All about green gold

Green gold is the most unusual metal alloy due to its color. Many people are interested in jewelry made from similar gold, but do not know what they are, how to care for them, and how to distinguish the original from a fake.

Historians believe that green gold first appeared on the island of Crete. A similar alloy began to be made back in the 1st-2nd millennia BC. It was then that they began to call it electrum. Green gold itself is an alloy of gold and silver. It was used to create jewelry and a variety of religious items.

Electrum is one of the types of native gold that was in demand in the Mediterranean.

Today, the coins of King Croesus have survived, which were made in ancient times from this alloy. And also the precious objects of the Scythians have come down to us. As an example, consider the legendary pectoral.

Since green gold is a combination of 750 or 585 gold with other metals, it is these metals that give the material a greenish color. The list of such raw materials is very diverse, therefore, in order to call an alloy green gold, it must have certain qualities.

• Inertia. The alloy must be endowed with this quality so as not to undergo oxidation upon contact with air, not to react to certain substances.
• Plastic. Electrum can withstand certain loads, due to which voltage appears inside. These include stretching or torsion.
• Hardness. This indicator is needed in order for the edges to maintain a polished surface.
• Hypoallergenic.

Based on these conditions, you can immediately abandon a pair of metals with which you can give gold a green tint. Rubidium with cadmium is not suitable for this purpose. The first option is excluded due to its chemical characteristics. If used in an alloy, the end result is an overly fragile connection for jewelry. Rubidium can also cause allergies when it comes into contact with the skin.

Cadmium is too toxic, and on the territory of Russia, as well as in the countries of the European Union, it is impossible to exploit cadmium as an alloying metal. But some states use a similar metal for jewelry. The material has a silvery-white color, lowers the melting point of metals and is often relevant for a chemical reaction.

Inhaling its vapors, a person can get a high level of concentration of toxic substances, the total proportion of which can lead to death. By using cadmium while working on jewelry, the jeweler risks his health much more than the person who will wear the created accessory. It should also be borne in mind that cadmium tends to accumulate in the body, and it acts as a carcinogen. Therefore, these metals are not used in the composition of green gold.

It should be noted that electrum has an original and unusual appearance. Among its features, several qualities can be distinguished.

• Green gold is very fragile. For this reason, it is not suitable for everyday wear.
• The very procedure for creating jewelry is more costly when compared to traditional yellow metals.
• The cost of the item will be higher compared to classic gold.

The 585th or 750th standard is put on green gold. The metals present in the composition are converted into liquid forms at different temperature conditions. This suggests that the manufacturing procedure will be divided into several stages.

If we talk about the carat system of samples, then the metal has the following markers: 10, 12, 14, 15, 18. According to the standards adopted in the territory of the Russian Federation, there are 4 types of electrum, which are demonstrated by several types of alloys.

• 585th test. The concentration of gold is 58.5%, silver - 41.5%. The alloy is characterized by a green color.
• 585th test. Gold is contained in the same concentration of 58.5%, silver - 29.5%, along with copper, whose share reaches 12%. The color scheme is yellow with a greenish tint.
• 750th test. Here the share of gold is 75.5%, the rest of the composition is silver. The metal is green.
• 750th test. Gold is contained in a proportion of 75.5%, the rest of the substances are silver in a concentration of 14.5% and copper in an amount of 10%.

On the territory of the Russian Federation, the 585th and 750th tests are used only in jewelry. The first test can only be used to create jewelry accessories: chains, pendants, bracelets, earrings, watches, cufflinks and other items. The 750th test is relevant not only for working with jewelry, but also for making souvenirs. It can be used for enamelled jewelry.

Green gold of 585-carat, which contains silver and copper, is similar in strength and ductility to yellow gold. Various jewelry is made from it, which will differ in a silvery-greenish tint.

Combined products made of gold of different colors look luxurious. And also green gold is used with varying degrees of saturation - the color scheme varies from olive to herbal. You can often find jewelry with a floral theme, in which elegant patterns with twigs, bunches of grapes and other design solutions are created on rings or earrings.

If green gold has a rich hue, which is achieved through the addition of special substances, it will be strong but fragile. Therefore, it will not work for creating a solid piece of jewelry. All components are made by means of casting and are used as inserts, overlays.

People who like to buy jewelry in questionable places may come across counterfeits. Eloxal is often sold under the guise of green gold. It is an alloy that outwardly imitates not only colored gold, but also classic one.

To exclude the purchase of a fake, it is recommended to use the advice of experts.

• First of all, it is worth checking the presence of markings. Jewelry made of green gold is obligatorily marked with the 585th or 750th hallmark.
• The connecting components should be carefully checked: in earrings these are clasps, and in bracelets - clasps and links. On a fake, they are quickly erased.
• Green gold contains no steel or iron. Therefore, you can check the authenticity with a magnet - if it sticks, then the product is a fake.
• For fake gold, chemical resistance is uncharacteristic. It begins to darken from contact with soap, alcohol and iodine. It is not recommended to check the reaction to acid, because the intermetallic compound is also not afraid of chemical attack.
• Counterfeiting is lighter than precious metal. But this is only noticeable on large items.
• To exclude the purchase of a fake product, it is recommended to purchase jewelry from only trusted brands.

Jewelry made of green gold requires careful handling. They need more care when compared to classic products. For this reason, it is not recommended to wear accessories every day; it is better to wear them only for a celebration.

For even more information on the different shades of gold, see the next video.