For Men - Gold Rings
Among the most stylish yet traditional rings available in market gold ring is the most preferable one
. It was the time of Second World War when the wearing of ring among men became popular or it can be said that it was recirculated during this time. That time gold was the metal of choice. No other good option was there. Then over the years there came lots of other metals too like platinum, tungsten and titanium etc but gold remains the same, popular and desired by all, notwithstanding the cultures and boundaries. Nevertheless, gold has continued to have a strong presence as the preferred metal for wedding bands.Now pure gold is too weak to give a style and design to it. So you have to mix up some impurities with it in order to make it harder enough to give it a perfect shape. For jewelry purposes it is always alloyed with at least one additional metal to ensure strength and durability. 24 karats gold is the purest form of gold but most of the rings made from gold are either 14 karats gold or 18 karats gold. When you will see a ring is marked as 14 karats gold then you understand that it is approximately 58.3 percent gold, whereas an 18 karat ring is 75 percent pure gold. An 18 karats gold ring is more susceptible as there is more gold in it and therefore it is weaker and not durable comparing to 14 karats gold. More gold you choose for your ring is the weaker ring you choose.
In the option of gold there are also many variations as white gold and yellow gold. If you want a ring that will have a white touch or better to say a silver lining then white gold is the answer. It will add a silver tone to the ring. White gold is simply yellow gold that has been treated to look white (or silver).
Now in order to make a yellow gold into white gold elements like nickel, palladium, or silver are added. Nickel can give yellow gold a good white gold appearance. But the problem with this is it is allergic and therefore can cause skin problems. So it would not be safe to wear a nickel alloyed gold ring in your finger if you have allergic problem. But gold with alloyed with palladium and silver do not cause allergic problems and therefore 18 karats gold is usually alloyed only with these two metals.
There is one problem with white gold and that is since it has the same properties as yellow gold, it will begin to look more yellow over time. In fact many white gold rings have to be re-plated after several years in order to restore it to its original color. Though white gold or yellow gold is less durable comparing to other metals but till the present time these two forms of gold is the most wanted and desired metal for making the wedding rings for men.
by: Charles Ferguson