Engagement Ring Materials

Platinum - Currently the metal of choice for engagement rings, platinum is the most in every way. It is the most prized, most durable, scratch-resistant, chemical-restant, hypo-allergenic, luciously heavy. It is the most expensive and most difficult to work with. If you are up to the challenge, it is also the most exciting to work with.

Gold - gold's rich color and malleability have made it the precious metal of choice for thousands of years. Gold alloys come in a rainbow of shades including yellow, red, pink, white, green, and peach. Multiple alloys can be used together to create fascinating colorful engagement rings.

White gold is best for colorless diamonds. The white we use is alloyed with Palladium to make it stronger and hypo-allergenic. Yellow gold is good for diamonds J and beyond. Yellow is very good on darker skin. Red gold is edgy and exciting in an engagement ring.

I recommend 18k gold for most purposes. Higher karats such as 22k or 24k have a beautiful rich yellow color and are very fun to work with. High-karat gold scratches easily and cannot be used for prong settings.

Palladium - palladium is in the platinum family of metals and is a slightly whiter, less dense, and less expensive alternative to platinum. Most palladium rings were fabricated 60 years ago when platinum was temporarily banned for jewelry use in the United States and England to support the war effort. Palladium is also commonly alloyed with gold to make high-quality white gold. It is very strong and holds a good polish. Palladium's strength makes it more difficult than gold to work with, but it is easier to work with than platinum.

Palladium supply is volatile and pricing fluctuates tremendously. It is currently very low and I encourage anyone on a budget to use palladium instead of platinum for an engagement ring. Although it is less commonly used in jewelry, it is an excellent material for engagement rings.

Mokume gane - The Japanese technique of merging precious metals and twisting them into a wood grain-like pattern offers a unique alternative metal to be used in jewelry. It is uncommon and sure to elicit questions and compliment from many. It is expensive.

Silver - silver is the most common jewelry metal and takes on beautiful finishes which can be used to accentuate rings. Silver is the most reflective of the precious metals, but tarnishes quickly and must be polished frequently to maintain its lustre. The copper in sterling silver irritates some peoples' skin. Compared to gold or platinum, silver is very inexpensive and is a good choice of metal for custom bridesmaids' gifts.

Other - other materials can be incorporated into jewelry if desired. Some of these include: stone, enamel, wood, bone, resin. I generally do not recommend the use of silver, copper, brass, bronze, titanium, tungsten, or stainless steel in engagement rings without a specific reason for doing so. If there is anything not listed on this page that you want to use, give me a ring! Cheers!