White gold is usually slightly more expensive than gold when the two metals are compared in the same karat. The difference is rarely large, and it is not about the amount of pure gold in the piece. A piece in 14K gold and a piece in 14K white gold contain exactly the same proportion of pure gold - around 58.5 percent. What pushes the price of white gold up a little is the other metals in the alloy and the surface treatment white gold gets at the end.

For most buyers, the price difference between the two metals is therefore less decisive than appearance and maintenance. But if the question is what actually costs the most, the answer is most often white gold - and below is exactly why.

Why both metals cost almost the same on the gold content

Karat indicates how large a part of a piece is pure gold. 14K means 14 out of 24 parts, that is around 58.5 percent pure gold. That number is the same, whether the piece says gold or white gold. The remaining 41.5 percent are other metals mixed in to provide strength and colour.

This is where the two metals differ. Pure gold is soft and yellow, and in gold copper and silver are typically mixed in, so that the colour is preserved and the ring becomes strong enough for everyday use. In white gold, white metals such as palladium are used instead, pulling the colour from yellow towards white. The amount of gold itself is the same, so the gold price in the two pieces is practically identical at the same weight and karat.

The alloy in white gold can push the price up

The difference in price begins with the metals mixed into the gold. The white metals used in white gold are often more expensive than the copper and silver in gold. Palladium in particular has historically been high in price, and when it is part of the alloy, it adds a few kroner.

How much it matters depends on the specific alloy and on the weight of the piece. On a thin piece the difference is marginal, while it is more noticeable on a wide ring or a heavy piece. In most cases it is a modest difference - not a doubling.

The rhodium plating is the real extra cost of white gold

White gold is not entirely white in itself. Even with white alloy metals it has a faint, slightly greyish or yellowish tone. To get the clear, cool whiteness most people associate with white gold, the surface is plated with rhodium - a white metal from the platinum group.

Rhodium is expensive, and the plating requires an extra work step after the manufacturing itself. It is a significant reason why a white gold piece often costs a little more than the equivalent in gold. Gold does not need a corresponding treatment, because the colour comes from the gold itself.

The plating also wears over time and may need to be renewed after a few years of use, depending on how much the piece is worn. It is a maintenance expense that gold does not have in the same way - and thus a difference that also extends beyond the purchase price itself.

When the price difference is greatest, and when it disappears

On the finest, thinnest pieces, the difference between gold and white gold is so small that it is rarely decisive for the choice. A thin necklace or a slender bracelet weighs so little that neither the alloy nor the plating moves the total much. The same applies to small stud earrings and fine pendants.

The difference grows the more metal there is in the piece. A wide ring, a heavy chain or a weighty signet ring uses more material, and then both the more expensive alloy and the rhodium plating carry greater weight in the overall calculation. If you want to compare the two metals in practice, the same design is often available in both variants - see for example the selection in gold versus white gold.

Diamonds cost the same regardless of metal

When a piece has stones, it is often the diamonds, not the metal, that take up the most of the price. A diamond's weight, cut and quality determine what it costs, and that number does not change because the setting is white gold rather than gold. Many diamond pieces are available in both metals at practically the same price, precisely because the stone is the expensive part.

There is also no price difference between the metals when it comes to the choice between lab-grown and natural diamonds. Lab-grown diamonds have the same physical and optical properties as natural diamonds and can sit in both gold and white gold. If you want to see the designs with this stone, there is a wide selection in the collection lab-grown diamonds. A round solitaire ring therefore costs the same, whether the band is white or yellow - it is the centre stone that determines the price.

What costs the most in practice?

If the two metals are set against each other in the same karat and the same design, white gold is most often the slightly more expensive choice. The gold content is the same, but the white alloy metals can cost more, and the rhodium plating adds both an expense at purchase and ongoing maintenance on top.

The difference is, however, rarely dramatic, and on many pieces it is so small that it should not govern the choice alone. When the stone in a diamond piece weighs heaviest on the price, the metal becomes to an even greater degree a question of which colour suits you and the rest of your jewellery best.