History of Rose Gold

Feb 23, 2017 · 3 min read

With its romantic, soft pink hue, rose gold seems to be taking the jewelry and fashion world by storm. Until a few years ago, rose gold was not the popular choice for jewelry pieces. It seems that rose gold is in for now, but was it really ever out of style? The soft blush hue has a long and rich history and has been beloved by women for centuries.

To fully understand the history of rose gold, you need to understand the components of rose gold. Pure gold, known as 24 karat gold, is too soft and malleable for jewelry. To make gold stronger and more durable, it is mixed with other alloys such as silver, zinc, palladium, nickel or copper. Depending on the alloys chosen, gold can be yellow, white or rose. Rose gold contains the alloy copper, which gives it is soft, blush tone. 14 karat rose gold contains more copper and will result in a darker rose hue, while 18 karat rose gold contains more gold and will feature a lighter rose hue.

Now that you know how rose gold is made, let’s talk about its history. Rose gold first made its appearance in Russia in the 19th century and was known as “Russian Gold.” It was referred to as “Russian Gold” because the Russians were the only wearers of this gold alloy at the time. It was not until the Victorian Era that this blush-hued metal really dominated, along with yellow gold.

In the 1920’s, rose gold’s popularity grew even more. This era was one of excess and the women of the era adorned themselves in beautiful and luxurious jewelry. During the Art Deco era, jewelers presented gorgeous designs using rose gold, adding femininity and warmth to the jewelry. Cartier used rose gold in many of their designs, specifically the “Trinity” ring. This now iconic ring, consisted of three intertwining bands of yellow gold, white gold and rose gold.

After the Wall Street Crash of 1929, rose and yellow gold took the back seat and platinum immerged as the dominate choice for jewelry. However, during World War II, platinum became a vital mineral to the war efforts and its use was restricted. Because of this, gold again became the metal of choice for jewelry, in both yellow and rose gold hues.

Today, rose gold is once again an extremely popular choice for jewelry. Even though trends come and go, the allure and beauty of this soft pink hue is one that has been cherished for centuries — it will forever be timeless.

Rose gold’s romantic, soft hue compliments all skin tones and styles. Here are some of my favorite rose gold pieces from Brilliant Canary to add to your jewelry collection.