Diamond Fun Fact
Approximately US$8.5 billion worth of diamonds a year come from African countries, with Botswana being the world’s biggest producer of diamonds
When planning on buying a diamond ring, a lot of your energy is spent on educating
yourself about diamonds (if you're not educating yourself about diamonds before
making the buy - you should). Many times not much thought goes into the ring itself,
such as what precious metal to choose, what type of diamond setting, how many prongs
to go for (if you choose a prong diamond setting) and more.
Diamond Rings are not made from pure gold or silver, or any other metal for
that matter. Instead, diamond rings are made from a metal alloy - a mix of two or
more different metals. In gold rings the primary alloy is of course gold, however
a good part of the ring is not gold and is composed of other metals - mostly silver,
copper, nickel, and palladium. Different alloys have different colors and characteristics
- depending on the metals used. Some alloys are virtually corrosion free and barely
tarnish, even when exposed to chlorine. Other alloys are more susceptible to wear
and tear and require special care in order to keep them in mint condition.
What Are Precious Metals?
Precious metals are metals that are rare to be found on earth. The fact that these
rare metals have high luster and visual appearance, in addition to the fact that
they are very rare, makes precious metals ideal for jewelry.
The most widely-known precious metals are Gold and Silver. Most diamond rings today
are made of a gold or silver alloy, although it is not uncommon to see diamond rings
made of platinum, titanium and tungsten.
Metal Alloys & Karats
A metal alloy is a mixture of two or more different metals. Metal alloys are used
in jewelry simply because pure gold as well as pure silver are very soft on their
own. A ring made of pure gold or silver would damage very easily and require very
special care. Metal alloys are used primarily to strengthen the gold or silver,
however they change the color of the original precious metal.
Karat is what let's us know how much of the ring is made of gold, out of 24 parts.
For example, 18K Gold is 18 parts pure gold out of 24 parts. This means that an
18K Gold ring is 75% pure gold and 25% other metals such as copper and nickel. 24K
Gold of course means pure gold. In a similar way, 10K Gold is 41.7% pure gold and
14K has 58.5% pure gold.
Karat is traditionally a measure of gold purity. Other precious metals are also
alloyed but don't receive a Karat number.
Yellow Gold
Yellow gold needs no introduction. If you want a golden piece of jewelry, yellow
gold is the only way to go since it's the only metal that exists with a golden color.
Yellow gold is actually gold, with some other metals added to the alloy. As you
know by now, 18K gold contains 75% pure gold, 14K contains 58.5% pure gold and 10K
contains 41.7% pure gold. The higher the Karat of the ring, the closer the ring
color will be to real pure gold. 10K are significantly brighter than 18K which have
a dark golden color.
Yellow gold alloys usually contain copper to strengthen the gold, since in its pure
state the gold is too soft. In addition to the copper, silver is frequently added
to negate the red coloration from the copper.
Choosing between 10K, 14K and 18K is a matter of taste because the colors are different
and easily distinguishable. What you should remember though is the fact that 10K
has little pure gold in it compared to 18K and is alloyed with metals that oxidize
more easily - therefor it will tarnish faster and may cause skin irritations. When
choosing a ring of high Karat you should remember that the ring will be more delicate
since it is made of a higher percentage of pure gold - so it may scratch and dent
faster than the 10K ring will, and it will require gentler care.
14K is a good place in between - which is one of the reasons that it is the most
popular Karat in the US.
White Gold
There is no such thing as white gold in nature. White gold is actually gold, alloyed
with some other white metal - usually nickel or palladium. Copper is also usually
added to strengthen the gold. Nickel is cheaper than palladium but also oxidizes
more easily, which means that it will tarnish over time. Nickel can also cause allergic
skin reactions in some people. Palladium on the other hand is hypoallergenic, stronger
than nickel and barely oxidizes. It does not get tarnished by chlorine as easily
as opposed to nickel which can very well be destroyed in chlorine. Palladium however
is much more expensive than nickel, since it is very rare.
Some rings receive a rhodium plating to make them whiter and more scratch resistant.
Rhodium is an extremely rare metal, with characteristics similar to platinum and
palladium in terms of corrosion and scratch resistance.
Rings that receive rhodium plating need re-plating once in a while since the rhodium
wears off in time, causing changes in color across the ring. Re-plating the ring
is not a problem and can be done at most jewelers, but if you don't want to take
the time to re-plate once in a while, you should not take a ring with rhodium plating.
Sterling Silver
Silver is the most wide-known precious metal alongside gold. The white color that
this metal has in addition to its luster and the fact that it is malleable makes
it extremely popular amongst jewelery items.
Silver like gold is too soft for jewelery in its pure form which is why it needs
to be alloyed for strengthening. Sterling Silver is an alloy with 92.5% pure silver
and 7.5% other metals - usually copper. Silver alloyed with other metals is also
called Sterling Silver, provided it contains at least 92.5% pure silver in the mix.
Titanium
Titanium rings have become popular during recent times, mostly due to its' futuristic
'space age' look. If you happen to like this look, you will be happy to know that
titanium has very good properties such as very high corrosion resistance. It is
also the strongest metal in terms of strength-to-weight ratio (which is why it is
extensively used on today's space-age aircraft and spacecraft). It is also highly
resistant to chlorine damage. Titanium is NOT a precious metal. It is still expensive
although - mostly due to the high cost of extracting the metal. It is always bonded
to other elements when found in nature, and recent advances in extraction technology
made it an actual option for jewelry.
Due to the nature of titanium, titanium rings can't be resized so keep that in mind
if you've decided to go for titanium jewelry.
Platinum
Platinum's strength, resistance to corrosion and hydrochloric acids (such as chlorine
water in pools) and it's lustrous look and shine make it a good option for fine
jewelry. Platinum will definitely survive more wear and scratches than silver or
gold pieces, but it's also a harder metal to work with for jewelers. You may pay
more for treatments and repairs to your ring in the future when compared to gold
and silver, but these repairs will be needed less often.
Platinum may be a good alternative to silver and white gold, but since it has a
unique look it ultimately comes down to your specific taste. Since it's an extremely
rare metal, platinum does not come cheap and costs more than gold.
Palladium
Palladium is a rare metal from the Platinum family. It shares the same characteristics
as platinum in terms of corrosion and tarnish resistance, chlorine and scratch resistance
and a white lustrous color. Palladium however is about 3 times cheaper than platinum
which makes it an appealing option.
Palladium also shares with platinum the fact that it is a hard metal to work with
due in large part to its high melting temperature, so again, you might pay more
for repairs and treatments at jewelers, but they will be needed less frequently.
Some repairs such as ring resizing require much more work when compared to gold
and silver, and they also might come out imperfect, depending on the craftsmanship
of the jeweler.
Tungsten
Tungsten is a steel-gray metal. It is the same metal that is used as a filament
in light bulbs - but you will be surprised to know that it is extremely hard. It
is much harder than palladium and palladium. This fact makes it very scratch and
corrosion resistant.
Tungsten smoky black and silver natural color along-side its strength and ability
to handle everyday 'abuse', makes it a popular metal mainly in men's rings and other
accessories. Tungsten is hard to work with due to its intensely high melting temperature
and strength - so be sure to get the ring size right when you buy.