Gold
“With this ring I thee wed, with my body I thee worship, and with all my worldly goods I thee give.”
— Prayer
Gold (general):
Pure Gold (24K) is yellow and has many unique elements… but is too soft for wedding bands. To make it stronger, pure Gold is typically mixed with Nickel and Copper. The number listed before the “K” denotes the parts (out of 24) that are still Gold. 18 carat (18K), 14K, and 10K are the three best carats of Gold for wedding rings. 14K Gold is the most ideal, because it won’t tarnish as fast as 10K Gold and it’s not as expensive as 18K (the higher the carat, the higher the cost). When mixed with other metals, it can be altered to these colors: white, red, green and rose.
White Gold (specific):
White Gold is man-made from mixing Yellow Gold and various white metals like Zinc, Palladium and Nickel. It has a natural yellow tint, so the whiteness is then enhanced/coated with another metal called Rhodium. Rhodium itself is very white, reflective, extremely hard and virtually tarnish free. Most jewelers can reapply the Rhodium-platting, as desired, for a small fee.
Red Gold (specific):
Red Gold is man-made from mixing Yellow Gold with various metals, including a larger amount of Copper. The more Copper added, the redder it will look.
Image Provided By: Prestige Wedding Bands
Gold Pros:
- A lot less expensive than Platinum
- Stronger and more durable than Platinum (especially White Gold)
- Does not easily tarnish or corrode
- One of the easiest metals to customize
Gold Cons:
- The higher the carat, the less scratch resistant it will be
- Rhodium coating on White Gold will show scratches and eventually wear off, so to avoid that it will need to be reapplied every 6 months to 5 years
- White Gold made with Nickel can irritate the skin