What is green gold?
By Jared James · Last updated 21 May 2026
Definition
Green gold, known historically as electrum, is a gold alloy that gains its subtle greenish tone from a high proportion of silver in the mix, with sometimes a small addition of copper or zinc. Pure gold has a warm yellow colour, and silver's paler, cooler tone shifts the hue toward olive or sage green when it makes up a significant portion of the alloy. True green gold is relatively uncommon in mainstream jewellery but appears in Art Nouveau pieces and in mokume-gane work, where different coloured golds are layered together for a woodgrain-like effect.
Frequently asked questions
- Is green gold a natural colour of gold?
- Not naturally, but it is a real gold alloy. The green hue comes entirely from blending gold with a high proportion of silver, which shifts the colour away from pure gold's warm yellow toward a cooler, more muted green-gold tone.
- Is green gold the same as electrum?
- Electrum is the historical name for a naturally occurring gold-silver alloy found in ancient mines, and it has a similar greenish-yellow colour. Modern green gold is a manufactured alloy designed to replicate or amplify that effect.
- How is green gold used in jewellery?
- It is most often seen in Art Nouveau and Arts and Crafts jewellery where multiple gold colours are combined for visual contrast, and in contemporary pieces where a designer wants a more unusual, muted gold tone alongside yellow, white or rose gold.
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