Rose Gold PVD

A look at the fascination from both men and women for this finish.

Any jewellery fashionistas will be very aware of both Rose Gold PVD and Black PVD. Rose Gold PVD is used on exquisite women’s rings and necklaces and also on expensive watches for both men and women.

Rose Gold PVD brilliantly mimics Rose Gold however is a sought-after commodity in its own right. Interestingly it is fashionable for both male and female jewellery being used for rings, earrings, bracelets, watches and necklaces for women and for cufflinks, rings and watches for men.

Firstly one might ask why the preference for the Rose Gold finish and one cannot deny that it is pleasing. One theory is that is because it is one of the colours of dawn or of sunset and is not found anywhere else in nature, making it rare and ephemeral.

So to understand the fascination with Rose Gold PVD lets look at the “original”, Rose Gold itself.

As you probably know, gold is naturally yellow, not pink or red and Rose Gold is not pure gold but is gold mixed with copper. The very subtle pale pink Rose Golds are in actual fact more likely to be 75% gold, 13% silver and 12% copper. Lately a more masculine slightly bronze darker Rose Gold has become fashionable and this is achieved using a higher ratio of copper.

What is referred to as Rose Gold now, however, is quite often not gold at all but a PVD coated stainless steel or other substrate. The advantages of PVD are that it is more resistant to flaking than electro-plating and of course more eco-friendly as vats of acid are not required! In fact there are no chemicals used in the creation of PVD coatings. A further significant feature is that a PVD finish is far more scratch resistant than real gold. This is a major advantage when you consider how much wear and tear watches and jewellery receive and how much longer their good looks can be retained with the use of PVD.

PVD is not seen as any lesser a material for not being gold and the “real” Rose Gold and PVD Rose Gold live happily side by side and are perceived as just as desirable as each other.

The colour of Rose Gold PVD seems to be so popular as it works so well with other finishes and materials. It works well with natural stainless steel, reflects peach diamonds rather well and sits nicely with leather watch straps and looks softly masculine when used with black.

The cufflink design here, a little bit like Lego and more than a little bit like liquorice allsorts, is a very typical combination of black or another material alongside Rose Gold PVD.

These Calvin Klein earrings are two tones of Rose Gold PVD, a lighter one for the band and a slightly more yellow version for the studs. Overall the effect is very Star Trek-ish!

In 2012 apple released their iphone 5S which became available in gold or rose gold courtesy of Gold & Co, London.

The catwalk effect of Rose Gold PVD seems to have taken a while to permeate other mediums. Whilst well known and popular in the jewellery circles, which one search on Pinterest will bear out, it is still relatively unknown as a finish for other products.

It has taken a while but now the interiors sector is now catching on as the PVD process is so suited to interior products such as switches and sockets, door and window furniture, taps and hardware and other architectural ironmongery.