What is Gray Gold? Is it Real? Is it Magnetic and Hypoallergenic? Does it Tarnish, Corrode and Rust?

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What is gray gold?

Is gray gold more valuable than yellow gold? Is gray gold real gold on not?

Is gray gold magnetic? Does it tarnish, rust and oxidize?

Learn it all and more in my guide below.

What is Gray Gold? Is it Real? What is it Made of?

Gray gold is real. It’s a gold alloy that gets its color from the combination of yellow gold and  other metals like palladium, silver, copper, or manganese. Gray gold is a popular alternative to white gold, offering a unique gray hue, and can be made with or without rhodium plating.

  • Gray gold made with palladium consists of 15-25%, palladium, 65-75% yellow gold and ~10% of other metals like silver, copper, or even platinum. The last 10% in this alloy serves the purpose of strengthening the alloy and making it more workable for jewelry creation.
  • Gray gold made with silver consists of 75% yellow gold, 15% silver for it’ grayish color, and 10% of other metals like palladium and iron for added strength and durability.
  • Gray gold made with manganese consists of 75-78% yellow gold, 7% to 15% manganese and 1-10% silver for added strength and durability.

Note: gray gold is often plated with rhodium to improve its looks and strength. Rhodium plating gives gray gold a brighter appearance more akin to white gold than to true gray gold.

Also worth noting is that very small percentage of titanium (1%) added to gold can create a gray-toned shimmer. However, making gray gold with titanium is rare compared to the methods I explained above.

Gray gold example
Gray gold example

Is Gray Gold Magnetic?

No, gray gold isn’t magnetic. It’s diamagnetic.

Gray gold is diamagnetic due to the overwhelming presence of diamagnetic pure yellow gold in the alloy. The other common metals in gray gold alloy are palladium and silver. Palladium is paramagnetic (palladium has an extremely weak magnetic attraction), whereas silver is diamagnetic similar to yellow gold.

Iron is also a common component of gray gold alloy. Iron is a good replacement for more expensive palladium ad silver because it’s much cheaper and changes the color of yellow gold to the desired shade of gray.

Iron is a ferromagnetic material and iron that’s replacing palladium or silver will make gray gold magnetic.

Is There Gray Gold Vermeil? Does it Exist?

There’s no gray gold vermeil. It doesn’t exist. This is because gray gold is an novel type of gold and there’s barely any jewelry made from it on the market.

So no one produces gray gold vermeil because there’s isn’t a market for it.

Gold vermeil is a type of jewelry where gold plating that’s at least 2.5 microns thick covers a sterling silver base.

And there’re several interesting varieties based on different types of colored gold.

There’s rose gold vermeil made from 2.5 micron thick rose gold plating and sterling silver base. Then there’s white gold vermeil made from white gold plating and sterling silver base and of course the classic, “original” gold vermeil made from yellow gold over sterling silver base.

Is it Possible to Turn Gray Gold into Yellow Gold?

Yes, it’s possible to turn gray gold into yellow gold. However, it’s a delicate process only a professional jeweler can do correctly.

First, the jeweler melts the gray gold. Second, they remove the metals which give gray gold its distinctive color.

Once only yellow gold remains the jeweler re-alloys yellow gold with different metals to enhance the yellow color and increase durability as pure gold is a highly malleable and ductile precious metal.

The jeweler then solidifies and reshapes the new yellow gold jewelry.

And that’s how to turn gray gold into yellow gold.

Is Gray Gold Natural? Is Raw Gray Gold Real? Do Gray Gold Ores Exist and how are they Mined?

No, gray gold isn’t natural. It’s a man-made gold alloy. Raw gray gold isn’t real, doesn’t exist and isn’t mined anywhere.

Is Gray Gold Hypoallergenic?

Yes, gray gold is hypoallergenic. Gray gold as an alloy consists of several different metals, and nearly all of them are hypoallergenic and unlikely to cause a skin reaction in even the most sensitive individuals.

Pure, yellow gold doesn’t cause skin allergies. Palladium is hypoallergenic, Silver is hypoallergenic.

Manganese and iron are also safe metals for people with skin sensitivities.

The only true exception here is copper which is known to be allergenic to some individuals. However, even then the percentage of susceptible people is small and the skin reactions are mild at their worst.

Copper allergies are uncommon, but they do occur.
Copper allergies are uncommon, but they do occur.

Which Karats is Gray Gold Available in?

Gray gold is available in 18k and 14k varieties.

18k gray gold offers a good balance between gold content and durability. The 25% of other metals  contribute to its gray hue.

14K gray gold has less pure gold in the alloy, and more other metals making this version of gray gold noticeably grayer than the 18k version.

This is because lower karat alloys allow a broader spectrum of colors due to higher proportions of alloying elements.

Do Gray Gold Coins and Bars Exist? Is That Bullion Real?

No, gray gold coins and bars don’t exist. Gray gold is an exquisite gold type known for its novelty and rarity, and not as a store of value.

Most gold coins and bars on the market are made from yellow gold, and in the case of IRA-approved gold bullion, yellow gold that’s at least 99.5% pure.

Is it Possible to Include Gray Gold as Part of a Gold IRA Account?

No, it’s not possible to include gray gold as part of a gold IRA account. Gray gold isn’t IRA approved and the only precious metals which are IRA-eligible are gold, silver, platinum and palladium.

Augusta Precious Metals is the place where you can buy genuine IRA-approved gold without worrying about a multitude of gold IRA frauds.

Augusta is the best gold IRA company in the United States and working with them is safe, secure and fast.

They also waive all fees for 10 years for all new customers.

Get Augusta's free guide here!
Read my Augusta Precious Metals review next!

What is Gray Gold? Is it Real? Is it Magnetic and Hypoallergenic? Does it Tarnish, Corrode and Rust? (Conclusion)

Gray gold is a real gold alloy that gets its distinctive color from combining yellow gold with metals like palladium, silver, manganese, or copper.

It’s typically available in 14k and 18k varieties, with compositions ranging from 65-78% yellow gold plus various alloying metals. Gray gold is hypoallergenic and generally non-magnetic (unless it contains iron).

Unlike natural gold, gray gold is entirely man-made – no raw gray gold exists in nature. It’s primarily used for jewelry rather than investment purposes, so gray gold coins, bars, or IRA-eligible bullion don’t exist.

The alloy can be converted back to yellow gold through professional remelting and re-alloying processes.

References:

Nikola Roza

Nikola Roza is a blogger behind Nikola Roza- SEO for the Poor and Determined. He writes for bloggers who don't have huge marketing budget but still want to succeed. Nikola is passionate about precious metals IRAs and how to invest in gold and silver for a safer financial future. Learn about Nikola here.

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