Wedding Ring Metals

White Gold Wedding Ring

White gold is created by taking gold and alloying it with white metals such as silver, nickel and palladium. The whitest alloy of white gold is rich in palladium however palladium is much more expensive than silver and nickel so ultimately results in a more expensive metal. The main benefits of using a whiter alloy are that over time as the ring wears it will be less prone to discolouration and will require less maintenance.

White gold alloys that are rich in silver and nickel are more yellowy in colour, and in order to achieve a white finish need to be rhodium plated. Rhodium plating will eventually wear away to reveal the yellowy white gold, and so will need to be re-plated.

A white gold wedding ring is a popular alternative to platinum, whilst offering a similar appearance it is considerably cheaper to buy. White gold is also slightly lighter than platinum which many people prefer, particularly on wider bands.

Gold Wedding Ring

Gold has a glorious deep rich yellow colour and is available in two main qualities in the UK which are 9ct and 18ct. When comparing the two 9ct gold is slightly lighter and more straw like in colour and 18ct gold is richer in colour.

Gold has no real alternatives that can match its special yellow colour, which is why even since ancient time's gold has been highly cherished for its natural beauty.

Platinum Wedding Ring

Platinum has a silvery gunmetal appearance and is the rarest of all the precious metals and also the most valuable. Platinum has a higher density than gold and therefore weighs approximately 35% more than gold. Platinum's increased density above 18ct gold means more platinum is used in a wedding ring of the same size compared with gold, couple this with the higher commodity price, higher purity and you can understand why platinum wedding rings are much more expensive.

Platinum jewellery sold in the UK has a minimum platinum purity of 95%. The remaining alloy is usually made up from metals such as ruthenium and iridium. The platinum and ruthenium alloy is the most hardwearing which allows for jewellery to be polished to a highly reflective finish, and also provides greater scratch resistance.

Platinum's purity means platinum jewellery is hypoallergenic and is suitable for all skin types.

Palladium Wedding Ring

Palladium is a naturally white metal and is often referred to as the sister metal of platinum as it shares many of the same qualities. Both platinum and palladium have a purity of 95% when used in British jewellery, this high purity ensures jewellery will not tarnish or fade. A palladium wedding ring will be approximately 40% lighter than an equivalent platinum wedding ring, resulting in a lower price with very little difference in appearance between the two.

Although palladium has been used for many years particularly around world war two when platinum was unavailable, palladium had no legal hallmark. Since 1st January 2010 it has been mandatory for all palladium jewellery weighing more than one gram to have a hallmark.

High platinum prices coupled with the legal hallmarking for palladium have lead to a huge increase in the popularity of the metal, particularly with men's wedding rings.

Titanium

Titanium is a pure and hypoallergenic metal that is as strong as steel but with half the weight. Because titanium is not a precious metal it does not require a hallmark once fashioned into jewellery. Titanium is available in various grades, ranging from grade 5 which is an aircraft grade which uses an alloy of titanium and aluminium/vanadium. Grade 5 is very tensile and suitable for rings which have tension set stones, because of its high tensile strength it's virtually impossible to resize. Grade 2 is purer and is easier to re size but still remains hardwearing.

Titanium wedding rings are particularly resistant to corrosion which makes them perfect for people who enjoy activities such as diving and surfing, or for people who are worried about their ring becoming tarnished.

Zirconium is a pure, hypoallergenic and hard wearing metal which is grey in colour and can be polished up to a bright lustrous finish. Zirconium is commonly used on space vehicles due to its excellent heat resistant properties.

Plain zirconium has some interesting properties and if it's heated to very high temperatures the surface of the metal will change to a black colour. The colour change occurs because the intense heating of the metal causes a transformation of the surface into a black ceramic like material, which is also incredibly hard wearing.

Black zirconium wedding rings are more expensive than plain zirconium or titanium due to the intense heat treatment, but this is a small price to pay for a ring that will maintain its black finish for a lifetime.