Helen Maksymfnk, age l4, of Philadelphia, Pa., for her question:

What is white gold?

Pure gold is a shiny yellow metal and soft enough to work into delicate jewelry. Soft metals tend to bend and break and jewelers use more durable alloys of gold with silver and other metals. One of these alloys is white gold. The metals mixed with gold may be silver or nickel, platinum or palladium or zinc. In white gold, there is enough of one or more of their silvery white metals to mask the yellow of the gold.  Some of these alloys are more valuable than gold itself. Aside from being more durable, white gold may be more costly than fine gold. It often is used as settings for diamonds and precious gems. A white gold made from palladium and gold resists magnetism. This alloy is used to make delicate and durable springs for non magnetic watches.