Materials

Gold - gold's rich color and malleability have made it the metal of choice for thousands of years. We can make rings in yellow, red, pink, white, green, and peach golds. Multiple colors can be used to create multi-colored wedding rings.

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. The down side is they scratch more and are expensive. 14k is harder, less expensive, and more scratch resistant. It is more difficult to work and is not as colorful.

Almost all the gold we use in our studio is recycled eco-gold. If it is important to you that your precious metal is recycled, please be sure to tell us in advance.

Platinum - platinum has become much more popular in the last decade. Like gold it is hypo-allergenic. It has a rich grayish sheen for those who do not like bright eye-catchy rings. It is very strong, scratch resistant and luciously heavy. Platinum's drawbacks are that the hardness makes it more difficult to work with and it is expensive.

Most platinum jewelry sold in stores is Rhodium-plated to make it white and shiny. These rings must be re-plated every year or so to keep them looking good. I do not plate platinum.

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 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. Like platinum, palladium's strength makes it more difficult than gold to work with. Palladium is currently inexpensive.

Palladium supply is volatile. The cost of palladium is currently 1/5th it's level just 4 years ago. I encourage anyone on a budget to use palladium instead of platinum for rings. Although it is not commonly used, it is an excellent jewelry material.

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

Silver - silver takes on beautiful finishes and can be used to accentuate rings. I generally recommend, however, that different shades of gold be used instead of silver, copper, brass, and bronze. Most of the cost of your rings will be labor, so spending a little extra on materials will not stretch your budget. Silver is a good choice of metal for custom bridesmaids' gifts.

Electrum - electrum is a mixture of 50/50 gold and silver. It is pale yellow and soft. It is not often used in jewelry today. Catchy name, though. We can make electrum in my studio.

Stainless Steel - a variety of non-precious metals have become popular in wedding rings as of late, including steel, titanium, and tungsten carbide. All three of these are very hard, scratch-resistant metals. Of these metals, we can make rings out of stainless steel or titanium. Unless you have a specific reason for wanting stainess steel or titanium wedding rings, I recommend precious metal.

Other - other materials can be incorporated into jewelry if desired. These include: stone, enamel, wood, bone, resin. If there is anything not listed on this page that you want to use, give me a ring! Cheers!