Rose gold was first created in 19th century Imperial Russia, where jeweler Carl Faberge blended gold with copper, earning it the original name Russian gold. The copper is what turns gold pink, and the more copper in the alloy, the deeper the color. Cartier's 1924 Trinity ring made rose gold a lasting icon of fine jewelry.
Rose gold looks like a thoroughly modern color, yet its warm blush was first mixed in the workshops of Imperial Russia, where it was known as Russian gold. Behind the romance is a simple piece of chemistry: copper. This is the story of rose gold, from Carl Faberge's imperial creations to the Cartier ring that made it famous and the everyday jewelry it warms today.
A color born in Imperial Russia
19th c
First created in Imperial Russia
1924
Cartier's Trinity ring debuts
75%
Gold in 18K rose gold
Copper
The metal that turns gold pink
Rose gold feels modern, but its warm blush is older than it looks. The alloy was born in 19th century Imperial Russia, where the celebrated court jeweler Carl Faberge, the man behind the legendary Faberge eggs made for the Russian royal family, blended yellow gold with copper to create a soft pink metal. It was so closely tied to the Russian court that the world first knew it by a different name: Russian gold.
That origin gave rose gold an aura of imperial luxury from the very start. As the alloy spread beyond Russia and jewelers everywhere adopted the rosy hue, the name Russian gold faded and the metal became known as rose gold, but its association with refinement and romance never left it.
Why it was called Russian gold
Rose gold was so strongly identified with the workshops of Carl Faberge and the Russian Imperial court that the pink alloy was originally named Russian gold. The label only fell out of use as the color spread to jewelers around the world.
What makes gold turn pink
Pure gold is always the same warm yellow, so the pink of rose gold does not come from the gold at all. It comes from copper. When gold is alloyed with copper, the mix takes on a rosy tone, and the more copper in the recipe, the deeper and redder the color becomes. A little silver is often added to soften the effect.
The gold content stays the same; only the copper ratio changes the hue.
This is why you will see related names: pink gold has the least copper and the palest blush, rose gold sits in the middle, and red gold has the most copper and the boldest color. Crucially, the color runs through the entire metal, so unlike white gold, which depends on a rhodium coating, rose gold never needs replating. The pink is permanent. For how it sits beside the other gold colors and metals, the precious metals comparison guide lines them up.
From Russian courts to the Roaring Twenties
From the Russian court, rose gold traveled west. Victorian jewelers in England embraced it in the late 1800s, and in the United States it became one of the defining looks of the 1920s, the warm metal a natural fit for the bold, colorful spirit of the Art Deco era. The piece that sealed its fame arrived in 1924, when the French house Cartier released its Trinity ring: three interlocking bands of yellow, white and rose gold, said to represent fidelity, friendship and love. Famously linked to the artist Jean Cocteau and worn by figures like Gary Cooper, it remains an icon a century later.
History then gave rose gold an unexpected boost. During the Second World War, platinum was declared a strategic metal and banned from jewelry, so engagement rings turned back to gold, and the warm tones of rose and yellow gold defined the sculptural Retro style of the 1940s. Much later, in 2015, a rose gold phone reignited the trend for a new generation. You can read how that wartime restriction reshaped the metals in the history of platinum.
Rose gold purity and variations
Because rose gold is still gold, its karatage works exactly like yellow gold: 18 karat is 75 percent pure gold, 14 karat is 58.3 percent, and the rest of the alloy is what creates the color. The difference is simply that the alloy is copper-rich rather than the silver and zinc blends used for yellow or the white metals used for white gold.
| Name | Gold | Copper | Silver |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pink gold | 75% | 20% | 5% |
| Rose gold | 75% | 22.5% | 2.5% |
| Red gold | 75% | 25% | 0% |
| 14K rose gold | 58.3% | higher copper share | small |
That copper brings a practical bonus. Copper is hard, so rose gold is generally a touch more durable than yellow or white gold, holding up well to daily wear. Its warm tone is also famously flattering, complementing a wide range of skin tones, which is part of why it has stayed popular for engagement rings and everyday pieces alike. For the older sibling that started it all, see the history of gold.
Good to Know
Rose gold's color is part of the metal itself, not a surface plating, so it will not wear off the way white gold's bright finish can. The copper content means a small number of people with copper sensitivity may react, but for most wearers rose gold is comfortable for everyday use. The complete guide to rose gold jewelry covers choosing and caring for pink-gold pieces in full.
Rose gold today
Today rose gold has shed its status as a vintage curiosity and become a mainstream favorite, prized for being warm, romantic and quietly distinctive next to traditional yellow and white. It reads as both modern and nostalgic, works beautifully on its own or mixed with other metals in the Trinity tradition, and is widely seen as gender-neutral.
From the Faberge workshops of Imperial Russia to the engagement rings of today, rose gold has proven that the most enduring luxury can come from something as humble as copper. It rounds out the gold story alongside classic gold and the white metals of silver and platinum.
The colour of rose gold depends on the ratio of copper to gold.
Sotheby's
Further reading: FTC Jewelry Guides. Sotheby's is among the world's oldest fine jewelry and art authorities; the FTC Jewelry Guides govern how gold karatage and content are described in the US.
In Short
1Rose gold was first created in 19th century Imperial Russia and was originally called Russian gold, popularized by the jeweler Carl Faberge.
2Its pink color comes from copper in the alloy; more copper makes pink gold, rose gold and red gold progressively deeper in hue.
3Cartier's 1924 Trinity ring made rose gold an icon, and unlike white gold its color is permanent and never needs replating.
Yellow, white, or rose gold?
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From the imperial workshops of Carl Faberge to the engagement rings and everyday pieces of today, rose gold turns a humble metal, copper, into one of the most romantic colors in fine jewelry. Knowing where its blush comes from, and that the color is permanent, is the key to choosing rose gold you will love for a lifetime. Every order ships free with a 30-day return policy.
Frequently Asked Questions
01
Where did rose gold originate?
Rose gold originated in 19th century Imperial Russia, where the court jeweler Carl Faberge blended gold with copper to create a warm pink alloy. It was so tied to the Russian court that it was first called Russian gold, a name that faded as the color spread worldwide.
02
What makes rose gold pink?
Rose gold gets its color from copper. Pure gold is yellow, but alloying it with copper shifts the tone toward pink, and the more copper in the mix, the redder the result. A small amount of silver is often added to soften the hue.
03
What is the difference between rose, pink and red gold?
Rose, pink and red gold differ only in how much copper they contain. Pink gold has the least copper and the palest color, rose gold sits in the middle, and red gold has the most copper and the deepest, most coppery red. All can be the same karat, since karat measures gold content, not color.
04
Is rose gold real gold?
Rose gold is real gold. An 18 karat rose gold piece is 75 percent pure gold and a 14 karat piece is 58.3 percent, exactly like yellow gold. The remaining portion is copper rather than the silver and zinc used for yellow gold, which is what creates the pink color. The precious metals comparison guide explains the differences.
05
Does rose gold fade or need replating?
Rose gold does not fade and never needs replating. Its color comes from copper mixed throughout the metal, not from a surface coating, so the pink is permanent. This sets it apart from white gold, which relies on a rhodium plating that wears thin over time and must be renewed.
06
Is rose gold good for sensitive skin?
Rose gold is comfortable for most wearers, though its copper content means a small number of people with a copper sensitivity may react. Those with very sensitive skin who prefer to avoid copper alloys often choose platinum, which is naturally hypoallergenic, as covered in the history of platinum.
