Silver
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Silver as a Ring Metal
Silver is a precious metal that is bright-metallic-white in color. It is relatively ductile, second only to gold. However, it tarnishes easily when exposure to air and will turn greenish to black with age. Fine silver (99.9% pure), like gold, is too soft for making every day wear jewelry, so the silver is usually alloyed with copper to give it strength. The silver used for jewelery is called Sterling Silver, which is at least 92.5% pure and 7.5% other metals, usually cooper.
Silver is the least popular of the precious metals to use for any type of engagement ring because it tarnishes easily and needs to be cleaned and polished very frequently. It is not a strong metal, even with its typical alloys, and will not hold up as a setting for a precious gemstone or diamond.
Other Popular Metals Used For Engagement Rings: Gold, Platinum, Palladium, Titanium
Titanium
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Titanium as a Ring Metal
Titanium is the hardest natural metal in the world with a distinctive deep-grey tint. It is most often alloyed with aluminum, iron, molybdenum, and manganese. Ounce-for-ounce titanium is one of the strongest readily available metals. Titanium is abundant in nature so it is not considered a precious metal and the metal itself has little value.
The cost of buying a titanium engagement ring is really all in its manufacture. Because of its incredible strength, titanium is difficult to be shaped into delicate scroll work and patters such as Celtic engagement rings without an industrial type process to work the metal and to form it into a ring.
Nevertheless, titanium is a popular metal for jewelry because it can be colored easily to produce other colors including brilliant shades of red, black, blue, green, purple and yellow other than its more familiar greyish tint. In addition, because of its relative inertness, it does not interact easily with other elements and substances, is corrosion free, and resists most acids and other corrosive materials. It is also hypoallergenic, making it suitable for people with hypersensitivities to metals.
Other Popular Metals Used For Engagement Rings: Gold, Platinum, Palladium, Silver
Palladium
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Palladium as a Ring Metal
Palladium is an extremely rare silvery white metal. It is considered to be a precious metal. It is one of the softer metals in the platinum group. Palladium is becoming a popular alternative to platinum and white gold for engagement rings because its price is between that of gold and platinum. While palladium costs less than platinum, it has many of the visual and strength attributes that make platinum popular. Palladium does not react with oxygen and therefore will not tarnish. Palladium alloys are generally 95% pure, making it hypoallergenic.
Other Popular Metals Used For Engagement Rings: Gold, Platinum, Titanium, Silver
Platinum
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Platinum as a Ring Metal
Platinum is a precious metal that looks similar to white gold. It is over 30 times rarer than gold but, at current prices, only commands about twice the price of gold. Platinum’s workability is third to that of gold and silver. Platinum is resistant to corrosion. Platinum, like gold, is hypoallergenic.
Platinum used in jewelry is usually a platinum alloy, a mixture of six other related metals: platinum, palladium, iridium, rhodium, ruthenium and osmium. But sometimes it is also mixed with copper and titanium. The platinum used in jewelry is usually 90% and more in purity, meaning that platinum makes up 900 out of 1000 parts of the metal. The purity grade is expressed as 900Plat, Pt900, or 900Pt.
It is highly suggested that you not get a platinum engagement ring with less than 90% platinum because the alloys may change the color of the platinum or reduce its durability.
Other Popular Metals Used For Engagement Rings: Gold, Palladium, Titanium, Silver
Gold
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Gold, the most Popular Ring Metal
Gold, a precious metal, in its purest form is a shiny yellow metal and is relatively inactive chemically. It resists tarnish and other changes that would dull the shine of other metals. It also means that gold is hypoallergenic, meaning it will not react with your skin and cause an allergic reaction. Gold is the most malleable and ductile of all the metals, meaning that it can be easily worked without breaking.
Because it is extremely soft, pure gold is unsuitable for use as an engagement ring that will be worn everyday. For that reason, other metals, usually silver and copper alloy, are mixed with gold to make gold alloy that is harder and more durable to use for every-day-wear jewelry.
Depending on the amount of the other metals added to the gold, you get 10k, 14k, 18k or 24k gold.
Karat – not to be confused with carat – is a grading system used to indicate the amount of gold in a gold alloy or the quality of a gold alloy:
10 karat (10k) – 10 parts gold and 14 parts other metals or 41.67% purity of gold.
14 karat (14k) – 14 parts gold and 10 parts other metals or 58.33% purity of gold.
18 karat (18k) – 18 parts gold and 6 parts other metals or 75.00% purity of gold.
24 karat (24k) – 24 parts gold and o part other metals or 100% purity of gold.
The higher the gold content, the higher the price, and the softer the gold alloy, the richer gold color. Most engagement rings and wedding rings on the market today are either 14k or 18k gold.
All jewelry is required by law to have a karat grade stamped on it in addition to the trademark of its maker and the country of origin.
Gold is a naturally yellow metal. By mixing yellow gold with some white metals such as silver, palladium, platinum, and zinc alloys creates white gold’s neutral color appearance and shine. This combination makes white gold a tougher metal than yellow gold.
Traditionally nickel was used in white gold. While gold is hypoallergenic, nickel can cause allergic reactions in a sizable portion of the population and is no longer used in most white gold made today.
Other Popular Metals Used For Engagement Rings: Platinum, Palladium, Titanium, Silver
Metals for Engagement Rings
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Gold is the most common and popular metal used for diamond engagement rings. However, platinum and palladium are also gaining in popularity as alternative metals to gold for use in rings today.
Just like the diamond or other gemstone that you decide to mount on your engagement ring, the choice of metal for the ring depends on you personal taste and financial situation. But generally the metal you choose for your engagement ring should be pleasing to the eyes, compliment the diamond or whatever gemstone is used, and strong enough to hold the diamond or other gemstone without breaking from day to day wear. Just like gemstones, some metals are more suited than others for use in an engagement ring.
To help you make an informed decision when choosing between a yellow gold engagement ring, a white gold engagement ring or a platinum engagement ring, here are some distinguishing characteristics for the popular metals used for today’s engagement rings: Gold, Platinum, Palladium, Titanium and Silver.
Which ever metal you decide to use for your engagement ring, you should choose a metal that looks visually pleasing, that compliment the diamond or what ever gem stone you decide to use, that will be strong enough to hold up to day to day wear, and that will fit within your budget.