Getting the render right
Getting gold right: colours and karats in a render
Gold is not one colour, and a render that uses one is the second thing after fake diamonds that gives it away. The studio's metals were measured against reference jewellery renders rather than picked from a palette, which is why 14K rose looks like 14K rose and not like copper. Here is what the twelve metals are and how to use them.
Three golds, five karats
Yellow, rose and white gold, then the karat: 24K, 22K, 18K, 14K and 10K. The karat changes the colour, not just a label — 24K is the deep saturated yellow of pure gold, 18K is the warm standard of fine jewellery, 14K is paler and slightly greener, 10K paler still. A listing that shows a 14K ring in 18K's colour is showing the wrong product, and buyers who know gold can tell.
Platinum, palladium, silver, matte
Platinum is a cool bright grey-white with more weight in its reflections than white gold. Palladium is close to it and a touch darker. Sterling silver is brighter and whiter with a hint of warmth. Matte gold is a brushed finish rather than a polish, for pieces that are made that way. Each is a distinct material, not a tint.
Why the metal was measured
The renderer's exposure and the metals' colour and roughness were set against a reference jewellery renderer, comparing median luminance and shadow depth on the same piece, and adjusted until they matched. That is why gold here reads as gold under the Pro Jewelry lighting — it was tuned under that lighting, which is what Auto Jewelry Setup switches on.
Every finish from one file
The Metal range export pack renders the catalogue view in every gold and platinum from one file, so a piece offered in six finishes gets six matching images without six decisions. For finishes outside gold and platinum — silver, matte — switch the material and export again; the camera does not move.
Two-tone pieces
A ring with a white-gold head on a yellow band is two parts with two metals: click the head in the viewport, set white gold, and the band keeps its yellow. Any part can take any metal, which is how a two-tone or a rose-accented piece is made. Everything here happens on your own machine: the file is converted and rendered in the browser through your GPU and is never uploaded, so an unreleased design stays unreleased.
- Match the karat to the product — 14K is not 18K
- Metal range pack for every gold at once
- Click a part for two-tone
Questions
Does the karat actually change the colour in the render?
Yes. Each karat is a separate measured material — 24K is deep and saturated, 18K the warm standard, 14K paler and greener, 10K paler still. Choosing the right one is part of representing the product accurately.
How do I render a two-tone ring?
Click the part in the viewport and set its metal. The head can be white gold while the band stays yellow — every part takes its own material.
Can I get the same ring in every gold?
The Metal range pack renders the catalogue view in every gold and platinum from one file, matched exactly because they share a frame.
Free · runs in your browser · your file is never uploaded