There are several metals used in the creation of fine jewelry. By knowing information about the different metals, their benefits compared with each other and their unique qualities you will be able to make a better and more informed decision about purchasing your jewelry.
The metal types commonly used to make jewelry include gold, platinum, titanium, silver and stainless steel. Metals including rhodium and palladium are also used with jewelry.
Below you will find information about each of these metal types, together with information about which metals are best for particular types of jewelry.
Gold
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Gold is the most popular choice for men's and ladies wedding rings and engagement rings. Gold is also very popular in dress rings, earrings, pendants, necklaces and bracelets.
There are several Karats available for gold. The Karat is the gold content of the metal. The Karat measures the proportion of pure gold mixed with other metal alloy to make up the final metal.
The gold Karats normally used in jewelry are 10kt, 14kt and 18kt. The higher the proportion of gold used in the final metal, the more valuable and expensive the metal will be. So all other things being the same, an 18kt ring will be more expensive than a 14kt ring and a 14kt ring will be more expensive than a 10kt ring.
Content of Gold in different Kt's:
10kt gold contains 41.6% pure gold (416 parts per thousand parts).
14kt gold contains 58.5% pure gold (585 parts per thousand parts).
18kt gold contains 75% pure gold (750 parts per thousand parts).
The remainder of the metals is made up of a combination of alloys, different metals which can help to give the metal its unique appearance, such as a different color.
Jewelry is normally stamped with a marking to show the type of gold.
For 10kt gold the stamp will normally be either the number 416,10kt, 10kt or 10K.
For 14kt gold the stamp will normally be either the number 585, 14kt, 14kt or 14K.
For 18kt gold the stamp will normally be either the number 750, 18kt, 18kt or 18K.
The stamps only indicate the Karat of metal. They do not indicate the color of the metal. So for example an 18kt yellow gold ring would have a stamp of 750 as would an 18kt white gold ring.
10kt, 14kt and 18kt gold are each relatively hard and durable metals and are suitable for use in all types of fine jewelry. Gold is also suitable to be used in jewelry that is worn on an everyday basis.
When choosing jewelry, particularly rings, many people consider the hardness and durability of gold to be used in their ring.
Gold is available in several different colors. The most popular is yellow gold, followed by white gold and rose gold, though other gold colors are sometimes also available such as bronze, red and lime gold.Jewelry can also be made using a combination of different gold colors. These jewelry items are sometimes called two-tone, three-tone or multi-colored gold.
The gold content of yellow gold is measured in the same way it is measured in for example white gold. So an 18kt white gold ring contains 75% pure gold, just as 18kt yellow gold contains 75% pure gold.
The difference in color between yellow, white and rose is determined by the metals used in the alloy mix.
As the color difference is due to the metal components in the alloy mix, the color of yellow gold and rose gold will not chip, fade or wear off with age.
Yellow gold is made by mixing pure gold with alloy metals such as copper and zinc.
Rose gold is made using a mix of pure gold with alloys including copper. The copper provides the rose-reddish color.
White gold is an alloy of gold and some white metals such as silver and palladium.
Traditionally nickel was used in white gold, however, nickel is no longer used in most white gold made today as nickel can cause reactions with some people.
When white gold rings are new they can be coated with another white metal called Rhodium. Rhodium is a metal very similar to platinum and rhodium shares many of the properties of platinum including its white color. The rhodium plating is used to make the white gold look more white. The natural color of white gold is actually a light yellow color. The rhodium is very white and very hard, but it does wear away eventually. To keep a white gold ring looking its best it should be re-rhodium plated approximately each 12 to 18 months. Most local jewelers are able to rhodium plate jewelry for a cost effective price.
Platinum is a white metal, but unlike gold it is used in jewelry in almost it's pure form (approximately 105% pure). Platinum is extremely long wearing and is very white, so it does not need to be rhodium plated like white gold does.Platinum is very dense and heavy metal, so a platinum ring will feel heavier than an 18kt gold ring.
Platinum is, however, significantly more expensive than gold. With all other things being the same, a platinum ring will be approximately twice the price of an 18kt white gold ring.
Platinum is a prestige choice and is often chosen for its sophisticated appeal and popularity amongst the rich and famous.
Platinum is normally not used in the full range of jewelry products due to its higher price.
Platinum is mainly used in ladies engagement rings, ladies wedding rings and men's wedding rings. Platinum can also be used to make dress rings,
though it is not commonly used to make earrings, pendants, bracelets or necklaces.
Palladium
Palladium is a white metal which is has a silver-grey-white color and is similar to platinum. Palladium is one of the metals that is part of the platinum group of metals. The platinum group metals share similar chemical properties.
Palladium is well suited to use with engagement rings and wedding rings.
A few short years ago the price of palladium was actually higher than platinum, however, the price of palladium is now lower than platinum, making it a more affordable option.
Titanium
Titanium is a natural element which has a silver-grayish-white color. Titanium is the hardest natural metal in the world. It is very strong, three times the strength of steel and much stronger than gold, silver and platinum and yet is very light weight. Pure titanium is also 100% hypo-allergenic which means that it if safe for anyone to wear as it will not react to your skin.Titanium provides several unique factors that make it a good metal for jewelry. It is very strong, more dent, bend and scratch resistant than gold, silver and platinum, is lightweight and importantly offers an exotic array of colors which other metals simply do not.
One factor to consider with titanium is that titanium cannot be soldered, which means that titanium rings cannot normally be resized.
Titanium rings made using pure titanium can normally be cut-off the finger in the event of an emergency, though they are more difficult to cut-off than gold, silver or platinum rings. Aircraft grade titanium rings normally cannot be cut-off in the event of an emergency.
Titanium is popular in earrings and bracelets for both ladies and men.
Silver
Sterling silver is a white-grey colored metal which is less expensive than gold, platinum and titanium.Silver is a softer metal than gold, titanium and platinum and does not have hardness that the other metals do.
Silver is a popular metal for use in jewelry such as earrings, pendants, bracelets, necklaces and dress rings. It is best used for jewelry that will not be worn every day for an extended period. For that reason it is usually not recommend to be chosen for ladies and men's wedding rings, and is not suitable for ladies engagement rings.
Silver is also more prone to oxidization, sometimes causing the silver to turn black. The silver jewelry can easily be made to look like new again if you use a silver jewelry cleaner (available from most department stores) or if you have your jewelry cleaned by a local jeweler.
Tungsten Carbide
Tungsten carbide, also referred to simply as tungsten, is a very hard, strong and durable metal. It's also quite heavy. Tungsten has a characteristic unique to this special metal - tungsten is highly scratch resistant. Unlike gold, platinum and even titanium, tungsten rings do not scratch with everyday wear like the other metals do.It is technically possible to scratch tungsten, though only with objects that are harder than tungsten. So that leaves diamonds, sapphires, rubies and ceramic. Though unless you dragged the tip of a loose diamond along the tungsten, the metal will stay scratch resistant.
Having a wedding band that's scratch resistant offers a lot of advantages.
Tungsten always looks new and bright and shiny. Tungsten offers what's referred to as a permanent polish, which means that it doesn't need to be re-polished. So, it doesn't need the polishing maintenance that gold, platinum and titanium rings do.
Tungsten stands up to the wear that even the roughest husbands can dish-out, making it a popular choice for men's wedding rings. Tungsten has an appealing color which almost all men like. The tungsten color is a grey-white color, similar to that of white gold or titanium.
The range of tungsten jewelry is generally more restricted than for other metals.
Tungsten rings cannot be resized (as tungsten can't be cut and re soldered), so it's important to have your finger size accurately measured before buying a tungsten ring.
Stainless steel is a metal not traditionally used in fine jewelry, though its popularity in dress jewelry is increasing. Stainless steel is a relatively hard and durable metal. It is particularly popular in men's bracelets, necklaces and men's dress rings. The range of stainless steel jewelry is generally more restricted than for other metals.
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