Which is the ideal metal for your engagement ring ?
Besides traditional gold , other precious metals available include silver, platinum and titanium.
Here are the pros and cons of each precious metal.
Gold by nature is yellow and is soft. It is mixed with other metals to form an alloy making it stronger. Gold in pure form is known as 24 karat gold. 18 K gold means 18 parts gold and the rest of the 6 parts come from another precious metal.
Gold is also alloyed with other metals to create different colors of gold. Adding copper to gold gives you rose gold. Adding silver to gold gives it an appearance of green color. Adding nickel or Palladium turns yellow gold to white gold. Your gold jewelry can also be made using a combination of two or more colors. They are called two toned or three tone gold.
Higher content of gold in yellow gold makes the metal more yellow than yellow gold with lower gold content. Similarly, 18K rose gold gives a more subtle rose color compared to 9 K rose gold which has a darker rose color. The color of both yellow gold and rose gold will not chip or fade away with age.
People have prefer white gold to yellow gold because diamonds match better with white gold. It is cheaper than platinum.However some people develop allergies due to the presence of nickel.Actually, the color of white gold is light grey but it is coated with a layer of rhodium. Rhodium is very white and very hard but eventually the coating wears off. You need to go for re-coating of Rhodium every one and a half years to keep it shining white.
Silver is a white grey metal which is softer than gold, platinum and titanium. It is best used for jewelry that is worn only occasionally. I would not recommend it for use as an engagement ring or wedding ring. Silver also turns blackish in color due to its tendency to oxidise easily.
Platinum - this is a very interesting metal because it is rarer than gold . It is 60% denser than gold and is white in color which matches diamonds. The advantages of platinum are that it is stronger than gold and is resistant to tarnish.
This precious metal has a long history. The ancient Egyptians used it 2,500 years ago. Platinum does not wear away as a result of wear and tear unlike gold. It simply forms a furrow that pushes the metal to the sides. Platinum is hypoallergenic. The platinum jewelry is almost pure platinum with 5-10 % of metals such as Iridium, palladium, Ruthenium or Cobalt.
The most slender section of platinum permanently retain their shape and providing a secure setting for diamonds. This is known as tension setting diamond jewelry. This means the diamond in the setting is held in place only by the tensile strength of the platinum metal.
Titanium is also getting popular because of its incredible strength and lightness. Titanium is silver gray in color and is 3 times stronger than steel and much stronger than gold , silver and platinum.
Titanium can be available in different colors such blue, purple, bluemoon, night sky, black rainbow, solar ash and sunburst colors besides the natural titanium color. You get the color effect through the process of oxidation of titanium. Even though titanium is very strong and highly scratch resistant the layer of colored titanium can be scratched. The good news you can re-oxidise the ring and the color looks like new again.
Pure titanium is also 100% hypoallergenic . Another selling point of titanium is that it is more scratch resistant compared to gold, platinum and silver. However a ring made from titanium cannot be resized because it is so hard. Therefore, if you intend to get a titanium engagement ring make sure it fits your finger well otherwise you will be stuck with a ring you find uncomfortable for wearing.
By Ian Tham
Fine precious metal jewelry
Diamonds, gold, silver, platinum, and semi-precious gemstones...