White gold
An alloy of gold with white metals such as palladium, nickel or silver, often finished with rhodium plating.
How white gold is made
Gold is naturally yellow. To make white gold, it is alloyed with palladium, nickel, silver or a mix of these. Nickel white gold is hard and fairly white but can cause allergies, so many jewelers use palladium alloys, which are softer and more expensive. Even then, most white gold keeps a faint warm or grey tint.
Rhodium plating
Rhodium plating gives white gold its familiar bright white look. It wears off slowly, and the natural colour of the alloy shows through until the piece is replated.
White gold versus platinum
Platinum is naturally white, denser and heavier. Freshly plated white gold and new platinum look similar, but platinum keeps its colour as it wears and develops a soft patina instead of turning warmer.
Rendering white gold
Choose a white metal material that matches what the customer will receive. Plated white gold should look bright and neutral. If you sell unplated white gold, a slightly warmer white is more honest. Keep roughness low for polished finishes and use an environment with clean light panels, since white metal shows its surroundings strongly.
Render the white, yellow and rose versions of a design with the same camera and environment, so customers compare the colours fairly.