The onset of summer means the colour of the season is well, white naturally. And to match your jewellery with your outfits, white gold is a great option. White gold is an alloy of gold and at least one white metal, such as silver or palladium. Rhodium plating is used to make the white gold look whiter. The natural colour of white gold is actually light grey. The white colour is achieved by careful choice of the alloying metals, which bleach the deep yellow of pure gold. White gold is popular as it can be used as a substitute for platinum.
White gold goes very well with diamonds. Says V Govindraj, Vice President - Retail and Marketing, Tanishq, "White gold is made by alloying gold using nickel and palladium. It is made in 18 karat normally in India. Being 18 karat, it is much harder than 22K gold and therefore ideally suited for diamond-studded jewellery. It also enhances the brightness of the diamonds.”
Though, yellow gold still stands as the 'timeless' metal in the Indian jewellery context, white gold has a charm of its own. With its ability to look equally appealing when shaped as a traditional motif or as a contemporary pattern, it offers greater freedom to designers and craftsmen.
 "White is a versatile colour and classic designs look best when set in white gold," opines Pallavi Dudeja Foley, Senior Jewellery Design Manager, Tanishq. Right from being strictly westernised to casually ethnic in the styling, most designs look good in white gold. "Technically speaking, diamonds shine brighter when set in white gold as opposed to the yellow metal. Hence, it is evolving as the modern-day symbol of 'luxury and class' attracting a wide customer base," explains Philip D Anthony, Consultant, Jewellery Retailing & Branding Solutions. In fact, the acceptance in the Indian market and great sales potential has lead to the stage where most Indian brands like Asmi, Nakshatra, Nirvana among others have included a significant share of white gold jewellery in their product offerings.
Says P H Narayanan, Brand Manager - Omega India, "the response to elite gold has been encouraging in the past few years especially in the women's category."  Incidentally, Longines has recently created a collection of marvellous jewelled watches, with a rectangular or oval case in white gold, richly studded with diamonds. 
White gold looks so similar to platinum that an untrained eye cannot tell the difference. And if you are a person in tune with the latest fashion trends, this is what Foley has to say. " Tahitian pearls and icy tomes of green and blue are hot in Spring/Summer 2007 and these look best when set in white gold."
Tips for maintenance
*Store your jewellery in a clean, dry place in a fabric-lined case or in a box with compartments.
*Wrap each piece individually in soft tissue paper. Avoid doing rough work with gold on.
*To keep a white gold ring looking its best it should be re-rhodium plated approximately each 12 to 18 months.