What Metal Should You Use For Your Wedding Ring

What Metal Should You Use For Your Wedding Ring

With the array of choices available from one jeweler to another, one of the most difficult questions when looking for a wedding ring is deciding on the ring metal. What Ring Metal Should I Choose - gold, palladium, platinum, silver in terms of purity, durability, price, skin irritability and performance, etc. all would depend upon many factors explained hereinbelow.

1. PLATINUM

Platinum as a metal for Wedding Ring choice is a much sought after on account of its being highly durable, skin friendly and a never to fade shine and sheen.

Wedding and engagements signify the beginning of a lifelong journey and to commemorate these Platinum Wedding Rings are used as it symbolizes life-long courtship in the form of durability and lastness, just like the couple wants the relationship to withstand over the long years of life. 

Platinum is a rare, natural white metal known for its strength and purity, usually 95-percent pure and is thus quite expensive in budget terms.

Some of its pros and cons are:

PROS

• Highly durable ;

• Dense and heavy;

• Tarnish resistant: Best for rough use on a daily basis;

• Long-lasting;

• Low maintenance;

• Shine and color never fades; and

• Hypoallergenic and skin Friendly.

CONS

• Costly as it costs a little more than 18 karat gold;

• Not scratch proof; and

• Not environmental friendly.

2. YELLOW GOLD

Yellow gold is very popular and the first choice for wedding ring as it is considered as a prime investment set to rise in value in future as well of its importance in various cultures as a traditional auspicious metal for various occasions in regions like Egypt, Rome, Africa, Asia and various parts of Europe.

Basically, pure yellow gold is too soft to be used for wedding rings and is mixed with other metals like rhodium, zinc, and copper to form the ring in various color shades like white gold, rose gold, etc.

Yellow Gold Wedding Ring represents fidelity and thus are highly sought after in this regard.

Yellow Gold is measured in karats, that is, it signifies the measure or proportion of gold that is actually used in the ring and this can vary from 24 to 18 karat, depending upon the purity of gold.

A 24 karat is 100% pure gold, a 22 karat is 91.67% pure gold and 18 karats is 75% gold mixed with 25% of other metals.

Usually, pure gold is very brittle, so other metals are mixed to ensure stiffness and wear-ability.

Some of its pros and cons are:

PROS

• Classic, traditional and auspicious look;

• comparatively less expensive; and

• Highly flexible to bring in forth various unique, exquisite designs and engravings.

 CONS

• Less durable metal than platinum;

• Gets thinner and more worn down over time;

• Regular maintenance required; and

• A possibility of allergy and reaction to chemicals. 

3. WHITE GOLD

White gold occurs when you mix pure gold with some white metals such as palladium and silver to give a very elegant and polished silvery-white shine, something very unique and less shiny which many people would prefer.

To let off the yellow sheen in gold, a layer of rhodium is put in to give a chromatic look which people prefer. Additionally, this rhodium plating brings in better strength, durability, and hardness to the jewelry made.

White Gold in Wedding Rings represents the friendship between the couple to nourish and nurture in the long run by wearing white gold wedding rings.

Some of its pros and cons are:

PROS

• Beautiful looking white metal;

• Less expensive than platinum; and

• Numerous choices available with exquisite designs.

CONS

• A softer metal which is less durable;

• Will yellow over time back to its natural color, so it needs to be rhodium plated periodically, that is high maintenance; and

• Maybe allergic to some people.

4. ROSE GOLD

Highly popular in specialized jewelry, this natural yellow gold added with copper alloy becomes rose gold, eluding highly pristine attractiveness in two shades namely red and pink gold.

Rose gold jewelry rings represent love and thus are highly appealing to young couples to signify their love for each other for a lifetime by wearing Rose Gold Wedding Rings.

Some of its pros and cons are:

PROS

• More durable than yellow or white gold;

• Does not require rhodium plating;

• Highly affordable; and

• Suitable for all skin tones.

CONS

• Not Hypoallergenic, thus may not be used by many people; and

• Not widely available.

5. PALLADIUM

One of the six members of the platinum group metals, palladium is a lustrous silver-white metal, normally used as an alloy in white gold in jewelry making on account of its quality, affordability, and strength.

Some of its pros and cons are:

PROS

• Highly durable;

• Resistant to tarnish, extreme heat and many chemical reactions;

• Light in weight to ease in wear;

• Highly affordable;

• Hypoallergenic

• No rhodium plating required; and

• Easy maintenance.

CONS

• The high cost of repair and resizing;

• In limited supply; and

• Not environmental friendly.

6. TITANIUM

Highly modern and popular amongst men, Titanium Wedding Rings offer a strong and lightweight jewelry having compositions varying from commercial pure of 99.2% titanium, aircraft grade of primarily 90%  titanium or 6% aluminum, or even 4% vanadium.

This highly durable wedding rings offer a cool, gray or a polished black finish.

Some of its pros and cons are:

PROS

• Highly durable and strong;

• Very comfortable for daily wear and tear;

• Lightweight with low density;

• Low maintenance;

• Scratch resistant;

• Hypoallergenic;

• Anticorrosive;

• Lightweight;

• Color does not fade; and

• Low cost

CONS

• Limited in number;

• Hard to design and engrave;

• Very difficult to resize and repair;

• Very difficult to cut off in times of emergencies;

• Not cost effective, as the metal is inexpensive but the labor cost is high on account of its high inflexibility in shaping and carving; and

• Does not provide design versatility

7. STERLING SILVER

Sterling silver, the industry standard, is a mixture of 92.5% silver and 7.5% metal alloy (look for the standard quality stamp 925, with indicates 92.5% purity) used to make wedding rings to elude a radiant white to grayish white shine.

Added with rhodium plating, Silver Sterling Jewelry is a very popular and highly affordable metallic ring, often preferred by many who like the color of silver-white luminous sheen.

Some of its pros and cons are:

PROS

• Very affordable;

• High variety of selections;

• Do not require rhodium plating;

CONS

• Not as durable as other metals;

• If exposed to heat will become hot quite quickly;

• Not scratch proof;

• High maintenance; and

• Not tarnish free.