With so many beautiful options, choosing a wedding band to complement your engagement ring can seem overwhelming at first. To help make your decision a little easier we’re sharing the pros and cons of four types of metals so you cn choose what is best for your taste and lifestyle.
Platinum
According to Rebecca Moskal, Founder of Communiqué, a luxury jewelry marketing firm, Platinum is a naturally white metal that will not fade or change in color over time. It is also the most durable precious metal making it not only very secure for your diamond setting but also a great choice for someone with an active lifestyle. It’s hypoallergenic and especially great for people are irritated by nickel.
“Because of platinum’s density (it’s 40% heavier than 18K gold and 60% heavier than 14K), it is the most durable of all precious metals and the reason why it’s the most secure setting for diamonds,” explains Moskal. The density is also what makes platinum more expensive than white gold. It simply requires more material to make the same ring in platinum. Platinum is also less resistant to scratches so it will need to cleaned and polished more regularly to maintain the smooth finish.
White Gold
White gold is a great way to achieve the look of platinum at a lower price point. While it is less durable than platinum, it is still a very durable metal because it is mixed with nickel, zinc and copper. White gold will need to be dipped every few years to maintain its color and luster, but this service is relatively inexpensive and your jeweler may even do it for free.
White gold looks great with white diamonds and complements fair and rosy skin tones. Because white gold is mixed with other metals such as nickel it is not considered hypoallergenic and may cause allergic reactions for some people.
Brad and Jen
Yellow Gold
Yellow gold is made of pure gold and is mixed with alloys such as copper and zinc. The amount of pure gold is categorized by the karatage. For example, 24 karat gold is 99.9% pure where as 14 karat gold is only 58.3% pure. But the higher percentage of gold is not necessarily a good thing. The higher the percentage, the less durable the metal is which is why most jewelers recommend 14k or 18k gold for diamond settings.
Yellow gold is the easiest to maintain out of all three gold color types. It is also a very traditional metal for wedding bands making it perfect for a vintage setting and complements olive and darker skin tones.
Rose Gold
Pure gold is alloyed with copper to produce the rose gold color. The most common rose gold is 18 karat which is a mix of 75% gold and 25% copper. Because it is mixed with copper, rose gold is often more affordable and more durable than yellow or white gold. Like the other gold colors, rose gold is not a hypoallergenic metal and can cause allergic reactions in some people due to the copper.
Rose gold complements all skin tones and has an incredibly romantic feel to it making it a very popular metal.
At the end of the day, there is no perfect metal. It comes down to personal preference, style and budget. Visit your jeweler to try on different styles, settings and metals to find what works for you.
Style Me Pretty Contributor – Kristen Lauck Gillock is the owner and lead planner at Marie Rose Events based in Oklahoma City. When she isn’t working, you’ll find her spending time outside with her dog or enjoying a glass of wine and cooking dinner at home with her husband.