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I have plans for a table with a gold inlay. Problem is, gold is expensive and the inlay is quite large (it's not a 'wire' inlay - I'd be casting a pretty substantial piece and setting it into the table). I'd like to use a different metal that I can effectively seal to prevent excessive oxidization (and etc.) that is at least vaguely gold-colored. So far I've been toying with brass or copper, but I wanted to see if anyone knew of any other metals that might provide a good substitute.

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There is no other easily available alloy than Copper based ones that are gold colored.

Brass is the most readily available that will have a gold color.

There is also a very wide variety of bronzes that will let you choose a precise color.

But Copper alloys are maybe not the best option have here. It is very heavy. There is a wide variety of option to get something gold colored.

Aluminium can be gold colored using specific anodising. Aluminium is lighter, cheaper, easy to tool...

JetMetal is an industrial process that can project a thin layer of gold colored copper alloy on any surface, including plastics.

A layer of gold colored copper alloy can also be deposited in a electro-chemical process on any metal..

TiN deposited by PVD is very thin and It will be breached one day or another....

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Maybe you could use epoxy resin instead of metal. It's not exactly cheap and you'd have to do some research as to which resin is best suited for your purpose (or suited at all), but there are tons of YouTube videos of how to design tables with epoxy.

The coloration could be a problem because depending on the pigment it won't look like metal at all, even if the pigment is golden. If you want to take this approach, I propose you buy colored resin instead of coloring it yourself.

If you're interested in epoxy resin, you should research the following topics before executing your first project:

  • The different kinds of resin and their properties. Some are only suited for thin layers, others only for thick layers. If you use improper resin, it might stay soft and sticky.
  • The safety measures! Always wear goggles and gloves and keep the area well ventilated, even if you don't smell any noxious fumes.
  • How to get rid of bubbles. This is a common problem with resin but less severe with opaque colors.
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  • There are pigments available to help resins look metallic, and casting resin is something a person can do at home far more easily, even taking the safety measures into consideration.
    – Allison C
    Commented Dec 14, 2018 at 14:24
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For a gold color , with no coating, you are limited to copper alloys. They come in a wide color range from red bronzes to silver "German silver".

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