When did popularity switch from yellow gold to white gold?

Question

Most married women I know in their 40s and older have yellow gold wedding rings. However, most younger women have white gold wedding rings. Even a simple online search of engagement rings produces results of almost all white gold. Does anyone know exactly when or why the trend switched from yellow gold to white gold? Just curious.

Answer 1

You're definitely right, most older people I see wear yellow gold, while younger people seem to prefer white. I feel like white gold/platinum got really popular sometime in the 1990's while yellow gold was losing popularity, but I could be wrong. I am 32 and both my engagement ring and wedding band are yellow gold, but they're also both heirlooms from our grandparents, so it makes sense. I'm glad to have something a little different than what most of the people my age tend to wear.

Answer 2

Once upon a time it was tradition to wear gold rings as gold is considered pure and worth something. It was the only metal that was hardy, lasted and could be used for all sorts of things. it indicated wealth. The gold RING part came about because in a nut shell some famous dude gave one to his wife and everyone copy catted.



Come forward in time and all these new metals and materials are being used in jewellery and VOILA white gold rings. You didn't have to have yellow gold rings anymore. The options are endless.



Most women have silver in colour jewellery. Some still wear yellow gold but with silver, white gold, platinum and meteor rings available you don't have to have the yellow.



I personally like a silver look and since silver is not as hardy as platinum or gold I have a white gold ring. Which is still technically a gold ring but it only contains a small amount of gold.



My partner wears a platinum ring as he doesn't like the yellow gold look either.



Given all the choices today you'll probably be seeing more and more silver looking wedding jewellery but that doesn't mean that gold is dying out.

Hope this helps. :)

Answer 3

In a nut shell platinum was always the most popular pre 1900 for high end jewelry. Then it started to get too expensive and white gold took off particularly after World War 2. Gold is always popular on some level, but as people accepted white gold as a normal people migrated too that if they couldn't afford platinum.

Answer 4

I think it came about when platinum became so expensive it wasn't affordable by many any more, so people thought white gold was similar in look.

However, yellow gold will always be classic - and I've seen a return to many going back to it.

Answer 5

This is purely driven by economics my dear. My mother had a gorgeous white gold engagement ring and wedding band. The engagement ring had a huge diamond, and the band was encircled with diamonds and she was married many years ago. I asked her once as an inquisitive lad why her rings were white. She told me that white gold is more expensive.



And so it is I truly discovered. So in times of accelerating inflation we find yellow gold more popular and perhaps other cheaper metals. But the exclusive stores will always have a nice selection of white gold.



For me, we have $15.00 silver bands bought in Mexico, simple, elegant, and still brilliant after ten years. Yes, we celebrate ten years in May of this year. Time does fly so quickly. And every day together is still so very special. My hubby still brings me coffee in bed every day and still calls me "my love".

Answer 6

Fashion trends really.



Yellow gold was popular in the 80's & 90's but prior to that white gold was.



Myself, I'm not one that has to have what everyone else does, my rings look white gold but they're platinum and it wasn't due to a "trend" it was just simply that I like the while gold color better. Even when the yellow gold was popular, it wasn't my preference.



I'm under 40.

Answer 7

I got married 60 years ago and my rings are white gold. Both white and yellow gold were popular when I got married and I just preferred the white. And they are real white gold, not what passes for it these days with rhodium plating. Mine are just as shiny as the day they were bought.

Answer 8

in the 1990's yellow gold lost it's favor to white gold.



in the earlier years of the 1900's, platinum was more popular, albeit more expensive, than yellow gold up until the war years where most brides got plain yellow gold bands when they married.



yellow gold remained popular until the 1990's began to introduce bling to everything.



the other poster is incorrect. natural 24 karat gold is actually a reddish yellow in it's natural unaltered state.

the yellow gold used in fine jewelry is attained by using various alloy metals, just as the other gold colors are attained.



gold comes in white, yellow, rose, pink, green, blue, purple and gray. those colors are achieved by mixing the gold with various other alloy metals. for instance, white gold is a result of mixing reddish yellow gold with nickle, manganese, or palladium. the normal mix that gives us most commercial white gold is 90% gold, !0% nickle. many people are allergic to the nickle in most white gold so either have to use platinum or yellow or rose gold. white gold is not actually white...it is simply in the white spectrum but it's color is actually more of a gun metal gray to very pale yellow to pale pink. the white color is achieved by plating the gold with rhodium, a surface which eventually wears off and has to be replated. that is the major draw back for white gold.



green gold is achieved by mixing natural gold with silver and it occurs naturally and can be mined this way. it was used a great deal by ancient south american indian tribes as it is found naturally occurring there. of course rose gold is made with copper alloy.

Answer 9

Apparently, about 20-30 years ago when platinum prices rose-

http://philly.racked.com/2013/8/26/7653215/5-facts-thatll-make-you-rethink-yellow-gold

Answer 10

you're probably right. my wifes wedding ring is white gold and we're still pretty young. then again, my mom was 42 or 43 when she remarried and her ring is white gold as well

Answer 11

there is no such thing as "white gold" all gold is yellow so called white gold is substantially something else from silver to tin people who think it's gold are being duped, gold is virtually the only thing that can be virtually no gold content but still be called gold

Answer 12

What you're seeing many women wear now is platinum.