3 Dirty Secrets That'll Change Your Mind About Yellow Gold

Racked is no longer publishing. Thank you to everyone who read our work over the years. The archives will remain available here; for new stories, head over to Vox.com, where our staff is covering consumer culture for The Goods by Vox. You can also see what we’re up to by signing up here.

Dismissed as gaudy and tacky, yellow gold is frequently sidestepped for platinum or white gold—but Safian & Rudolph Jewelers president Rich Goldberg sees a trend emerging: "A few years ago, 80%—90% of [my] customers chose white gold engagement rings, but more recently, the popularity of yellow gold is certainly on the rise," he says. Here, Goldberg reveals three little-known jewelers' secrets that'll have you rethinking that platinum or white gold band.

1) White gold was developed as a cheaper alternative to platinum
White gold has only been a popular choice for the last 20—30 years, and it was initially created as a cheaper lookalike for pricy platinum.

2) White gold and platinum scratch easily
While pure and dense, platinum scratches fairly easily, and white gold, which is plated in rhodium, needs to be dipped in the metal again to keep it looking nice. Yellow gold, on the other hand, becomes very durable as an alloy and never needs more than a polish to keep it looking almost new.

3) A diamond's imperfections are spotlighted by white metals
On a platinum or white gold band, the diamond must be completely colorless to look good against the silver metals. However, on a yellow gold band, a diamond that might have a slight yellowish hue can look completely colorless against the yellow gold. When you don't have to worry about a completely colorless stone, you can purchase a larger diamond without skyrocketing the price.
· Safian & Rudolph Jewelers [Official Site]
· 17 Dazzling Engagement Rings for Under $3K [Racked Philly]
· 16 Jewelry Gift Picks That Won't Zap Your Savings [Racked Philly]