Gold and silver are two precious metals that have been highly valued throughout history for their beautiful colors and shine. When blended together in various ratios, gold and silver create a range of alloy colors from pale yellow to grayish-white. The exact color that results from mixing gold and silver depends on the karat amounts and percentages of each metal in the alloy.
Colors of Gold and Silver Alloys
Pure 24 karat gold is a rich yellow color while pure silver is a bright white color. As silver is added to gold in increasing amounts, the yellow gold color becomes paler and less saturated. Eventually, with more silver than gold, the alloy appears more silvery-gray or pale grayish-yellow. The following table shows the typical color ranges that occur with gold and silver alloy mixes.
| Alloy Mix | Karat | Color Range |
|---|---|---|
| 90%+ gold | 22kt | Deep yellow |
| 75%+ gold | 18kt | Yellow |
| 50% gold/50% silver | 12kt | Pale yellow to yellowish gray |
| 25%+ gold | 6kt | Grayish yellow |
| 10%+ gold | 4kt | Pale grayish yellow |
| Sterling silver (92.5% silver) | – | Bright white |
As shown, an 18 karat gold alloy maintains a nice rich yellow color since it still contains 75% or more gold. But as the gold content drops below 50%, the yellow becomes very faint. A 50/50 mix of gold and silver produces a pale yellow or soft gray look. Once the silver content surpasses the gold, the gray color becomes dominant.
Why Gold and Silver Create These Color Blends
The colors produced when gold and silver are combined can be explained by the inherent optical properties of each metal. The yellow color of gold is a result of how the metal absorbs and reflects different wavelengths of light.
Gold strongly reflects yellow and orange light wavelengths while absorbing blue light. This selective absorption and reflection is what gives pure gold its signature golden-yellow appearance. The yellow color grows stronger and deeper as the gold content increases from 18kt to 22kt and beyond.
On the other hand, silver is highly reflective across the entire visible light spectrum. It does not selectively absorb any colors more than others. This balanced and full reflectivity makes silver appear white and bright when polished.
When the two metals are blended, their optical properties merge to produce the intermediate colors. Having more gold maintains some yellowness while higher silver content adds more white/gray character. But both their reflective attributes combine to create unique hybrid hues.
Purposeful Blending for Jewelry
There are practical and aesthetic reasons why jewelers intentionally mix gold and silver when making jewelry pieces and decorative objects.
Alloying gold with silver produces harder and more durable metals than pure gold. Adding sterling silver can strengthen the gold for functional items like rings and bracelets. The silver also extends the gold supply further and reduces the cost of production.
For visual effects, combining gold and silver allows creating bicolor jewelry and accents within a single piece. Yellow gold and white silver complement each other as contrasting metals. Blending them provides attractive tones in between like pale gray or greenish-yellow.
Another artistic use is making gold and silver jewelry reversible. The two sides can display different colored metals when the piece is flipped. This provides design flexibility within one coordinated look.
Electroplating Blends Gold and Silver Appearance
While alloying physically mixes gold and silver metals, electroplating can also create a blended bicolor result. Through electroplating, a base metal piece is coated with thin layers of gold and silver.
Jewelry makers utilize selective plating to produce two-tone effects with a gold and silver look. The process bonds micro layers of each precious metal onto specific parts of the jewelry. This allows the colors to be designed and distributed as desired.
Electroplating enables almost any color blend between gold and silver. The thickness of each layer can be controlled to achieve pale mixes through to vivid distinct tones. So the possibilities go well beyond what traditional alloying can produce.
Conclusion
Blending the metals gold and silver generates a wide palette of alloy colors from rich yellow to bright white. The proportions of each metal in the mix determines the exact resulting tone. Gold contributes its inherent yellow color that grows more saturated at higher percentages. While silver adds white and gray hues from its full light reflectivity.
Jewelers intentionally combine gold and silver to create bicolor gold-and-silver jewelry pieces. The contrasting metals provide eye-catching designs. And their blended colors produce attractive pale yellow, gray, and greenish hues not found in the pure metals alone. So mixing gold and silver allows creating unique jewelry with versatile two-tone effects.
