Tuesday, March 24, 2009

What Metal Is Best For Wedding Bands

By les

These days there are so many different precious metals to choose from when deciding on a pair of wedding rings. The most common are gold, rose gold, white gold, silver, stainless steel, and platinum.

From that group, gold, silver and platinum are the more common with platinum and white gold the two most popular. White gold is popular because of its platinum like qualities. Do you have a preference? Would you prefer platinum or white gold?

White Gold is an alloy formed from pure gold and other metals. Some metals, when mixed with gold, have a bleaching effect that changes the color from yellow to white. Silver and palladium are two metals that have this bleaching effect. Nickel is also used although in some countries it is now banned as it irritates the skin. The amount of each metal used in the alloy determines gold karat measure (9k, 14k, 18k etc), the softness of the finished product (the more gold content the softer the alloy), and the whiteness in the finished product.

White gold is said to last longer although if the gold content is 75% or more then is will last far less than other metals including platinum. White gold is expensive than platinum but more expensive than natural gold. White gold is popular because it gives the look of platinum at a much lower cost.

Jewelry Grade Platinum - Unlike white gold platinum is naturally white. Since platinum is naturally white it does not need to be mixed with any other metals particularly nickel. For that reason, you will not have to worry about an allergic reaction. In fact, platinum is recommended for anyone who does suffer from allergic reactions to metals - particularly rings and ear studs.

Platinum is more expensive than gold because of its rarity. It is also used at full strength whilst gold is almost always blended with other metals. Since platinum is heavier than gold, wedding bands will feel heavier on the finger than traditional gold bands.

If platinum is $100 per ounce, and gold $90 per ounce, simple maths will show why platinum wedding bands are so much more expensive. Platinum is 100% pure, or $100 for the ounce. Jewelry white gold may be only 50% gold and 50% cheaper metals like silver. This will lead to a total cost of only $50-$60 per ounce.

Wedding bands made of white gold tend to last longer than that made of platinum although this depends on the percentage of gold used. While platinum may be softer than white gold, it still holds its shape and, to those in the know, has a much purer whiteness when compared to white gold.

The metal you choose for your wedding bands is as not as important as the reason behind your purchase. Platinum and white gold will look good for many years but they will not ensure a happy wedding. That is in your hands. A wedding band is just the symbol used to seals your vows. These metals are popular because of their whiteness, a color associated with weddings for centuries. This is why platinum and white gold are the most popular metals used for wedding bands. - 15252

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