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There's many metals to choose from when purchasing your wedding band. Our first recommendation is to select the metal that your engagement ring is made of, so it will match perfectly. If you're purchasing a wedding band to wear alone or a men's wedding band, you may choose between gold, platinum, titanium, tungsten, palladium and many more. The most popular metals are discussed below.
Yellow Gold
Yellow gold is the traditional "marriage metal" that has been used for wedding bands. The yellow gold wedding ring is believed to best reflect the warmth and love of a marriage. The rich color of yellow gold complements darker skin tones and those with a yellow undertone, and provides a complimentary setting for rich colored stones such as amethysts and rubies. Most wedding rings are made of 14 karat or 18 karat gold. The karat is a measure of the gold's purity. 24 karats is pure gold and has the brightest color, but is too soft to be used for jewelry. Anything less than 24 karats means that metal alloys (copper, zinc, silver, nickel, etc.) have been added to strengthen the gold. 18 karat gold is a popular choice because it offers a good balance of strength and gold color. 14 karat, the most popular among wedding rings, is also a respectable choice offering a less expensive option with more durability, although it may not be as bright as 18 or 24K. For more information on the color of gold, please see our education pages.
White Gold
White gold wedding rings are a very popular and elegant option. Originally wedding rings were made of white gold to imitate Platinum during WWII, when Platinum was declared a strategic metal by the US Government thus disallowing its use for jewelry. Its popularity has remained constant since the ban on the use of Platinum was lifted and white gold is now an extremely popular choice for wedding rings. White gold wedding rings offer a great look similar to that of Platinum, yet is a much less expensive option.
Platinum
Between 1900 and 1940 platinum was the most popular white metal used for jewelry. This trend was interrupted at the outset of World War II when the US government declared Platinum a strategic metal thus disallowing its use for jewelry. By the end of the war Platinum had temporarily become a lost art. Due to its durability and versatility, however, over the past fifty years platinum has regained its popularity and is now one of the most widely used metals for wedding rings. Platinum has numerous qualities that make it a very appealing choice as a wedding band. It's most appealing characteristic is its durability - it's more resistant to wear and tear than gold or silver. Other advantages to owning a platinum wedding band is its strength and purity - it will not easily chip or splinter. It is hypoallergenic and holds gems securely in the wedding band. Platinum is the most expensive of the metals discussed in this article, however due to these appealing characteristics many people believe Platinum to be the most desirable choice for a wedding band, and well worth the additional money. For more information on Platinum please see our education pages.
Two Tone
Having trouble deciding which color to use? Two tone wedding bands offer an attractive choice by blending yellow gold and white gold together to form a beautiful two tone wedding band. Two tone wedding rings offer the best of both worlds and a ring that shines with elegance and sophistication.
Read about the differences between 14K and 18K gold.
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