Find your diamond
Find your jewelry
shape
carat
color
clarity

19K White Gold

Status
Not open for further replies. Please create a new topic or request for this thread to be opened.
hero_vc

hero_vc

Rough_Rock
Joined
Sep 15, 2003
Messages
28
Hi all,

Have anyone heard of 19K white gold Ring? I am a newbie here and this is the first time I''ve heard it from a jeweller. Can anyone give me some feedback? Pros and Cons?

VC
 
No I haven't, but I'm guessing it would be slightly softer than 18K but I don't know how that would translate into real world wear. I was tempted to say it would be a negligible difference, but then there's only 6K between 18 and 24K and that makes a *huge* difference. Maybe a benchman can chime in?
 
From what I've read it's more commonly used in Canada, Australiam and Europe.

Most folks I know like it.

win
 
I don't have personal experience with 19 kt white gold but have read that it resists scratches better than 14 or 18 kt and that it stays white much longer.
 
I believe that I've read that it's actually much harder and stays whiter than 18K white gold. However, I think it's also much more difficult to work with which is why it's generally harder to find.
 
----------------
On 10/14/2003 4:46:17 PM Smooth wrote:

I believe that I've read that it's actually much harder and stays whiter than 18K white gold. However, I think it's also much more difficult to work with which is why it's generally harder to find.----------------
Click to expand...


I don't understand how that is possible when the higher the number, the greater the gold content = the softer the metal, which also means the easier it scratches and bends. I'm hoping a benchman will offer more info on 19k gold.
 
I know it sounds counterintuitive, but I'm pretty sure that's what I read.
Perhaps the 19K gold allows different metals to be used in the alloy that make it stronger.
 
I did a quick Google search and that's indeed what a lot of them claim. I'd bet 19k uses a particularly durable alloy. Obviously it's not nickel and it looks like it's not palladium, so I wonder what it is? I'll continue investigating unless someone can provide us with an answer!
 
Okay, the mystery deepens. I emailed a really nice jeweler in Canada who said the manufacturer wouldn't tell him the alloy. However, part or most of it *is* indeed nickel. So, if in 18k gold the nickel doesn't mask the yellow very well, what is it in 19k that does?
 
Hi all,

Thanks for all the reply.
I know from my understanding, the higher the karat...the softer the metal.
But the jeweller claims that it's actually stronger than a 14K or 18K gold and it will stay white longer.
And you know what?!!! The price difference between the 18K and 19K is minimum (talking about $10-20 difference)
There must be some draw back, right?
Sounds too good to be true
lickout.gif


VC
confused.gif
 
Nice article. I purchased a 19k white gold engagement ring and we love it. It's really white and from what I've been told, very hard. It does cost more than 18k gold and is generally available here in Canada than south of the border. My jeweler, with 25 years of bench work works with all kinds of gold and platinum. He's the one that recommended me 19k since platinum, my first choice, was out of my budget. I asked why 19k isn't widely available and he told me that it is much harder to cast than other alloys.

-spencer
 
Bad me, I forgot to report back. I talked to that Canadian jeweler again and though the manufacturer wouldn't tell him the complete mix, the, uh, additive is supposely mainly...nickel. I would love any PS metallurgist to help figure this out.
 
Well, I found this document on the net.

White gold alloy compositions

According to this document, white gold 19k (OB 19), has a composition of:
16% copper
3% nickel
3% zinc
2% chromium
for a total of %24 non-gold alloys. That's 1% less than 18k (OB 18) which is %25 non-gold alloys. The article also explains the properties of the different kinds of white golds as they pertain to colour, hardness, etc.

This article is inline with what my jeweler told me in the sense that Europe has restrictions on the amount of nickel in gold. Apparently in North America, though I don't know for sure, there has yet to be a restriction set on nickel use in gold.

-spencer
 
Date: 11/5/2003 4:58:10 PM
Author: manhattan01
Well, I found this document on the net.


White gold alloy compositions


According to this document, white gold 19k (OB 19), has a composition of:

16% copper
3% nickel
3% zinc
2% chromium

for a total of %24 non-gold alloys. That''s 1% less than 18k (OB 18) which is %25 non-gold alloys. The article also explains the properties of the different kinds of white golds as they pertain to colour, hardness, etc.


This article is inline with what my jeweler told me in the sense that Europe has restrictions on the amount of nickel in gold. Apparently in North America, though I don''t know for sure, there has yet to be a restriction set on nickel use in gold.


-spencer
Click to expand...

I''m no jeweler or metallurgist, but I don''t think this is correct. The "19" in "OB19" has nothing to do with the alloy''s gold percentage (karat) as we can see by the fact that OB1 is 18k. As stated, OB19 has 24% non-gold elements. To be 19k, something needs to be 19/24 = 79% gold and 21% other. OB19, being 82% gold is 18.24 karat, which I would assume would be called "18 karat".
Anyway, the quoted article is not about all white gold alloys, it''s simply about a European study of low-nickel alloys.

I''ve done a small amount of looking around and can''t find anything really factual about 19k white gold. But I get the impression that a simple term like "19k white gold" is simply not informative enough anyway. Depending on what other elements compose the 21% that aren''t gold are, the alloy could have completely different color, hardness, workability, etc.

Steve
 
Date: 6/14/2005 3:49:50 PM
Author: antigoon

I''m no jeweler or metallurgist, but I don''t think this is correct. The ''19'' in ''OB19'' has nothing to do with the alloy''s gold percentage (karat) as we can see by the fact that OB1 is 18k. As stated, OB19 has 24% non-gold elements. To be 19k, something needs to be 19/24 = 79% gold and 21% other. OB19, being 82% gold is 18.24 karat, which I would assume would be called ''18 karat''.
Click to expand...
My understanding of karat gold is that the percentages are in weights of metals, not in volumes. So 19K gold is 79% gold in weight, but can be lower in volume if the other metals used are less dense than gold.
 
Status
Not open for further replies. Please create a new topic or request for this thread to be opened.
GET 3 FREE HCA RESULTS JOIN THE FORUM. ASK FOR HELP
Jewelry Blog
PriceScope-Concierge-Ad
Find prime cuts.
Top