Whats the best metal for my wedding ring?

For todays blog, here is just one of many questions we are sent each week. We were contacted by a lady through Facebook with a query about what would be the best metal for her husbands wedding ring…

 

Customer: Hi. We are looking for a wedding ring for my partner. He is keen on a D shaped which is polished on the outside and brushed in the middle. He’s hasn’t decided on whether to get platinum, palladium or white gold as unsure which is best to get for him as he is a carpenter. I was just wondering if you sell anything like that. Thanks, Jules
 

Lloyds: Hi, sure we sell all kinds of wedding rings, as standard they are all polished but we could have it brushed on the inside as a special order, you just need to be sure on the ring size and width first as you can’t send them back once they are customised, we could always supply one as standard and have the inside brushed for you once you know you will be happy with it.
For someone who is very handy and plans on wearing their ring all the time I would definitely recommend either Platinum or Palladium. 9k White gold is naturally a light yellow colour and is plated (using Rhodium) to look bright white/silver. This will wear off and so needs re-plating over time. 18k White Gold is a better option but again this also needs plating as it is more of a grey colour naturally (these colours are due to the types of alloys used in gold jewellery).

Platinum will be the most durable metal, it is stronger than Gold and also has the advantage of not losing weight; when platinum is scratched or polished for example the metal does not separate from the ring (it simply pushed across the surface) unlike gold, so you can polish a platinum ring forever and you will always have the same amount of metal, so you won’t loose any value. Palladium has many of the same properties as Platinum (it is in the Platinum family) however is it a lot lighter (60-70%), some people prefer the weighty feel and prestige of Platinum but Palladium is cheaper. Platinum holds up better than other metals on impacts, so it is more difficult to dent, this may be a good choice for a carpenter.

Once you decide on a metal you just need to decide on the width of the ring you would like, 5-6mm is popular for gents wedding bands. They are also available in different depths/gauges:

• Light (approx 1.3mm
• Medium (approx 1.7mm)
• Heavy (approx 2.1mm)

Medium tends to be the most popular. The deeper the ring, the heavier it will be, and therefor more valuable.

Here are some cost examples to help you decide, these are all based on a 5mm wide D-Shape Wedding Band, Medium Weight in Size T. Price based on current metal prices 25/05/14.

• 9k White Gold: £224
• Palladium: £299
• 18k White Gold: £524
• Platinum: £814

Once you settle on the type of ring you would like just let me know and I will look around for the best price. Let me know if you would like a price in any other specification or if you have any further questions

Kind Regards.

 

Customer: That’s great thank you Matthew. I’ll speak to my OH when I get home. If I get a picture of what he wants i presume that’s is easier for you to price? I’m pretty sure of the ring I want so being able to get them both from you would make more sense. With the platinum, would it end up losing the brushed effect over the years & can it be fixed? We have been told by another jeweller that once palladium is scratched there is nothing that can be done to fix it? Can palladium be engraved? Thanks.
 

Lloyds: They do say Palladium is a jewellers nightmare, you need to know how to work Palladium so you may need to take it to certain jewellers, but as far as I know scratches can be removed, there would be no reason that you would lose the brushed effect, and they can be engraved. I’ll have to ask my jeweller more about it on Tuesday.
Platinum and Palladium in fact scratch easier than gold, but platinum metals are stronger against impact, it’s quite strange.

Having thought about it, 18k white gold may be a good choice. Our 18k white uses Palladium as an alloy, so you get the white characteristic of Palladium whilst still being less prone to scratches.

It’s a tough one, but I would mainly advise not to choose 9k white if it will be getting plenty of wear.

 

Lloyds: Hi, I spoke to my jeweller today and he confirmed that there is no disadvantage to Palladium, it can be polished or engraved. It’s just a hard metal so it can take more work compared to Gold. There isn’t really a disadvantage to using Palladium in my opinion. People go for Platinum as it is a prestigious metal, prized by the worlds leading jewellers, everyones heard of it and knows that it’s expensive, so it’s more of a luxury item. It is more expensive by the gram than Palladium, it’s also a more dense metal so you require more of it to make the same ring. Platinum, Palladium or 18k White Gold would be fine for you, it may simply come down to how much you are comfortable spending. Let me know if you would like a quote or if you have any further questions.
 

Customer: Hi Matthew, thank you for all that. I’ll send a picture of what my OH is looking for if you can give us a quote in all 3 metals as he still isn’t 100% sure which he wants.