Wedding Blog

In my post yesterday about different types of metal for rings, the comments section turned into a debate about various metals so I decided to do a little research! On miscellaneous topics in no particular order.
[pic from Facets]

TOUGHNESS OF METALS:
- Titanium and Tungsten are industrial metals, and also the strongest and least scratchable.
- Platinum is subject to scratching and dinging, but some people actually prefer the patina this creates. Also, the metal is not scratched off it is simply moved around on the ring (so it can be polished back into place by a jeweler). All in all: more durable than gold.
- Gold (white or yellow) is less subject to scratching than platinum, but when it is scratched, small particles of the metal are actually removed from the ring, so over many years of use it may wear thin and not be fixable. White gold may also need to be “re-dipped” on occasion to prevent yellowing.
- Palladium - closely related to platinum in appearance & durability
[most info from Danforth Diamonds]

ALLERGIES:
- Most people allergic to any of the above types of metal are allergic to the nickel which is used in most white gold alloys. People who might have nickel allergies would be safer trying one of the other metals.

WHITE GOLD COLORING:
- White gold is white due to the alloys (usually nickel) with which it is mixed. Often the resulting color is still slightly yellowish, so the gold is then rhodium plated to make it pure white. Depending on the original color of the metal, the quality of the rhodium plating, and your own body chemicals (!), the whiteness can wear off to become slightly yellow with time and require “re-dipping” with rhodium plating. This may need to be done anywhere from every 2 months to never in your lifetime! Most respectable jewelers can rhodium plate at a fairly low cost.

TITANIUM CANNOT BE CUT OFF FINGERS:
- There is a common old wives tale that because titanium is so strong, if a titanium ring cannot be pulled off the finger normally, instead of cutting off the ring (as they would a gold or platinum ring), they have to cut off your finger! –But– this is not true! Yes, titanium is tougher than gold and platinum, but not to the point that a saw wouldn’t cut through it. In fact, some people say it’s safer to have a titanium ring because if something heavy falls on your finger, instead of crushing your ring with your finger breaking inside it (the most common reason to need to cut off a ring, as far as I can tell) - the titanium would remain “in the round” even with excessive weight on it, therefore not crushing your finger. But if it does need to be cut off - no problem! So if you don’t want titanium because of how it looks or how light it is, or whatever else, that’s fine; but don’t not get it because of a rumor that isn’t even true!
[from e-weddingbands.com]

WEIGHT OF METALS:
- Platinum feels heaviest on your hand
- Golds are medium weight
- Titanium feels very very light

EXPENSE:
- Gold is in the middle, with the widest price range based on quality, alloys, and karat content.
- Platinum is by far the most expensive. It has the highest density of any of the metals which is (I think?) what makes it the most “precious.”
- Titanium is an industrial grade metal (not precious) so it is generally the cheapest (or comparable with less expensive gold)

[The facts with no sources cited are info I have heard before and/or seen in multiple places. Let me know if you want more info about any of this!]

I hope some of this might help someone in their decision-making!