When you're profiling your ring, what do you think of when deciding on the metal?
Examples of potential factors include aesthetics, personal preference and even price.
The ring's metal can play a huge factor but what are the major differences between gold and platinum? The advantages? Disadvantages?
In this guide, you will explore the nature, pros and cons of yellow gold, white gold, rose gold and platinum.
These metals are made up of 24 parts and finding that balance between the main metal e.g. gold and its alloys is crucial.
Kicking off this guide is yellow gold which is renowned for its softness.
A traditional choice, yellow gold is a popular metal for engagement rings.
You may already know that 24K yellow gold is made up of 24 parts of pure gold.
To create 18K gold (75% pure gold), you'll need to combine 18 parts of pure gold and 6 parts of another alloy such as zinc, copper, nickel and more.
These alloys will make the gold stronger and enable it to withstand dents and scratches.
Image Via - Leonard Dews
Now that you have an idea of yellow gold, check out some advantages and disadvantages of the metal.
To achieve white gold, yellow gold is mixed with white metals like silver, palladium and nickel. It's then coated with rhodium to achieve that platinum-looking colour.
Image Via - wilkinsthejeweller
Similar to yellow gold, the purity of white gold can range from 10k to 18k, so it can just be a matter of preference.
However, it's important to understand that what you're paying for is the gold.
Here are some advantages and disadvantages of white gold.
It's all subjective but generally, white gold can be more expensive because of the rhodium plating.
In addition, white gold can accentuate the colour of a diamond. So, a diamond with a lower colour grade can be noticeable with white gold. It's recommended not to go below G or H.
With Yellow gold, diamonds of a lesser colour grade are not easily noticeable and this gives you more flexibility as you can drop down to J. In addition, in some cases, a lesser colour grade can make the ring look better!
Rose gold is making a comeback. With origins dating back to the 1800s Russia, it's been known as Russian gold.
To create rose gold, a copper alloy is mixed with yellow gold. A fascinating fusion,18K rose gold is a light pink colour and as you go down the scale to 10K, the hue will become a deeper hue of red.
If the hue of red is too strong, silver can be used to obtain the desired hue.
The popularity of rose gold has fluctuated since its use. When it was introduced to Russia, it spread like wildfire and eventually found its way into Europe.
Image Via - Opulent Jewelers
A contributing factor to the metal's success in Europe was Cartier when they released the Trinity Ring in the '20s.
Pictured above, you can see how the beauty of rose, yellow and white gold comes together to create a stunning ring.
Now that you have an idea of the rose gold metal, check out some advantages and disadvantages.
Image Via - Kay Jewelers
A rare metal, it's estimated that in 2017 only 200 metric tonnes were mined. This contrasts greatly to gold where it's reported that China alone produced over 400 tonnes.
Image Via - Wongs Jewellers Liverpool
A dense metal in nature, it doesn't mean that platinum is indestructible.
Like all rings, the platinum metal will require maintenance as would any ring which is worn every day. However, it won't need rhodium coating like white gold.
Check out some advantages and disadvantages of the platinum metal.
There is no right or wrong answer when you're choosing the right metal for a ring.
The choice depends on who the ring is for. Consider their lifestyle, requirements (allergies) and any other aspects which are going to affect your choice.
Even if you do experience problems, there are solutions. For example, if you find the perfect gold ring but learn that it contains metals that can cause allergic reactions, such as nickel, you can ask for these alloys to be replaced with a different one.
The ring you're looking for does exist and this guide was created to help you find it.
Now that you have an idea of ring settings, you can now focus on the diamond!