Ring Metal FAQ
What metal type do you recommend?
We always recommend our 950 Platinum-Ruthenium alloy. It’s the best metal for engagement rings and wedding bands.
The most important characteristic in Platinum jewelry is Platinum’s resistance to metal loss caused by normal wear & tear. When metal is rubbed against another object, a little bit of that metal is rubbing off onto the other surface. If the metal is Platinum, the amount lost is exponentially smaller than the amount that would rub off from a gold item. This translates into Platinum rings lasting two or three times as long as a similar gold ring.
Our Platinum Alloy is the Best
Our 950 Platinum-Ruthenium blend is the best Platinum alloy for jewelry. It has the best combination of tensile strength and hardness amongst all Platinum blends. Tensile strength refers to the durability of the metal and hardness refers to the scratch resistance.
More common Platinum alloys like 950 Platinum-Iridium are softer and tend to scratch and bend almost twice as easy. Manufacturers typically use this blend because of it’s ease to cast and work with. Often times, you’ll see or hear of Platinum engagement rings that scratch very easily and/or have become bent. These are most likely made of 950 Platinum-Iridium.
Our Platinum won’t do that. We purposely use a stronger alloy so you can enjoy your rings for a lifetime.
- Extremely Durable – Lasts a Lifetime
- Naturally White – No Rhodium Plating
- Denser Metal – Holds Stones Better
- Uses 100% Precious Metal
- Hypoallergenic – No Allergies
- Very Inert Metal – Resists Corrosion and Weakening
- Cost – More Expensive than White Gold
Our white gold is a blend of gold and nickel alloy. Nickel gives white gold its whitish color and helps increases the metals hardness. While nickel helps in whitening white gold, it doesn’t completely make it white. Our alloy does require Rhodium plating every six months.
We also work in 18k White Gold. This alloy has more precious gold and is a little heavier than 14k White Gold. The natural color is very comparable to 14k and does require Rhodium plating.
All of our white metal jewelry items will look virtually identical coming out of our shop. After several months of wear, a white gold ring may need to be re-plated where as a platinum ring is always white. After a decade or two, a white gold ring may require re-tipping of prongs and channels. Platinum wears away at a much lesser rate than white gold and it is not uncommon for Platinum to last a lifetime.
- Less Expensive than Platinum
- Very Hard to Scratch
- Easy to Size
- Not as Durable as Platinum
- Not White – Requires Rhodium Plating
- Possible Allergic Reactions
- Negative Reactions with Chlorine
We work in both 14k and 18k Yellow Gold. These alloys are softer than there white counterparts. Rings made in yellow gold are more prone to wear and tear than white metals.
- Less Expensive than Platinum
- Easiest to Size
- Not as Durable as White Gold
Cost Comparison: Platinum versus White Gold
Platinum is about 1.6 times heavier than White Gold. Comparing two identical rings, one in White Gold and one in Platinum, the Platinum one is automatically 1.6 times more in price. Another factor is the much higher percentages of actual precious metal used in Platinum blends, the Platinum blend we use is 95% Platinum, compared to the typical Gold blends that are only 58% Gold (14K) or 75% Gold (18K)
Due primarily to the density of Platinum, it is much more difficult to achieve a perfectly polished finished surface. Therefore, it takes much more labor to produce a Platinum ring over an identical White Gold piece.
Platinum is at least twice as expensive and can at times be 3-4 times as expensive as a White Gold ring. The exact amount is based on many variables.
Because Platinum is renowned for it’s durability, we highly recommend having the crown or prongs of your ring made in Platinum. This will help protect your diamonds and gemstones longer than Gold.