For the record - there will soon be such a thing as antique white gold. Developed after the first world war

 

[Lynniiee]

Thank you all so much, I'm guessing since it's less popular than white gold and white gold usually contains nickel they must have just assumed yellow gold did too...

Still very comforting to know, especially while ordering online!