About Metals Used In Making Wedding Bands
In the 1900's platinum was the metal of choice for
engagement rings and wedding bands. After many years and much effort to
achieve a white metal by mixing many different alloys, white gold was
achieved by the use of palladium and nickel alloy. With the cost of
platinum on the rise, most jewelers switched to white gold with a
nickel alloy. In 1990 an advertising campaign to bring platinum back
was very successful. Today platinum is the metal of choice.
Platinum
Platinum is to precious metals what diamonds are to gemstones. Rare,
naturally strong, and enduring, platinum
is a symbol of everlasting love. Platinum in jewelry is 95% pure.
Gold
Pure gold is too soft for jewelry. It has to be mixed with an alloy to
give strength. Pure gold is 24K. 14k gold means that 14 parts of the
metal are gold and 10 parts are alloy or 58.5% gold. 10k gold means
that 10 parts of the metal are gold and 14 parts alloy or 41.7% gold.
Today with advance technology they are able to mix alloys to give
colors of white, pink, green, red, and black. Consumers must realize
when they buy a wedding ring in 14k white gold that they will have to
have their ring re- rhodium every so often to bring back the new look.
Current Gold Prices:
Titanium
Titanium is not a very rare metal. This is the metal of the future. It
is lightweight and hypoallergenic. The drawback with titanium is that
it is very difficult to size due to its strength. That is why it is
important to order in your exact finger size. A titanium band's original luster can
be restored with slight rubbing and cleaning with any non - abrasive soap or cleaner.
It will never rust or tarnish. Making this metal the metal of choice that will last.
Tungsten Carbide
Tungsten Carbide is the strongest metal there is to make a wedding band. It is hypo - allergenic and
scratch resistant under normal wear. Tungsten wedding bands cannot be resize due to the hardness of the metal.
Looks good and strong. This is a reasonable alternative to gold.
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