Metals For Wedding Rings
What metal should you choose for your wedding ring?
Most people by tradition choose gold. Why is this?
Gold has been used for centuries to make rings for couples to exchange on betrothal or marriage - its incredibly hard wearing, and it is an inert metal which means that it does not discolour, or react with acidic compounds which means that it can take an awful of what you throw at it on a day to day basis! Archaeologists have found gold rings dating back to Roman, Celtic, and Egyptian periods and these rings are as well preserved as if they had been buried yesterday showing how little gold wears.
Gold has been regarded as the most precious metal by many civilisations, and for this reason its only natural that it should be used to celebrate one of life's most precious moments - the commitment of two people to cement a relationship.
Gold Wedding Rings
When gold wedding rings were first made they were made of very pure gold, as there was no way for metal smiths or jewellers to alloy gold with other metals. The development of mixing gold with other metals came much much later, partly to make gold cheaper and partly to make it more hard wearing, as pure gold is so soft its easy to squash and distort.
Obviously, in ancient societies this did not matter as only the wealthy could afford gold rings and they did not work. But as class distinction vanished and gold became more accessible to all classes there was a need to make their gold wedding rings harder so people could wear them whilst they worked. Nowadays gold can be alloyed into any carat by a professional goldsmith; the main commercial gold alloys for jewellery are 9ct, 14ct, 18ct and 22ct.
Just a quick note about how gold content is measured. A carat of gold (ct or kt) is 1/24th pure gold, pure gold being 24 carats gold (ie contains no or very little impurities). Hallmarks sometimes refer to pure gold as 999 (99.9% gold taking into account the possibility of 0.1% impurities), though gold bars traded on stock markets will carry hallmarks 9999 = 99.99% gold recognising that 1 in every 10000th may be impure.
Also, gold wedding rings can be either forged or cast. When cast, gold has different hardness properties than when it is forged. This is a result of the metal being "work hardened" - an alignment of the metal molecules as metal cools. Work hardened gold is about twice as hard as cast gold, though the very nature of cleaning jewellery castings work hardens the metal somewhat, though not as much as if it were forged.
22ct yellow gold wedding rings
22ct gold is rarely used for wedding rings these days as it is comparatively soft. However in some cultures 22ct gold is still used for wedding jewellery such as in India and other Far East countries where 22ct gold wedding jewellery is traditional. Using 22ct gold, one can only make yellow gold wedding rings. 22ct gold contains 91.6% pure gold and carries the hallmark 916
18ct gold wedding rings
18ct gold is widely used for wedding rings, and is the hardest of the commercial gold alloys when worked. Depending on which other metals you use in the alloy, you can get both white gold wedding rings and yellow gold wedding rings if you use 18ct gold. 18ct gold contains 75% pure gold and carries the hallmark 750
14ct and 9ct gold wedding rings
14ct and 9ct are approximately as hard as each other in work hardened terms though 14ct gold is generally the strongest alloy as a casting. Some people will try to tell you that 9ct gold is the hardest metal, and this is NOT true and has likely been perpetuated through many years of both consumers and jewellery staff alike believing that the more other metal alloys are present in gold, the harder it is until it has become a widely held misconception. 14ct gold is 58.5% gold and 9ct gold is 37.5% gold, each carrying hallmarks 585 and 375 respectively.
Yellow gold wedding rings and white gold wedding rings
9ct, 14ct and 18ct gold can be alloyed to make either yellow or white gold wedding rings. There is no difference in hardness between white and yellow gold of the same carat the only difference being that white gold rings are commonly plated with a metal called rhodium as they generally scratch and wear more easily than if it is not plated.
Common Colours of gold for your wedding ring
Pure gold is obviously yellow. The purest gold that us used for commercial jewellery is 22ct gold. Pure gold is alloyed with silver and copper to make it harder and to produce the common 18ct, 14ct or 9ct yellow gold. Red gold has more copper added to to it than would be normal to give it the "rose" colour that we have come to know. White gold is made white by using "bleaching" or whitening agents with yellow gold. These agents are normally white metals such as nickel, manganese and palladium.
Yellow Gold - 22ct gold is a very rich creamy yellow colour, and likewise 18ct gold will give you a rich yellow colour. 9ct gold is a pale yellow colour which is sometimes quite light depending on the metals used in the alloys. 14ct gold is a definite yellow, but it isn't as rich as 18ct gold.
White Gold - 9ct alloy generally produces the whitest gold, though depending on the source of the alloyed metal it can take on a slightly yellow hue in some lights. 14ct and 18ct white gold alloys are more greyish in colour, 14ct being light grey and 18ct a gunmetal grey, which isn't unpleasant at all, but the common practice of rhodium plating (a covering of the pure white metal rhodium) makes it a brash white colour which is popular in the high street shops. Rhodium does tend to wear off in time and the jewellery will need re-plating to return it to the brash white colour. That said, most white gold wedding rings are not rhodium plated as the coating can wear off very quickly on rings that are worn every day.
Red Gold - 9ct red gold is literally a red coppery metal. 18ct red gold has a nice rosey colour, which is commonly called rose gold even though rose gold actually refers to "crown gold", a 22ct gold alloy which was used for coin manufacture during the reign of Henry VIII commencing around 1526.
Green Gold - Green gold is actually gold with silver added to it, and no copper. In addition a small amount of the metal cadmium is added, which gives the gold a greenish hue. Green gold is quite unusual and you may have to go to a bespoke jeweller for green gold wedding rings as it isn't currently generally available on the high street.
Other colours that are used in gold wedding rings include blue gold, black gold and purple gold. These are rare colours and are usually only available in 18ct via bespoke jewellers.
What is the best alloy for gold wedding rings - In general, 18ct gold wedding rings will hold up the best to everyday wear and tear over the average lifetime.
Problems With White Gold Wedding Rings
Some people find that the presence of nickel in a white gold wedding ring will cause irritation, and so it can be an idea to talk to your jeweller about whether they know what alloys are in a ring. A good bespoke jeweller will be able to either source or make an alloy for you based on palladium instead which will not cause any irritation. In Europe we have the "nickel directive" which forbids the use of nickel in jewellery unless there is special dispensation for its use. 9ct white gold still contains a small amount of nickel in European jewellery.
9ct white gold can develop a yellow/orange "bloom" that generally appears if the ring is not worn for a while. This is a simple reaction of the alloyed metals with the atmosphere and can easily be remedied using proprietary gold cleaning products. Additionally 9ct gold wedding rings can also suffer reactions if they are exposed to salt and some common household cleaning products like bleach. Again, this is easily remedied by polishing.
What should you do if you don't like gold wedding rings?
If you don't like gold wedding rings, or don't feel its for you, then why not consider a platinum or palladium wedding rings?
Platinum wedding rings
Platinum is a rare, noble metal whose name is derived from the spanish name "platina del pinto" meaning "little silver of the river". It's a very hardwearing, dense metal and has a high grey-silver colour. Its density makes it very heavy and so platinum wedding rings will always be expensive as it will be heavy for its relative size. Platinum is 95% pure platinum an usually 5% irridium and carries the hallmark 950.
Palladium wedding rings
If you like the look of platinum but don't want the expense, then a palladium wedding ring is a slightly cheaper option. Palladium is a metal from the platinum group of metals. Its not as dense as Platinum, therefore not as heavy and thus can make a cheaper wedding ring. It looks a lot like platinum with its silver grey colour , but it is softer than platinum so will not have the hardwearing qualities of platinum although its still likely to last the duration of a human lifetime ! Both platinum and palladium wedding rings are popular choices for mens wedding rings as well as womens.
What should you do if you don't like Gold, Platinum or Palladium wedding rings?
Or indeed if you are planning a budget wedding? Then you might want to consider a silver wedding ring. There is no reason why silver should not be used for a wedding ring and many handmade designs work very well in silver. Also, if you opt for a bespoke design then you will get much more ring for you money if you choose silver.
Are silver wedding rings hardwearing?
A silver wedding ring will not be as hardwearing as gold, platinum or palladium, but if you choose to have one made for you then you can ask for a heavy weight ring to be made which will stand up to long term wear and tear.
What other options do you have?
The metals we have discussed so far are the precious metals. Other excellent choices for wedding rings are steel, tungsten and titanium; all of which are hard wearing and will last your lifetime.
What ever you choose, make sure that you periodically clean your ring or ask your jeweller to clean it for you as build ups of detergents, soap, and other chemicals can leave your ring looking dull and lifeless. Well looked after wedding rings will give you many years of pleasure.