What Is Green Gold?
The rarest gold color — made by mixing gold with silver (and sometimes cadmium). Here's the full story.
Volume visualization — gold vs. silver
Each droplet = same volume. Silver (10.5 g/cm³) is lighter than gold (19.3 g/cm³), so silver needs significantly more droplets for the same weight.
18K Green Gold | 75.0 wt%
18K Green Gold
14K Green Gold | 58.3 wt%
14K Green Gold
10K Green Gold | 41.7 wt%
10K Green Gold
The green gold recipe
More silver = greener and paler. Cadmium intensifies the green but is rarely used due to toxicity.
How silver % changes the color
Common green gold types
The most common green gold in fine jewelry. Subtle olive-yellow hue. Used in multi-tone pieces alongside yellow, white, and rose gold.
Best for: Multi-tone rings, artistic jewelry
Greener and more affordable than 18K. The silver content gives a noticeably cooler, more olive appearance.
Best for: Decorative accents, nature-inspired jewelry
The ancient natural alloy of gold and silver. Used in coins and artifacts from ancient Greece and Egypt. Pale greenish-gold in appearance.
Best for: Historical coins, museum pieces
What makes it green?
Silver absorbs more blue and red light than gold does. When mixed with gold, it shifts the alloy's color toward green-yellow. The more silver, the greener the result.
Ancient history
Electrum — a natural alloy of gold and silver — was used in ancient coinage as far back as 600 BC in Lydia (modern Turkey). It's one of the oldest known monetary metals.
Cadmium caution
Some older formulas used cadmium to intensify the green color. Cadmium is highly toxic and is now banned from jewelry in many countries, including the EU.
Where you'll see it
Green gold is rare in everyday jewelry but popular in high-end multi-tone pieces — rings or pendants that combine yellow, white, rose, and green gold for a nature-inspired look.