Gold is the favorite metal of many people, as incredibly beautiful jewelry is made from it: chains, rings, bracelets, earrings, watches, cufflinks and much more. Most people associate this metal with the sun because it has a similar color. But if you look at several pieces of jewelry, you can see that the color of the gold from which they are made can be different - with a pinkish, white, red and even green tint. This leads to the idea that there are different types of gold, when in fact this is not the case. What determines the color of gold?

The color of gold products depending on the added ligature

Composition of gold alloys

In nature, gold as a metal has a rich yellow color. As for the jewelry industry, gold in its pure form has never been used to make jewelry, since it is ductile, which makes it unstable to deformation. However, this problem can be solved by adding other metals to the gold alloy, which give it the necessary resistance to negative factors. Impurities of other metals are called alloys, which determine what color gold is.

To estimate the pure gold content of an alloy, a measure such as fineness is used. It shows the number of grams of precious metal contained in a kilogram of alloy. For example, 585 hallmark (the most common in the jewelry market) means that a kilogram of the alloy contains at least 585 grams of gold, while 415 grams are impurities, that is, alloy.

In jewelry practice, solar metal is combined with the following impurities:

  • copper;
  • silver;
  • palladium;
  • platinum;
  • zinc;
  • cadmium.

The presence of a ligature in a gold alloy determines its shade, which is what jewelers use. Playing with metal shades allows you to create masterpiece jewelry that is in high demand among buyers.

Shades of gold

Types of metal

The shades of gold are impressive in their diversity and they depend on which metal predominates in the composition of the alloy:

  1. Red gold: This is an alloy that has a purity of 375, that is, the lowest in the metric gold standard system. The red tint is achieved by adding a large amount of copper to the alloy (approximately 600 grams per 1 kilogram). A small part of the alloy (25 grams) is silver. A gold alloy with a purity of 375 was popular in the USSR, but over time this metal was replaced by a high-fineness analogue with a purity of 585. This alloy is considered the most popular among buyers.
  2. Orange: this is the same gold with a purity of 375, but with a different composition of the alloy. To obtain metal with this tint, a smaller amount of copper and a larger amount of silver are added to the alloy.
  3. White: has a purity of 585 or 750. It is gold combined with platinum, nickel, silver or palladium. It is this composition of the alloy that makes the metal look like silver. White gold has been considered trendy for years in a row, as it not only adds elegance to products, but also emphasizes the splendor of precious stones.
  4. Pink: Produced by a special combination of silver and copper, which lightens the red color of the copper to a soft pink. Rose gold adds delicacy and sophistication to jewelry made from it. Also, such gold emphasizes the beauty of precious stones. Rings and pendants are made from this alloy.
  5. Yellow gold: this is a metal with a purity of 750 - high-grade gold from which luxury jewelry is made. The alloy has a rich yellow tint due to the large amount of gold in the alloy (at least 750 grams per kilogram). The ligature in this alloy is represented by copper and silver, taken in equal proportions. Jewelry made from yellow aurum looks expensive, but it requires careful handling - the predominance of pure gold in the alloy makes them fragile and prone to deformation.
  6. Brown: this gold has a high standard (585 or 750). The unusual shade of the metal is explained by the large amount of copper in the alloy. The impurities also include nickel and manganese. The metal undergoes a thorough chemical treatment to obtain a brown color due to the formation of a brown film. The advantage of brown gold is not only its exquisite appearance, but also its incredible strength.
  7. Green: the alloy is obtained by adding an alloy containing silver, zinc, cadmium and rubidium to gold, which gives the metal a greenish tint. This alloy is called electrum. Despite its attractive appearance, green gold is not suitable for making solid jewelry, such as rings, as it is very fragile. In the jewelry industry, metal with a green tint is used as a raw material for the manufacture of decorative inserts in jewelry.
  8. Blue: This metal looks very unusual. It is obtained by adding chromium and iron to the alloy. The disadvantage of this gold is its fragility and tendency to oxidize when exposed to air. For this reason, such gold is used only in the production of inserts in jewelry, and such inserts should in no case come into contact with the skin when worn constantly - the gold will quickly oxidize.
  9. Purple: This color of gold is obtained by combining it with potassium or aluminum. Nowadays, this metal is only gaining its popularity among admirers of gold jewelry.
  10. Grey: Much like white gold alloy. Gray gold contains nickel, zinc and silver.
  11. Black: This metal has indescribable beauty and a corresponding price, since obtaining the perfect black color of gold is a difficult task. This alloy is also produced by coating high-grade gold with rhodium or ruthenium. High-grade black gold is obtained due to its oxidation under high temperature (annealing).

When purchasing gold items, you should be careful, especially if it concerns jewelry made from metal of an unusual shade (it is “colored” gold that is counterfeited in most cases). It is recommended to buy gold in a jewelry store that has been present on the jewelry market for a long time, or directly from the manufacturer. You should also pay attention to the hallmark, name tag and label. A genuine gold product has a perfect appearance. To protect yourself from buying a fake, you should refrain from purchasing jewelry from private individuals who do not have any documentation for their product.

Table (palette) of colors html gives you the opportunity to independently choose the tone you need. The color value is displayed in three formats: Hex, RGB and HSV.

  • Hex consists of three two-character values ​​in the hexadecimal number system. For example: #ff00b3, where the first pair of numbers is red, the second is green, and the third is blue.
  • RGB (RedGreenBlue) has the form "200,100,255", indicating the amount of the corresponding tone (red, green, blue) in the resulting color.
  • HSV (Hue, Saturation, Value - tone, saturation, value) - a color model in which the coordinates are:
    • Hue - color tone, can vary from 0° to 360°.
    • Saturation - saturation, varies from 0-100 or 0-1. The higher this parameter, the “purer” the color, which is why this parameter is sometimes called color purity. And the closer this parameter is to zero, the closer the color is to neutral gray.
    • Value (color value) - sets the brightness, the value can also vary between 0-100 or 0-1.

Enter color code: GO

List of colors with names

The table lists the English color names (which can be used as values) supported by all browsers and their hexadecimal values. All colors listed are “safe”, meaning they will appear the same in all browsers.

Color name HEX Color
Black#000000
Navy#000080
Dark Blue#00008B
Medium Blue#0000CD
Blue#0000FF
DarkGreen#006400
Green#008000
Teal#008080
DarkCyan#008B8B
DeepSkyBlue#00BFFF
DarkTurquoise#00CED1
MediumSpringGreen#00FA9A
Lime#00FF00
SpringGreen#00FF7F
Aqua#00FFFF
Cyan#00FFFF
MidnightBlue#191970
Dodger Blue#1E90FF
LightSeaGreen#20B2AA
ForestGreen#228B22
SeaGreen#2E8B57
DarkSlateGray#2F4F4F
LimeGreen#32CD32
MediumSeaGreen#3CB371
Turquoise#40E0D0
Royal Blue#4169E1
SteelBlue#4682B4
DarkSlateBlue#483D8B
MediumTurquoise#48D1CC
Indigo#4B0082
DarkOliveGreen#556B2F
CadetBlue#5F9EA0
CornflowerBlue#6495ED
MediumAquaMarine#66CDAA
DimGray#696969
Slate Blue#6A5ACD
OliveDrab#6B8E23
Slate Gray#708090
LightSlateGray#778899
MediumSlateBlue#7B68EE
LawnGreen#7CFC00
Chartreuse#7FFF00
Aquamarine#7FFFD4
Maroon#800000
Purple#800080
Olive#808000
Gray#808080
Sky Blue#87CEEB
LightSkyBlue#87CEFA
BlueViolet#8A2BE2
DarkRed#8B0000
DarkMagenta#8B008B
SaddleBrown#8B4513
DarkSeaGreen#8FBC8F
LightGreen#90EE90
MediumPurple#9370D8
DarkViolet#9400D3
PaleGreen#98FB98
DarkOrchid#9932CC
YellowGreen#9ACD32
Sienna#A0522D
Brown#A52A2A
DarkGray#A9A9A9
Light Blue#ADD8E6
GreenYellow#ADFF2F
PaleTurquoise#AFEEEE
LightSteelBlue#B0C4DE
PowderBlue#B0E0E6
FireBrick#B22222
DarkGoldenRod#B8860B
MediumOrchid#BA55D3
RosyBrown#BC8F8F
Dark Khaki#BDB76B
Silver#C0C0C0
MediumVioletRed#C71585
IndianRed#CD5C5C
Peru#CD853F
Chocolate#D2691E
Tan#D2B48C
LightGray#D3D3D3
PaleVioletRed#D87093
Thistle#D8BFD8
Orchid#DA70D6
GoldenRod#DAA520
Crimson#DC143C
Gainsboro#DCDCDC
Plum#DDA0DD
BurlyWood#DEB887
LightCyan#E0FFFF
Lavender#E6E6FA
DarkSalmon#E9967A
Violet#EE82EE
PaleGoldenRod#EEE8AA
LightCoral#F08080
Khaki#F0E68C
AliceBlue#F0F8FF
HoneyDew#F0FFF0
Azure#F0FFFF
SandyBrown#F4A460
Wheat#F5DEB3
Beige#F5F5DC
WhiteSmoke#F5F5F5
MintCream#F5FFFA
GhostWhite#F8F8FF
Salmon#FA8072
AntiqueWhite#FAEBD7
Linen#FAF0E6
LightGoldenRodYellow#FAFAD2
OldLace#FDF5E6
Red#FF0000
Fuchsia#FF00FF
Magenta#FF00FF
DeepPink#FF1493
OrangeRed#FF4500
Tomato#FF6347
HotPink#FF69B4
Coral#FF7F50
Darkorange#FF8C00
LightSalmon#FFA07A
Orange#FFA500
LightPink#FFB6C1
Pink#FFC0CB
Gold#FFD700
PeachPuff#FFDAB9
NavajoWhite#FFDEAD
Moccasin#FFE4B5
Bisque#FFE4C4
MistyRose#FFE4E1
Blanched Almond#FFEBCD
PapayaWhip#FFEFD5
LavenderBlush#FFF0F5
SeaShell#FFF5EE
Cornsilk#FFF8DC
LemonChiffon#FFFACD
FloralWhite#FFFAF0
Snow#FFFAFA
Yellow#FFFF00
LightYellow#FFFFE0
Ivory#FFFFFF0
White#FFFFFF

Anyone imagines gold as a yellow metal, but this is not entirely true. Metal particles found in nature most often have a greenish-gray tint, so only a specialist can recognize them as precious metal. The processed metal of 999 purity, from which bank bullion is made, has a rich yellow color and a pronounced shine. Jewelry craftsmen do not use the precious metal itself to make jewelry, but its alloys with various ligatures. Depending on the composition of the ligature, the color of gold may be different. This feature is used by jewelers to create unusual and exclusive jewelry that embody fashionable design solutions.

What shades are there?

In addition to the standard yellow color, pink and white gold are popular among buyers. The pink color is obtained by adding copper to the alloy. By increasing the proportion of copper in the metal alloy alloy, the master can obtain a pink tint, red or even orange. What specific shade you get depends on the alloy sample and the amount of copper added. When choosing jewelry, you should remember that pink metal can only be 750 or 585. The standard ratio of components in a 750 grade alloy is as follows: 75% aurum, 9% silver and 16% copper.

An orange or reddish color is typical for low-grade gold 375 markings. The components of the alloy are also silver and copper. To obtain an orange tint, the proportion of silver is increased, and for red, the proportion of copper is increased. The reddish tint corresponds to the color of old gold; most products of the Soviet 583 standard are characterized by a red tint.

Rose gold jewelry is considered a symbol of love and looks very romantic. Rings and pendants are most often made from material of this color, which are very popular among lovers who choose a gift for their soulmate.

The white color of gold is no less popular among clients of jewelry stores. Even in the photo, products made from light alloy look sophisticated and elegant. The white alloy is usually 750 fine, the remainder of which is divided between palladium and silver. When choosing white gold jewelry, you need to make sure that the alloy contains palladium. Unscrupulous manufacturers replace it with cheaper nickel, which can cause an allergic reaction on the skin when wearing the product.

The white metal is popular because its shade is similar to the steely white color of platinum. The light alloy is ideally combined with diamonds, since such a setting allows you to fully reveal the brilliance of the stones, further illuminating it. According to stylists, jewelry made from white aurum alloy is suitable for any look, regardless of the type of appearance, and is considered more universal compared to yellow metal.

What color can gold still be if other components are added to the alloy? Alloys of gold with certain chemical elements are called metallides. Such compounds are characterized by unusual beautiful shades, fragility and low ductility. These materials are rarely used to create entire pieces of jewelry; they are usually used as inserts or exotic stones.

When combining aurum with potassium, you can achieve an olive tint to the alloy. Jewelry with such a green surface color is rare and has a fairly high cost due to its beauty.

You can also get gold with a greenish tint using silver, which is added in small quantities. As its proportion in the alloy increases, the metal acquires a yellowish-green tint, then yellow-white and completely white.

The metallic substance, which contains indium in addition to aurum, is characterized by a blue tint. Many experts consider blue gold to be a myth, since only the Argentine master Antiniassi, who left his secret of the composition of the ligature undisclosed, was able to reproduce the alloy with such a shade.

The blue color of gold is obtained by adding iron and chromium to the alloy. Like other metallic materials, the material is fragile, so it is only good as inserts in products from traditional options. According to experts, when choosing jewelry with blue gold, you should pay attention to the location of the inserts: they should come into contact with the skin as little as possible when worn. This requirement is due to the fact that the blue alloy quickly oxidizes when in constant contact with the skin.

A violet-colored alloy is obtained by combining aurum with aluminum or potassium. It owes its birth to the creative curiosity of jewelry makers. The first jewelry made of purple metal was created in Ancient Egypt, but the Egyptian recipe has not been preserved to this day. Modern masters have reproduced the composition of the compound anew.

Very dark shades

Dark shades of precious metals: brown and black are becoming increasingly popular. What determines the color of gold in this case? To obtain these shades, chemical methods are used to process the finished product.

Brown gold has recently become extremely fashionable, although previously, due to its hardness, it was used mainly to create cases for watch movements. As a standard, it has either a 585 or 750 grade with a high copper content in the rest of the alloy. The brown color is obtained not by adding cuprum to the ligature, but by repeated chemical processing of the jewelry. The material acquires a brown tint after several special procedures.

Brown gold is most often combined with a pink alloy - this is how jewelry craftsmen create spectacular jewelry, typical for precious collections of the autumn-winter seasons. A combination of alloys of different colors is used quite often. Combinations of golden yellow, pink and white alloys also look unusual.

In terms of stone compatibility, white diamonds are best suited to brown gold. Very often in new collections you can find a combination of a dark shade of precious metal not only with jewelry alloys and precious stones, but also with materials of a completely different nature. These include wood, leather and fabrics. The unusual shade of the precious metal allows you to create jewelry that is equally unusual in design.

Black gold is distinguished by its special sophistication and charm, but its color is also obtained through special processing. To give your decoration shades of the black-gray spectrum, you can use several techniques. If the color is achieved through galvanic processing, then the process can produce a shade ranging from light gray to deep black. What color the gold will turn out depends on the degree of processing and the features of the technological process.

Other methods of producing fashionable black gold include coating the jewelry with a layer of rhodium or amorphous carbon. Instead of rhodium, the master can use ruthenium; the result is a product that has a peculiar black coating. To obtain a black tint, they also resort to the preparation of a special alloy of 750 fineness of the precious metal, the alloy of which also includes cobalt and chromium. To obtain a dark surface, the compound is oxidized at high temperatures.

The most advantageous option is the combination of black gold with precious compounds of other shades, and among the stones, black diamonds are considered the ideal complement to such jewelry, which not only do not fade against a dark background, but also reveal the full depth of their color. It is acceptable to use white diamonds, rubies and sapphires.

The quality of a metal does not depend in any way on its color. Many people prefer white gold to the usual yellow alloy, justifying their choice with a higher purity. In practice, 750 standard precious metal can have a white, yellow or pink tint.

The reddish tint is very often characterized as the color of old gold or the cheapest gold - this is another misconception. Light reddish pink tints are also characteristic of high gold standards, if the alloy contains copper in the alloy.

The cost of jewelry is influenced not by its color, but by the marking of the sample and the complexity of the craftsman’s work. The more complex the technological process of making a product and obtaining a beautiful shade, or the more difficult it is to implement the designer’s idea, the higher the price the decoration will have.

Colors are of great importance in our lives. Just imagine your life without them for one day - the world around you will become gray and uninteresting - and you will see how much we need them. With the help of colors, they even determine aspects of character and personality traits in psychology! As for English, just like in all languages ​​of the world, colors are used everywhere to describe objects and their condition; people and their appearance, environment, etc.

Let's look at the main nuances of the use of colors in English, and also stop and remember some interesting exceptions and idioms associated with them.

Let's start, perhaps, with the very basics. From the very word “color” in English.

Which is correct: “colour” or “color”?

Some beginners who begin to learn English are faced with both versions of this word and are perplexed which option is correct or preferable. In fact, both options are correct!

Сolor is the American version color used in Britain, New Zealand. The second option is more traditional and classic. There are no differences in pronunciation. Therefore, you can safely write as you like.

Let's look at some examples of both variations of the word "colour/color":

  • What's your favorite color? - What is your favorite color?
  • Foods which go through a factory process lose much of their color, flavor and texture. - Food that is subjected to industrial processing loses quite a lot of color, smell and quality.
  • This garden was a mass of color /color. - This garden was a concentration of flowers.

Below are examples of how you can replace the word "color":

  • a bright, dark, deep color/shade/hue - bright, dark, deep shade/color/tone;
  • a pale, delicate color/shade/hue - pale, sophisticated color/shade/tone;
  • a light / strong / natural color / shade - light, rich, natural color / shade.
Vocabulary
Main synonyms for the word “color” are:
shade- tint, shadow
hue- tone, color
tint- shade
tinge- shade

Interesting idioms with the word “color”:

  • your true colors - your true face, character.
    People will never know my true colors. - People will never know my true face.
  • with flying colors - very good; with great success, high results
    I am going to pass my English test with flying colors. - I'm going to pass my English exam with great success.

Basic colors of the English language

As you know, there are a huge variety of colors, however, the main and most commonly used are the following:

Red- red
Gray- grey
Blue- blue
Dark blue- blue
Green- green
Yellow- yellow
Pink- pink
Orange- orange
Brown- brown
White- white
Black- black
Violet- violet

For a more detailed description, you can use a huge variety of colors that are present in English as well as in Russian:

Gold- gold
Silver- silver
Amber- amber
Azure- blue, azure
Beige- beige
Body color- flesh color
Bronze- bronze
Chocolate- chocolate
Coral- coral
Denim blue- denim
Lilac- lilac
Pearl- pearl
Raspberry- raspberry
Sand- sandy
Snow- snow-white
Vinous- burgundy
Light sea green- aquamarine

As for shades, forming them in English is quite simple. Just follow the following scheme and everything will work out:

Green(green) + light(light) = light green(light green);
Green + dark(dark) = dark green(dark green).

  • She has very beautiful dark green eyes. - She has very beautiful dark green eyes.
  • This light green color suits you so much. - This light yellow suits you very well.
  • I would like to buy this green curtain. - I would like to buy this green curtain.

And if something remains unclear, the teachers of our school will be happy to help you.

There is also an option to add words bright And pale:

bright green- bright green;
pale green- pale green.

Vocabulary
To suit- go, approach
Curtain- curtain, curtain
Bright- bright
Pale- pale, dull

Using colors in sentences

There are several options:

The name of the color is used after the verb

  • This plate is white. - This plate is white.
  • This cup has pleasant yellow color. - This cup is a nice yellow color.

Color acts as a noun

  • This white plate is nice. - This white plate is beautiful.
  • Yellow cup was bought yesterday. - We bought the yellow cup yesterday.

Color comes before the noun it describes

  • This white plate is mine. - This white cup is mine.
  • That yellow cup belongs to him. - This yellow cup belongs to him.

Idioms about flowers

Modern English contains a huge number of idioms and set expressions. Not a single native speaker can do without them. And of course, for all English learners, it would be a great idea to master a couple of idioms relating to colors.

Black as ink- gloomy, joyless
To look blue- look sad
Once in a blue moon- very rarely, almost never
Out of the blue- bolt from the blue, unexpectedly
Grass is always greener on the other side- Well, where we do not
Green hand- an inexperienced person, a novice in some business
To see red- get angry, be angry
Golden opportunity- a great, brilliant opportunity for something
To give the green light- allow something
A gray area- riddle, snag

Jokes in English related to flowers
What's black and white and red all over?
(A newspaper!)

What happens when you throw a white hat into the Black Sea?
(It gets wet!)


(A penguin rolling down a hill!)

What's black and white, black and white, and black and white?
(A zebra caught in a revolving door!)

What's black and white, black and white, and black and white?
(A panda bear rolling down a hill!)

Just as in life, in our everyday communication, both in Russian and in English, knowledge of colors is simply necessary. Without them, it is impossible to fully express everything you see, feel and imagine. Learn something new and interesting, improve yourself, and your life will not only become brighter and more colorful, but you will definitely find your “golden opportunity”.

A large and friendly EnglishDom family.

When it comes to gold, many people immediately imagine a sunny metal. But the interesting thing is that it can have a more interesting and unusual coloring. Today we will talk about all the colors of gold that are used in modern jewelry production.

Yellow gold

Yellow gold ring from Tiffany & Co.

Gold of a bright yellow color is considered classic. Such a beautiful rich shade is obtained by melting the precious metal with silver and copper. This is because pure gold is very soft and brittle, and must be mixed with other metals. And the brightness of yellow gold depends entirely on the addition of silver to it. The more of it in the finished product, the brighter the gold shines.


More on the topic

5 myths about gold - fairy tales invented by us

White gold


Jewelry houses are increasingly turning their attention to white gold. It combines perfectly with diamonds and, emphasizing the beauty of precious stones. It is obtained by mixing yellow gold with palladium and platinum.

Until 2000, nickel was actively used to create a white tint, but then it was discovered that it causes allergic reactions in many. Therefore, its use in precious alloys was stopped.

Red gold


Red gold was very popular in Russia in the 19th century. This metal is obtained when pure gold is mixed with copper and zinc. And the higher the copper content, the richer the shade. For the sake of decorative effect, palladium is sometimes added to red gold to give it a slightly brown tint.

Pink gold


Pink gold looks very elegant and impressive. For these qualities, he was loved by jewelry designers who create wedding jewelry collections. Today, it is rose gold jewelry that sets the trend in jewelry fashion.

The result is a delicate pink color thanks to the synthesis of gold, silver and copper. There is very little silver in this alloy; it is added to soften the shade and give the finished product a pleasant shine.


More on the topic

Yellow jewelry stones: 11 shades of sunny color

Brown gold


Chocolate gold appeared on the jewelry market not so long ago. According to one version, its creator is the famous jeweler Fawaz Gruosi, founder of the brand, who often experiments with shapes, materials and color of jewelry. The jeweler does not disclose his technology for obtaining this shade.

It is only known that brown gold is obtained by alloying red and pink gold of various samples. Then it is treated thermally and chemically, gradually oxidizing until the coveted brown color appears on its surface. Experts express the opinion that nickel, manganese, iron and copper help achieve this effect.

Black gold


Perhaps the most mysterious alloy is black gold. To make such metal requires a lot of resources, and the process of obtaining black gold is very complex. It can be obtained in several ways, but the most popular is the method of alloying pure gold with chromium and colbate. The resulting material is then oxidized and processed at high temperatures (700 to 950 degrees Celsius).

Green gold


Green gold is an incredibly beautiful metal, but not all of its variations are safe for health. The classic version is made from gold, copper and silver. The higher the silver content, the more delicate olive color the finished product acquires. To give gold a rich green color, cadmium, potassium and zinc are used.

True, such products are characterized by increased fragility and can cause severe allergic reactions. So green gold is often used by craftsmen to create masterpieces of the highest jewelry art, which are usually admired at professional exhibitions.

Purple gold


Violet gold is often called purple or amethyst for its interesting lavender hue. True, it is not used as an independent metal from which jewelry is made. He is the most fragile of all. Therefore, it is used as decorative inserts in jewelry, and it is obtained by mixing gold and aluminum.

Blue and blue gold

Blue color has remained one of the favorites in the jewelry world for several seasons in a row. This could not but affect the color of gold. Blue and light blue metal is rarely used in the jewelry industry and is not easy to obtain.

It is believed that the beautiful azure color is created by mixing gold with indium. And the saturation of the shade depends on the amount of admixture of the latter. There is also a technology where indium is applied on top of gold and subjected to heat treatment. In this way, the substances mix and a stable blue or blue tint is formed on the product.