Wedding Ring Metals

There are various different materials used for wedding rings, this article examines each material and its wearability rate.

9ct gold - Fast becoming out of vogue with consumers in the UK in favour of 18 carat gold due to its low content of pure gold (37.5%). The low gold content also accounts for its paler yellow colour and in the case of 9 carat white gold, its whiter colour is due to the addition of silver but needs to be Rhodium plated to give it a brighter, whiter finish. Rhodium plating will wear off over time as it is just a surface finish, but it is fairly inexpensive to be re-coated.

18ct  gold - The most popular carat gold in yellow or white for wedding rings. With its higher gold content but still reasonibly hardwearing. High palladium white gold is getting more common as it gives the metal a more white appearance witout the rhodium plating surface finish. 

22ct gold is also an alternative for wedding rings and is heavily favoured by Indian and Asian cultures. It is also more common in older wedding rings.

Titanium -  A recent newcomer to the wedding ring market, especially to the UK, Titanium is fast becoming the material of choice for the male market. Contemporary, modern designs coupled with strength and durability make rings from this metal the choice for discerning jewellery buyers.Often mistaken as an indestructable metal, Titanium is in fact quite soft but extremely tough. It will take on small rub marks quite quickly but will resist deformation due to abuse or accidents and will not wear thin like precious metals. As with the majority of metals, with perhaps the exception of Tungsten, Titanium rings, if polished, will dull down, if satin, will brighten up and in time both finishes will meet somewhere in the middle. 

Stainless Steel - Not as popular a metal worn as a wedding ring but still gaining recognition. It is more commonly used in fashion jewellery. About twice the weight of Titanium, and a highly durable material also. High resistance to deformation and wearing thin over long periods of time but, as with all metals will show signs of scratching.

Palladium - Not a newcomer but originally popular just after the 2nd World War. Palladium is in the same group of elements as platinum with practically the same look and whiteness.

Platinum - The wedding ring equivalent of Royalty. Extremely expensive at the moment but has gained a lot of popularity of late. Probably the whitest of all the wedding ring materials with the durability. 

If you have an engagement ring & want a wedding ring to fit with it, we recommend that you choose the same metals as mixing certain metals can cause premature wearing if one of the metals is harder than the other.

If you require your wedding ring shaped, to fit around your engagement ring this is no problem, we can sketch ideas, use CAD (computer aided design) designs & silver samples for you to look at and try on and then produced it in your choice of metal.