Good as Gold. Golden Opportunity, Golden Egg, Golden Rule, Golden Years. You get the idea. The word is practically synonymous with everything good, and the colour that flashes into most people’s minds is a rich, lustrous yellow. What a lot of people don’t know, however, is that gold is the chameleon of the world of precious metals; it can take on a wide variety of colours.

Metallurgists routinely blend gold with other metals to increase its strength and durability, but also to change its colour. For example, the shimmering white gold that has been a strong fashion trend over the past several years is created by alloying yellow gold with palladium or silver.

The complexion-flattering rose, red and pink gold colours are achieved by adding to the gold and sterling silver. During the 1940s, rose gold came into its own in popularity and once again, pink-hued colours are making a strong comeback in fashion pieces. Today, however, they are most often used in combination with white or yellow gold.While the term “green gold” might sound a little strange, the colour is actually yellow, but with a slightly greenish tone. This is a colour that is popular in Europe and preferred by many jewellery designers. To get this softer yellow tone, copper, silver or palladium are melted into pure gold.

These three colourations — plus the traditional yellow — remain the most popular shades of the metal, but you might also see jewellery using accents of black or brown, maybe even blue or purple gold. These later shades are most often achieved through electroplating or some other surface treatment. When in doubt, always check for the karat mark (14K, 18K or 750) and polish your gold jewellery with a soft cloth to avoid scratching it.