The special brilliance and beauty of precious metals attracted the attention of primitive people. Their value has always been very high. Metals were used both as first money for exchanging for other values, and for making jewelry.
Precious metals
Even in ancient times, people noticed the extraordinary properties of certain metals, whose native ingots were found in nature. They did not give in to corrosion and did not change their properties under the influence of the negative influence of the environment. This was the main factor in determining the degree of nobility of sparkling chemical elements.
Until the 18th century, only two noble metals were known to people; later they discovered platinum.
Gold
The most important precious metal in the world is gold. It was known to people in the era of the Stone Age. As a rule, a noble metal was found in nature in the form of native ingots with small inclusions of ores or in an alloy with silver.
As a chemical element, gold is characterized by high thermal conductivity and low resistance. Nice sunny color and shiny surface made it the most popular metal for jewelry making. But for jewelry use is not pure gold, but its alloy with other metals. This gives the mineral extra strength, changes color and quality characteristics.
The most traditional is yellow gold. For the manufacture of this type of metal alloys of copper and silver are used. Depending on the ratio of these impurities, it acquires characteristic shades: reddish or lemon. In jewelry, items with the hallmarks of samples 585 and 750 are most often found.
Red gold is less common. It is notable for its affordable price due to its high copper content. Rose gold, due to its delicate shade and a small interspersed of copper and silver, has become popular for the manufacture of fashion jewelry houses.
There are several more rare alloys - green, black, blue and gray. Such colors are gaining popularity in jewelry and are becoming a field for experimentation.
One of the most desired and popular alloys is white gold. How to distinguish from silver and other alloys? It contains platinum, silver and even palladium. These impurities have a positive effect on the strength of the products, and the shade goes well with precious stones. Such jewelry emphasizes the status of the owner and are distinguished by a more refined appearance.
Silver
One of the oldest noble metals. It is found in nature both in a native form and in ores. Silver is no less plastic than gold, and also more actively enters into chemical reactions.
Silver jewelry has always been popular. The metal has a reasonable price, and jewelry perfectly combines with different skin tones, suitable at any age and for any gender. Such jewelry looks simple, but nonetheless always very elegant.
Signs of Difference
Of course, gold is much more expensive than silver. What other characteristics does white gold have? How to distinguish from silver and not overpay for scammers? The first and most important advice is not to buy jewelry in dubious places or with your hands.
External characteristics make white gold and silver very similar. How to distinguish?
The visual way to distinguish between these two precious metals, of course, does not give one hundred percent reliability, but nevertheless it can help highlight the external signs of products. If you look closely, you can see that silver does not shine so brightly, because it does not have alloys characteristic of gold.
How to distinguish white gold from silver visually?
Of course, with the help of modern rhodium coatings, silver can also be given a characteristic luster. And in order not to succumb to its influence, you can look at the sample, which must be present. Almost always, silver has one sample - 925, and the numbers are embossed in the shape of a barrel, and the sample of gold resembles a rectangle and can be 585 or 750 (with stones).
What are the common signs of silver and white gold? How to distinguish white alloy of gold from silver? Let's consider further.
White gold and silver - how to distinguish? Photos of jewelry will help with this. Gold products are characterized by special sophistication, originality and subtlety of work. This is not characteristic of silver products, and it is not customary to place precious stones in silver either.
What else can be done to understand that before you is white gold, how to distinguish from silver by other methods?
You can verify the authenticity of the metal using acids. At home, it is recommended to use vinegar. Upon contact with acid, silver will become colored and tarnish, and gold will not lose its luster. At the same time, the acidic environment should also not lose its original form. If it is cloudy, then this may be a sign of various impurities in the metal and a signal about a fake.
As you can see, it is possible to distinguish between noble white metals. You just need to take a good look at the product or apply vinegar.