Metal Guide
Here we hope to give you a bit of advice to help you make the all important decision!
With Aspire you have a choice from the following metals:
18ct Yellow Gold
18ct White Gold
9ct Yellow Gold
9ct White Gold
Platinum
Palladium
Titanium
Yellow Gold is the most commonly known type of gold and will be what most people will associate with jewellery. This is used in most types of jewellery including Engagement rings, Wedding rings, Bracelets & Bangles etc. Yellow gold keeps its colour very well and should only need polishing and cleaning once a year depending on how it is worn. Depending on the purity it can be marked 750 (18ct) or 950 (9ct)
Palladium is a member of the platinum family and is white in colour, while having many of the same properties as platinum, palladium is also hypoallergenic and slightly harder than platinum. It is also a lot cheaper in price! Currently palladium is not hallmarked but after 2010 it will become a legal requirement for all palladium rings to be hallmarked.
Titanium is a hard wearing metal but is surprisingly light to wear. A lot of men are going for titanium wedding rings as they stand up to a lot more than regular metals. However titanium will still mark but can be re-polished. It has a much darker white colour than that of platinum.
Alot of people cannot decide whether to go for white gold or platinum. Below we list the pro’s and con’s of both and hope that this will enable you to make an informed decision!
WHITE GOLD VS PLATINUM
So we discuss the long time debate, White gold or Platinum? Both have their own pros and cons but ultimately the decision is yours!
White gold and platinum have their own properties which make them unique. The following white gold information and platinum information show you the difference between the two metals.
You will discover the difference between white gold and platinum and whether white gold or platinum is best for your needs.
WHITE GOLD
White gold is an alloy of gold and some white metals such as silver and palladium. White gold can be 18ct, 14ct, 9ct or any karat. For example, 18ct yellow gold is made by mixing 75% gold (750 parts per thousand) with 25% (250 parts per thousand) other metals such as copper and zinc. 18ct white gold is made by mixing 75% gold with 25% other metals such as silver and palladium. So the amount of gold is the same but the alloy is different.
Traditionally nickel was used in white gold; however, nickel is no longer used in most white gold made today as nickel can cause reactions with some people. We do not use nickel in our white gold
when white gold rings are new they are coated with another white metal called Rhodium. Rhodium is a metal very similar to platinum and Rhodium shares many of the properties of platinum including its white color.
The rhodium plating is used to make the white gold look whiter. The natural color of white gold is actually a light grey color. The Rhodium is very white and very hard, but it does wear away eventually. To keep a white gold ring looking its best it should be re-rhodium plated approximately each 12 to 18 months. Most local jewellers are able to rhodium plate jewellery for a cost effective price.
PLATINUM
Platinum is a white metal, but unlike gold it is used in jewellery in almost its pure form (approximately 95% pure). Platinum is extremely hard wearing and is very white, so it does not need to be Rhodium plated like white gold. However as platinum is a liquid like metal customers may find overtime it will mark like all jewellery and in the case of platinum develop a natural satin finish. This can be taken off by regular cleaning and polish
Platinum is very dense (heavy), so a platinum ring will feel heavier than an 18ct gold ring.
Platinum is, however, more expensive. A platinum ring will be approximately twice the price of an 18ct white gold ring (excluding the stone costs).
