Gold vs yellow
Yellow is #FFFF00: red and green at full strength. Gold drops the green to 215, which moves the hue from 60° to 51° and gives it a warm, orange cast. That small shift is what stops it looking like a highlighter. Even so, flat #FFD700 looks like yellow paint rather than metal, and the darker golds below are often more convincing.
| Name | HEX | Lightness | Looks like |
|---|---|---|---|
| yellow (CSS) | #FFFF00 | 50% | Pure, cold yellow |
| gold (CSS) | #FFD700 | 50% | Bright yellow-gold |
| goldenrod (CSS) | #DAA520 | 49% | Warmer, more like old gold |
| darkgoldenrod (CSS) | #B8860B | 38% | Antique brass, gold in shadow |
Making gold look metallic on screen
Metal is not a colour; it is reflections. A single flat value can never look shiny, so “metallic gold” on screens is always a gradient that runs from a light highlight through mid gold to a dark edge. A simple version uses three of the colours above:
background: linear-gradient(135deg, #FFD700 0%, #DAA520 50%, #B8860B 100%);Adjust it live in the gradient generator. Adding a thin, almost-white stop near one edge sells the shine even more.
What gold pairs with
Gold looks richest against deep colours: navy (gold text scores 11.41:1), black (14.97:1), burgundy and emerald. On white it nearly disappears, at just 1.40:1, so gold text on a white page is a mistake; use it for borders and icons there instead.
Questions
What is the RGB code for gold?
rgb(255, 215, 0); HSL hsl(51, 100%, 50%).
What colour text goes on a gold button?
Black or a very dark navy. White on gold is unreadable.