White Gold Chains

Of the 46 chain styles on the site, 38 come in white gold. Every one carries the same price in white as in yellow, so color is a style choice, not a budget one.

A few styles are yellow only, like the herringbone chains and the Hollow Cuban Chain 6mm ($2,090). If a style you like is not offered in white, the custom process can quote it.

Pure gold is yellow. To make white gold, jewelers mix it with whiter metals such as palladium, nickel, silver or zinc. The karat still tells you the gold content: 10K white gold is 41.7 percent gold, the same as 10K yellow. The alloy alone often leaves a faint warm tint, so most white gold is plated with rhodium, a hard, bright white metal in the platinum family. That plating is what gives a new white gold chain its mirror-white look.

Rhodium is a thin surface layer. On a chain, the links rub against each other all day, so the plating thins first at the contact points. Over time you may see a slightly warmer tone there. It is not a defect and it is not fake gold; the gold underneath is the same. A jeweler can replate it to bring back the bright white. How often depends on wear, skin chemistry and how much the chain moves. Yellow and rose gold never need plating, which is one reason some buyers choose them for chains they never take off.

Diamonds pick up the color of the metal around them. White metal behind a white diamond keeps the stone looking colorless. Yellow gold can warm the look of a stone, which some people love and others avoid. That is why most iced pieces are white gold, including most of the lab diamond house necklaces. If you plan to wear a white gold chain with an iced pendant or a white gold watch, match the metal and the whole look reads cleaner. See gold Cuban links for the Cuban family in white.

Some white gold alloys contain nickel, a common skin allergen, and dermatologists advise people with a nickel allergy to choose nickel-free metals. Lower-karat gold has more alloy, so 10K carries more non-gold metal than 14K or 18K. If you know you react to nickel, ask about the specific alloy before you buy, or choose yellow gold. The gold karat guide explains how karat changes both color and sensitivity.

All three look white, and that is where the likeness ends. White gold is real gold, stamped with its karat, and keeps its value as gold. Sterling silver is 92.5 percent silver, softer, and tarnishes dark without cleaning. Stainless steel is a hard industrial alloy with almost no metal value. A white chain priced like steel is steel. A white gold chain will always carry a karat stamp such as 10K or 417.

Width and length work exactly like any gold chain: under 2 mm for pendants, 3 to 5 mm to wear alone, 20 to 24 inches for most men and 16 to 20 for most women. Clean white gold with warm water, mild soap and a soft brush. Skip harsh cleaners and chlorine, which are hard on both gold alloys and plating; our gold chain cleaning guide has the details. The Cuban weight chart applies to white and yellow alike, and steel vs gold explains why a white steel chain is a different thing entirely. Every order ships insured, and you can compare white next to yellow in person at the showroom at 7900 NW 27th Ave, Unit 506, Miami FL 33147. More styles at gold chains.