La Vie En Rose

Rose gold is warming up the watch and jewelry world with its rich and opulent hue.

The appetite for high-end gold jewelry and watches seems unabated, despite the recent historic record high of the price of gold. And rose gold—also known as pink or red gold—is currently warming up the jewelry and watch world following a long spell of cool, white-gold “weather”. With its rich, rosy hue, rose gold looks fantastic against the skin and captures the prevalent mood for unabashed opulence. The days of discrete, low-key accessories are passé and larger, lavish pieces are le dernier cri. Gold fever is here to stay, and the world's leading jewelers and watchmakers have taken note of the recent flush of interest in rose gold. In fact, Chopard's latest collection featured rose gold almost exclusively.

There is actually no such thing as pure rose gold. As is often the case with things of exceptional beauty, we have the Egyptians to thank for mastering the art of mixing pure gold with other metals to create gold alloys, back in 1200 bc. Pure 24-karat gold is extremely malleable and a little too soft to be worn every day. In order to enhance its durability, natural yellow gold is mixed with other metals, including silver, palladium and copper. Rose gold is created by mixing pure gold with copper.

The jewelry scene has exploded with audacious designs in gold, and jewelers' names pop into conversations with ease. Capturing the metallic mood that has swept the catwalks, gold is appearing in a stunning array of textures, with tactile being the operative word: ribbed, crushed, hammered, meshed... you name it, they're doing it to gold. Metal mesh, once donned by clunky knights in armor, is being created in lightweight pieces that are a delight to wear.