Engagement Rings - Metal Bands

There are three basic metal types for engagement rings and their bands

, and trying to choose the correct one for the Big Question you want to present her can be difficult, unless you know her metal preferences already. Some ladies react poorly to silver, so they wear only gold; alternatively, there is white gold and platinum that can be used as well.Of the metals presented, platinum is the most expensive, as it is one of the rarest elements in the Earth's crust and highly resistant to corrosion. That feature, along with a few others, makes platinum particularly well suited for fine jewellery such as engagement rings, and it will wear a very long time without losing luster. It's a beautiful symbol of marital faithfulness, purity and longevity.Gold is the most common metal employed in ring making, with a distinctive, rich, sunny colour that stands out well against the clear diamonds. 14 karat and 18 karat purities are most used, as purer gold is soft and too easily damaged. Copper added to gold renders rose gold, while silver, nickel or palladium offers up white gold. While rare, blue gold can be made with a mix of iron, and purple gold is created with added aluminium.Silver or sterling silver is another, but far less popular choice for engagement rings and is the least expensive of the metal choices. It is also the most susceptible to corrosion and wear, such as obvious tarnishing. Sterling silver contains a degree of copper in it, which forms a harder metal alloy, but with a duller finish. For this reason, it is often flashed, or covered with a thin layer of fine silver. Silver is often coupled with cubic zirconium, however, for a budget package.Of all these, white gold is gaining the most popularity for its look, which is very close to platinum, without the large price tag. It is an especially fetching metal to place diamonds into with color grades of D-I, as it enhances the colourlessness of the stones. Over time, white gold will begin to yellow slightly, as it is made with 75% yellow gold. For this reason, many jewellery makers will coat the white gold with rhodium, which is a brilliant, white metal in the platinum family and very hard. Re-plating the rhodium, if it wears away over time, is an inexpensive way to restore the beauty of the metal and the ring.A watchful eye on your girlfriend's jewelry choices, or just asking her which she prefers, will make it much easier to decide which option you choose when shopping for engagement rings.

Engagement Rings - Metal Bands

By: Gareth Parkin

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