All About Green Gold

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

Historians believe that green gold first appeared on the island of Crete. A similar alloy began to be made as early as 1-2 millennia BC. It was then that they began to call him electrum. Green gold itself is an alloy of gold and silver. It served to create jewelry and various religious objects.

Electrum is a type of native gold that has been in demand in the Mediterranean.

To date, the coins of King Croesus, which were made in ancient times from this alloy, have been preserved. And also precious objects of Scythians came to us. As an example, consider the legendary pectoral.

Since green gold is a combination of gold of the 750th or 585th test with other metals, it is these metals that give the material a greenish color. The list of such raw materials is very diverse, therefore, 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, nor 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 so that the faces retain a polished surface.
• Hypoallergenicity.

Based on these conditions, you can immediately abandon a pair of metals, with which you can give gold a green tint. Rubidium with cadmium are not suitable for this purpose. The first option is excluded due to its chemical characteristics. If used in alloy, the result will be an overly fragile joint for jewelry. As well as rubidium in contact with skin, it can cause allergies.

Cadmium is too toxic, and cadmium cannot be used as an alloying metal in Russia, as well as in countries within the European Union. But some states use a similar metal for jewelry. The material is silver-white, lowers the melting point of metals and is often relevant for a chemical reaction.

Inhaling his vapors, a person can get a high level of concentration of toxic substances, the total share of which can lead to death. 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 green gold.

It is worth noting that the 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 procedure for creating jewelry itself is more expensive when compared with traditional yellow metals.
• The cost of the product will be higher compared to classic gold.

The 585th or 750th test is placed on green gold. The metals present in the composition are converted to 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 on the territory of the Russian Federation, there are 4 varieties of electrum, which are demonstrated by several options for alloys.

• 585th test. The concentration of gold is 58.5%, silver - 41.5%. The alloy is characterized by 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 proportion of gold is 75.5%, the rest is silver. The metal is green.
• 750th test. Gold is contained in a proportion of 75.5%, the remaining 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 samples 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 in work with jewelry, but also in the manufacture of souvenirs. It can be used for jewelry with enamel.

The green gold of the 585th test, which contains silver and copper, is similar to yellow in terms of strength and ductility. Various jewelry is made from it, which will differ in a silvery-greenish tint.

Combination products made of gold in different colors look luxurious. And also green gold is used with varying degrees of saturation - the color scheme varies from olive to grass. Often you can find jewelry on 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 is characterized by a saturated hue, which is achieved by the addition of special substances, it will be strong, but fragile. Therefore, to create a one-piece decoration, it will not work. All components are made by casting and are used as inserts, overlays.

People who like to buy jewelry in dubious places may experience fakes. Eloxal is often sold under the guise of green gold. It is an alloy that externally imitates not only colored gold, but also classic.

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

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

Jewelry made of green gold requires careful treatment. 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 more information on the different shades of gold, see the next video.