Precious Metals Used in Jewelry

The metals used in creating jewelry must be attractive, durable and reliable. Attractive metals are precious metals such as gold and platinum. They retain their shine over the years and are beautiful all by themselves. And, the metals used for jewelry must be durable and reliable so that diamonds do not fall out of their settings and expensive necklace chains do not break. Precious metals used by jewelers vary by weight, shine, and color. When choosing a piece of jewelry, ask our experts about the choices you have for precious metals.

Gold

Gold has been the precious metal used with most jewelry for centuries. Choices for color include white, yellow, and rose. White gold is commonly used with diamonds because of its exquisite shine. Yellow gold is a traditional precious metal and also is paired with diamonds as well as other gemstones. Rose colored gold is a striking and stylish choice for someone who wants something a little different.

Gold Education

Platinum

This precious metal is rarer and more expensive than gold. It has more of a white to silvery hue and is exceptionally durable. If you want a ring that will stand up to abuse you may wish to use platinum as it is much more resistant to scratches than gold. Platinum is often chosen for wedding rings and other jewelry that will be worn every day and will be subject to the abuses of the everyday life of an active person.

Platinum Education

Pure Metal vs Alloys

Gold is very beautiful and gold is a soft metal. Your wedding band is probably 14, 16, or 18 karats, normally written as 14k, 16k, or 18k. Pure gold is 24k so an 18k ring is 75% gold and 25% of another metal such as nickel to produce a ring of sufficient hardness to be used for jewelry. But, how does this happen?

Metal alloys are mixed with precious metals to make the final product stronger. Metals used as alloys with gold are cadmium, copper, iron, manganese, nickel, silver, titanium, and zinc.

If a cheap alloy or too much of it is used with the gold you may find that the ring causes a stain on the finger or creates an allergic reaction. As a rule, 18k gold rings and above do not tarnish or result in skin irritation.

Types of Gold Alloys: Advantages and Disadvantages

18K Yellow Gold

This is 75 percent gold and the alloys added are cobalt and copper, silver, and zinc. Yellow gold has a deep and rich color compared to other choices like platinum or white gold. The rings are not plated. But yellow gold is more likely to bend (malleable) than gold with more alloy. The high gold content reduces the risk of irritation but over many years a ring may start to show signs of wear and tear.

White Gold

This alloy is 75 percent gold with 25 percent alloy: copper, nickel, palladium, and zinc. The metal is whiter than yellow gold. And this alloy may be plated with rhodium which makes it even whiter like platinum. This alloy is more scratch resistant and less malleable so that it will take more force to cause a ring to dent or deform. The nickel in this alloy may cause skin irritation for those who are sensitive.

18 K Palladium White Gold

This alloy is 75 percent gold and the only alloy is 25 percent palladium. This can be used as a substitute for platinum because of its whiteness. And it can be plated with rhodium to increase the whiteness. Over time the rhodium plating will wear down reducing the whiteness.

14K Yellow or White Gold

This is the metal of choice for most people for a wedding band. Because the ring is 55% gold and 45% alloy it is much harder and more durable. These rings do not require plating and despite the lower gold content rarely cause skin irritation. A 14k gold band is also less expensive than the other choices of gold or platinum alloys

Platinum

Platinum is rarer and more expensive than gold. It is a harder metal than gold. A ring will have a jewelers mark of PLAT or 950pt which means it is 95% platinum. Rings containing between 90% and 95% platinum are very hard and durable. Rings that contain between 50% and 90% are less strong and are marked PLAT but without a mark indicating the degree of purity. The Federal Trade Commission does not allow rings with less than 50% platinum to carry any mark. Besides being a rarer metal than gold, platinum is hard to cast because the 95% alloy with ruthenium melts at a very high temperature. We recommend using platinum with diamonds only as diamonds require extra pressure when they are set. The hardest platinum alloy is 950pt and the next is 900pt. These are very white and attractive metals. Cobalt as an alloy is popular and is used for making fine and filigree jewelry. With platinum, as with all precious metals, the craftsmanship involved is as important or more so that the material.

Strength vs Hardness of Precious Metals

Hardness and strength are why precious metals are mixed with alloys. Hardness is the scratch resistance of the metal. If you are interested ask about the hardness of your ring on the Vickers Hardness Scale. The strength of a ring is the number of pounds per square inch (PSI) needed to bend or break the metal.