A Fascinating History of Rose-Colored Gold from Sotheby’s Auction House

We’re written about yellow gold, white pink gold and even blue gold before on our blog. They’re the beautiful varieties of karat golds that result when copper, silver and other metals are added to gold to create tinted gold alloys.

But we’ve just learned a few new things about rose-colored gold, thanks to an article entitled “A History Lesson on Rose Gold” that Ashley Flight published on the website of Sotheby’s auction house. Here’s a quick summary of what the author has to say.

18 Karat Rose Gold, Pink Sapphire, Tsavorite Garnet and Emerald Bangle-Bracelet, Alexander Laut. Credit: Sothebys.

Rose Gold Was a Favorite of the Tsars and the Russian Aristocracy

Ms. Flight informs us that rose-colored gold was used extensively by Carl Fabergé, the famous jeweler who was a favorite of Tsar Nicholas II, the Tsarina Alexandria, and other Russian nobles. Fabergé made pieces of jewelry made from rose-colored gold, and also used it to decorate some of the famous Fabergé eggs that have become immensely valuable today.

Rose Gold Became Popular again during the Prohibition Era

Ms. Flight reports that it had a resurgence in popularity during the “roaring twenties.” There was something about its assertive color that found favor with flappers. And the exclusive jeweler Cartier used it extensively in the era.

Rose Gold Had another Surge During World War II

This is fascinating. According to Ms. Flight, the use of platinum was restricted during the war because it was needed to make armaments. The result? Jewelers were not able to mix platinum with gold to create white gold, so they turned to copper and created rose and pink gold.

It’s all a fascinating story that illustrates that precious metals become more or less popular not only because of fashion, but because of the larger forces of war and history.

What Kind of Gold Will You Discover?

Rose and pink-hued gold can look almost like copper – they’re dark-hued and can be easy to overlook among less valuable items of costume jewelry. But keep your eyes open when you’re hunting for gold. If you can snatch up some items that could possibly be made of pink or rose gold for just a few dollars, our advice is to buy first and ask questions later. Then call us at 800-426-2344 and send your discoveries to us for testing. Be sure to ask about the free or discounted shipping that we offer on some items that we accept for testing.

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Are White, Pink, and other Golds Worth Less than Yellow Gold?