Precious Jewellery Metals Guide

Precious Jewellery Metals Guide

Exclusively a gold jewellery person? Love mixing metals? For many of us, the precious metals we choose to wear are a part of who we are.

We’re all for you embracing the precious metal that calls your name — from classic yellow gold, to more adventurous rose gold or icy platinum. However, if you haven’t found your perfect match yet, then this is the guide for you.

We’ll go through the ins and outs of the most popular choices, as well as the more uncommon ones, giving you a full sense of what’s out there. You may even discover a new love (again, still talking about precious metals).

What Metals Are Used in Jewellery?

Before you decide on a piece of jewellery you like, first comes the question of what it will be made of.

The number of precious metals being used in jewellery is growing. From Britannia silver to tungsten carbide — the wide range of jewellery materials available today means more styles, colours, and textures can be created in rings, earrings, bracelets, and necklaces.

The Variety of Precious Jewellery Metals

Each type of precious metal comes in many forms. For example, many of us already know that gold isn’t ever just gold: it could be anything from 18k white gold, to 9k white gold, to 18k yellow gold. Carats, colours, and price points add lots of variety to the precious metal pool.

Colour, karat, shine, purity, strength, price, and rarity differ between each kind of precious metal — and the perfect one for your jewellery piece might look very different to what it is for someone else.

The Most Popular Precious Metals Used in Jewellery

Trends come and go, but classic is always classic for a reason.

According to the International Gem Society (IGS), gold, silver, and platinum are the most popular precious metals used in jewellery. However, there are many more options out there, all with their own benefits.

Platinum

Platinum is gaining popularity as a material for jewellery pieces, including wedding bands and engagement rings. Platinum is a sleek, silvery-white precious metal with an unmistakable shine. Platinum’s natural strength is enhanced by adding a small percentage of another metal before it is crafted into jewellery. Jewellers may choose a range of metals to add to the alloy to strengthen it. We use cobalt as it is naturally hypoallergenic, like platinum, which ensures the rings are still a great option for people with metal allergies. Platinum is extremely durable and will not tarnish or corrode. Platinum jewellery comes at a higher price point than gold jewellery due to its incredible density, strength, and lustre.

Explore Platinum Engagement Rings

18k Yellow Gold

Always classic, 18k yellow gold has the traditional, warm hue and beautiful lustre that gold is known for. 18k yellow gold is a mixture of 75% fine gold and 25% metal alloy for added strength. 18k yellow gold is highly durable and perfectly suitable for everyday wear.

Explore 18k Yellow Gold Engagement Rings

18k Rose Gold

18k rose gold is an alloy of gold and copper, creating its beautiful blush pink colour. Rose gold is stylish, unique, and particularly flattering on warmer skin tones. Rose gold comes at a similar cost to white or yellow gold and is more affordable than platinum. With added strength provided by the copper in the alloy, 18k rose gold is a long-lasting precious metal that will not require plating to keep its colour over time.

Explore 18k Rose Gold Engagement Rings

18k White Gold

With a similar silvery-white appearance as platinum, 18k white gold is a stunning and more affordable option for those who love silver-coloured jewellery. Unlike platinum, which develops a patina finish that enhances its durability and appeal, white gold is plated with rhodium to create its silvery-white finish. White gold requires more maintenance than platinum, as over time, the rhodium plating wears off, revealing the original colour of the gold alloy beneath.

Explore 18k White Gold Engagement Rings

Two-Tone

Using a combination of two types of precious metal, two-tone rings balance the benefits of both with beautiful results.

Two-tone rings often feature a lighter-coloured precious metal such as platinum or white gold at the top (also called the head of the ring), creating a more seamless blend between the stone and the claws.

A two-tone design brings two different metal colours together, creating a unique and versatile jewellery piece that can be customised to complement most skin tones and personal styles. Certain combinations can also accentuate specific design elements in a piece of jewellery.

Explore Two-Tone Engagement Rings

When did gold, silver, and platinum become jewellery classics? And what makes them so timeless? Let’s start with gold.

Can I Design An Engagement Ring With Sustainable Metals?

The origins of a precious metal matter just as much as the final, finished, polished product. Many of us who would rather not support mining may be looking for alternatives to the shiny things that are common to most jewellery store windows.

More and more of us are asking for jewellery we can feel good about — not just because it’s pretty, but because it does right by the planet, too. We’re asking for materials that aren’t associated with environmental destruction and other ugliness — materials that are a part of doing good in the world.

Is Gold Recyclable?

Due to its unique properties, gold is naturally renewable. Gold can be melted down and recycled over and over without ever losing its purity or value over time.

When we talk about recycled gold — we’re referring to gold that has been melted down from gold products that already exist. Gold bars that have been in circulation for a long time can be recycled. Similarly, retired gold jewellery can be recycled too.

The Issues with Mining

Gold mining has a dark history — and present. Mining is linked to human rights abuses, unethical labour practices, and destructive environmental impacts. To put things in perspective: over 20 tons of ore needs to be mined to produce a single gold ring. When we imagine how many of them are being made every day, it’s easy to see how relying on mined gold can result in environmental devastation.

Mining destroys the natural environment, creating unsightly chasms in the earth and a whole suite of issues: water pollution, carbon emissions, and habitat loss for animals and plants. Countless mines also encroach on the lands and sacred sites of indigenous peoples.

At Cullen Jewellery, we are committed to providing ethical, environmentally-conscious fine jewellery.

The Differences Between 9k, 14k, and 18k Gold

Gold is naturally soft, which means that before it can be made into jewellery that is intended for everyday wear, it is mixed with other metals to strengthen it. For gold wedding and engagement rings — it’s essential that the gold lasts a long time, holds its lustre, and doesn’t scratch. Adding metals such as silver, tin, nickel, zinc, and palladium to gold reinforces its strength, and creates what’s known as an alloy.

The purity of a gold alloy is expressed in karats (k), with gold content measured as parts out of 24. 24-karat gold is pure, solid gold, whereas 9-karat gold (where nine parts out of 24 are pure gold) is generally the lowest amount of gold an alloy needs to contain to be still considered gold.

Being pure gold, 24k gold possesses the richest gold colour, but it’s also very soft and malleable, making it impractical for everyday wear.

Did you know?

A gold ring will usually have a three-digit number stamped on the inside of the band, indicating the purity of the gold alloy. The number 375 indicates 9k gold — as nine parts out of 24, expressed as a percentage, is 37.5%. 18k gold will have a 750 stamp to represent its 75% purity, and 14k gold will be marked with the number 585.

Why Choose 18k over 14k Gold?

18k and 14k are more commonly used in gold jewellery. They come at a similar price, but differ in durability and lustre. Learn more about the differences between 18k and 14k Gold here .

18k Gold Makes for Longer Lasting Jewellery

18k gold is the alloy of choice used by most high-end jewellers. The strength and price point of 18k gold alloys are comparable to 14k gold, but 18k gold jewellery tends to last much longer. There are several technical reasons why this is known to be the case in the jewellery making community. For one, 18k gold has a higher elongation percentage than 14k gold, which means it is more likely to bend than break when pressure is applied. For a gold ring or pendant, this is important, as if any of the claws in your stone’s setting were to snap, you could lose the stone. This is why 18k gold tends to be preferred in engagement rings.

14k gold is also more likely to corrode than 18k gold due to its microporosity, making it less ideal for long-lasting wear.

Other Benefits of 18k Gold

Being closer to pure gold, 18k gold is more hypoallergenic than 14k gold. 18k gold has a lower percentage of other metals in the alloy, making it safer to wear for people with metal allergies. It also possesses that beautiful, buttery appearance and unmistakable shine that has captivated gold lovers for centuries.

The Perks of 9k Gold

9k gold is a strong alloy, ideal for chains and bracelets — which can be caught on objects and may snag more easily than other jewellery pieces like rings. Higher-carat gold is often used for very special, once-in-a-lifetime pieces like wedding and engagement rings. However, for fashion jewellery, 9k gold is sometimes more suitable, as it comes at a lower price point than purer forms of gold. Which means, you can have more of it.

Which Colour Gold?

Some of us are sure they’re gold-toned or silver-toned jewellery people, maybe from birth. Some of us love both equally — or think they look best when worn together.

Then there’s the third group: those who are undecided between yellow gold, rose gold, and white gold jewellery. This next section is for you.

Style and Colouring

Choosing between rose gold, white gold, and yellow gold has a lot to do with your personal style, what kind of jewellery you’re looking for (wedding ring? fashion piece?).

Wearing certain colours can highlight and accentuate aspects of your appearance that you love, too — so you might even want to use colour theory to aid your decision.

When you’re making your decision, think about where you’ll be wearing your jewellery piece. What colour do you associate with special occasions? What best represents your love story — is it something rare as rose gold, or warm like yellow gold?

Alternatively, you can have some fun researching colour wheels and getting to know what colours flatter your skin tone, hair colour, and eye colour best. Are you a warm winter? A cool spring? Or maybe you just love how warm tones look on your skin and you can’t really pinpoint why. Experiment, explore your options, and have fun along the way. Remember that you don’t have to follow any rules. Wear whatever you feel great in.

Beyond What Meets the Eye

Finding the right colour gold for you isn’t just about how it looks. Rose gold, white gold, and yellow gold all have their own properties that affect how they behave, too. Some are easier to resize than others, and some forms are more hypoallergenic than others.

Is it hypoallergenic?

If you have a metal allergy, you’ll want to choose a gold alloy that is as close to pure gold as possible. Rose gold also won’t be a good choice for you. Rose gold is an alloy with a high proportion of copper, which is what gives it its lovely warm colour. However, the copper can cause a reaction if you have a metal allergy.

How easy is it to resize?

Rose gold solder is relatively new in the jewellery industry, which means awareness is very low. Many traditional jewellers won’t offer it as an option for your resize.
At Cullen Jewellery we have access to rose gold solder. When you have a rose gold ring resized with us, the precious metal used in the ring and solder will be matched in strength and colour. Other jewellers might also use a lower-carat solder when doing a resize due to the lower cost.

White gold does require regular rhodium plating — so if you want something a bit more low maintenance, platinum will give you the colour you want without the need to maintain it.

The Platinum Family

There are several elements in the platinum family that are perfect for fine jewellery.

Platinum solder is also less common due to its high cost and high melting point, which makes it challenging to work with. Platinum has a higher melting point than gold, which means that heating platinum enough to make it into a liquid solder would also burn the stones.

Resizing Platinum Rings

If the metal in the solder isn’t a match for the metal in the ring, you will be able to see a join in a different colour where the resize has taken place. However, at Cullen Jewellery we use a new, specialised laser machine that can solder precisely with platinum while keeping the stones intact.

All You Need to Know About Silver

Just as gold is never just gold, silver is never just silver, either. Silver is a precious metal that shows a lot of variation.

Britannia Silver and Sterling Silver

Sometimes jewellers name-drop different kinds of silver, from Britannia to sterling. For people who aren’t jewellers themselves, this can be a little confusing. Not to mention, there is plenty of contrasting information out there. And the standards for silver have changed over the years. Anyone can be forgiven for not keeping up!

We’ve polished up our silver knowledge, so you don’t have to. First of all — we’ll look at the two most popular silver alloys: Britannia silver and sterling silver. Britannia silver is 95.8% pure silver. It used to be the commonly accepted standard for silver coins. Now, it has been replaced by sterling silver. Sterling silver consists of 92.5% pure silver.

What About Silver Jewellery?

Silver jewellery has been beloved since ancient times, and it certainly hasn’t lost its charm since. Silver looks especially flattering on cooler skin tones, but if your undertones are warm, silver can also really pop because of the tonal contrast.

Silver is similar in colour to platinum and white gold, but less durable than either. Most of us will want to wear our engagement or wedding rings every day — therefore white gold or platinum is usually preferred in rings, as it will last for as long as you want it to.

Silver jewellery — or shall we say, silver jewellery — is most popular in the USA. It is sometimes mistaken for stainless steel or stainless steel jewellery.

White gold is normally rhodium-plated, which makes it especially lustrous. However, this rhodium plating will begin to wear away after a year or so, which means your ring will need to be taken in to be plated again. The regular maintenance required to keep a white gold ring in perfect condition is usually the reason why people choose platinum as an alternative. Platinum doesn’t require regular plating to maintain its colour, and its density makes it very strong and durable. Platinum is also more hypoallergenic, which makes it preferable for people with a metal allergy.

What Metals Are Used In Men’s Wedding Rings?

For men’s wedding rings, which normally don’t have to accommodate a gemstone, there are a few more options when it comes to material.

Titanium

Silver-toned, hypoallergenic, and durable — titanium jewellery is a popular metal that won’t tarnish, discolour, or corrode. It’s also hypoallergenic and very durable, and it can be lustrous or may feature a more matte effect or satin finish.

Tantalum

Tantalum has a dark, gun-metal grey colour that distinguishes it from its silver-toned counterparts like platinum and white gold. It’s strong and shatterproof, it won’t corrode, and it’s hypoallergenic. However, it is conductive — so it’s not the best choice if you’re an electrician.

Carbon Fibre Jewellery

Carbon fibre is jet-black and very durable. It’s a really unique choice for men’s wedding rings. It’s also scratch-resistant, which means it will look great for longer. But keep in mind, carbon fibre rings can be difficult to get resized.

Tungsten Carbide

Tungsten carbide is a derivative of carbon and tungsten. What makes it really special is that it is, completely, scratch-resistant. However, tungsten carbide can crack if it is dropped or hit, which is something to keep in mind if you’re adventurous.

How Do I Choose?

From this guide, which is only a snapshot of the many jewellery materials available to us today, it’s clear how many options there are out there for wedding rings, engagement rings, and statement jewellery. But the many options don’t have to feel overwhelming — you can also see it as an opportunity to find something that isn’t just good, but perfect.

So, how do you make that choice? Is there anything else to consider? If you’re in the market for a ring, and you want it soon, browsing our ready-to-ship rings is a good place to start — as we can get these to you in a much shorter timeline. However, if you know you want something more customisable — feel free to reach out via phone or email, or book an appointment in a showroom . Our goal is always to help you find a piece that’s ideal. Because when you’re really happy — so are we.

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