History
I remember as a young child how everyone loved rose gold because of its pink tone. My aunties had bangles and rings that were a mix of yellow gold, rose gold and white gold. These tri-color sets were on trend back then!
Now that I’m older, it’s fun to apply my memories to repeating trends that keep coming back around over a hundred years!!
A little “historical” perspective, lol! Those memories are from the late ’70s and early ’80s. A GIA retrospective published in 1990 describes yellow, white, and rose gold together as “a major trend in all types of jewelry” during the 1980s. Two colors together make a two-tone design; adding a third gives us tri-color gold. GIA, page 82
The idea had older roots though, with Cartier’s interlocking Trinity ring dating back to 1924—so this was a renewed enthusiasm for combining gold colors. Rose gold was already part of a much longer jewelry story when I noticed it on my aunties! Cartier
What makes it "rose"
Rose gold gets its pink color from copper. It is an alloy: gold mixed with other metals, usually copper and sometimes silver. More copper generally creates a stronger reddish tone, while different blends produce softer pinks and warmer shades of rose. At the same karat, rose gold and yellow gold contain the same proportion of gold; the other metals give them their different colors.
What is plated vs filled?
When we shop for rose gold, the color tells only part of the story. Gold filled, gold plated, and vermeil describe how the piece is made.
Gold plating puts a layer of gold onto the surface of another metal. Vermeil is a type of gold plating with specific requirements for the silver base and gold coating.
Rose gold filled has a layer of rose gold alloy mechanically bonded to a core of another metal. Under the U.S. Federal Trade Commission’s guidance, gold filled uses an alloy of at least 10K, with the gold-alloy layer making up at least 1/20, or 5%, of the item’s total metal weight. That 5% refers to the karat-gold alloy, not pure gold. A marking such as “1/20 14K GF” tells you both the proportion and the gold quality.
Rose gold vermeil is rose gold plated over sterling silver, which is 92.5% silver. Under U.S. guidance, vermeil needs a reasonably durable coating of at least 10K gold, covering all significant surfaces, with a minimum thickness equivalent to 2.5 microns of fine gold. Gold over silver alone does not automatically meet that standard.
Gold filled is defined by its mechanically bonded layer and gold-alloy weight. Vermeil is defined by its silver base, gold purity, and coating thickness. Both have gold at the surface, and neither is rose gold all the way through.
What about ordinary gold plating? For electroplated jewelry, the FTC’s examples use at least 10K gold and a minimum coating equivalent to 0.175 microns of fine gold. “Heavy gold electroplate” uses a 2.5-micron fine-gold equivalent, but does not require the sterling silver base that makes vermeil distinctive. A micron is one-thousandth of a millimeter; these U.S. measurements account for gold purity as well as thickness.
The standards are not identical everywhere. In France, official consumer guidance specifies at least 5 microns of gold, with a minimum purity of 750 parts per thousand—the equivalent of 18K—for vermeil over silver. The French “plaqué or” category requires at least 3 microns; thinner gold coatings use a different description.
In the U.K., official guidance says “vermeil” can be used alongside a description that clearly identifies the piece as gold-plated silver. The word alone is not enough. When comparing pieces from different sellers, look for the base metal, gold karat, and coating specifications together.
Why do we love rose gold?
For our rose gold show, we’re bringing out rose gold filled findings and sterling silver findings we’ve had plated over the years with a thick layer of rose gold. Our lotus charm is one we designed, had made, then plated in rose gold. If finding rose gold has been a challenge, we’ve gathered these pieces together in our Rose Gold Collection.
There’s no skin-tone rule you have to follow to enjoy rose gold. A softer pink or a stronger coppery shade can give you a different look. We love that pinkish, coppery color on skin with pink undertones, on tanned skin, and on deeper skin tones, too. It brings a warmth we keep coming back to. If you need a pick-me-up color, rose gold is a great vibe!