Are you someone who exclusively wears gold jewelry? Do you enjoy mixing different metals? For many individuals, the choice of precious metals in their accessories is a reflection of their personal identity.
We encourage you to fully embrace the precious metal that resonates with you, whether it's the timeless allure of yellow gold, the boldness of rose gold, or the elegance of platinum. However, if you haven't yet found the perfect match for your style, then this guide is designed specifically for you.
Within these pages, we will explore the most popular options as well as some more unique and unconventional choices, providing you with a comprehensive understanding of the available options. Who knows, you might even discover a new favorite (yes, we're still talking about precious metals).
Metals Used in Jewellery
When you're eyeing a piece of jewelry, the first question that pops up is often about its materials.
The world of jewelry-making is evolving, with an increasing variety of precious metals in play. From classic silver to innovative tungsten carbide, the plethora of materials now available allows for a stunning array of styles, hues, and textures in rings, earrings, bracelets, and necklaces.
The Most Popular Precious Metals Used in Jewellery
Fads may wax and wane, yet the timeless allure of classics endures for good reason.
Per the International Gem Society (IGS), gold, silver, and platinum reign as the foremost precious metals in jewelry craftsmanship. Nevertheless, a myriad of alternative choices exists, each bearing its own merits.
Platinum:
Platinum is a rare, durable, and elegant precious metal favored for its lustrous finish, often used in crafting high-end jewelry.
18k Yellow Gold:
18k Yellow Gold is an alloy containing 75% gold, prized for its bright color and excellent durability.
18k Rose Gold:
18k Rose Gold, also containing 75% gold, is admired for its unique pink hue, making it a popular choice for fashionable jewelry.
18k White Gold:
18k White Gold, another alloy with 75% gold content, exhibits a bright white appearance, suitable for creating delicate and elegant jewelry pieces.
The History of Gold Wedding Rings
Gold has reigned supreme as the quintessential metal for engagement rings and wedding bands since ancient times. Tracing back to the eighth century BC, rings adorned with intricate designs, including serpents and other animals, gained popularity in Western Asia before spreading to Ancient Egypt and Greece.
The circular shape of rings, symbolizing eternity, captivated ancient civilizations, with the Ancient Greeks being among the first to exchange rings as tokens of love. This tradition was later embraced by the Romans, who incorporated it into their wedding ceremonies around 200 AD, with gold emerging as the favored metal for these enduring symbols of commitment.
The Differences Between Different Gold
Gold, in its natural state, is inherently soft, requiring reinforcement with other metals to withstand the rigors of daily wear. This amalgamation of gold with other metals is vital, particularly in the crafting of gold wedding and engagement rings, ensuring longevity, luster retention, and resistance to scratching. Incorporating metals such as silver, tin, nickel, zinc, and palladium fortifies gold, forming what is known as an alloy.
The purity of a gold alloy is denoted in karats (k), with the gold content expressed as parts out of 24. Pure, solid gold is represented as 24 karats, while 9-karat gold, for instance, signifies that nine parts out of 24 are pure gold—a common minimum threshold for an alloy to be deemed as gold.
While 24k gold boasts the richest hue of gold due to its purity, its inherent softness and malleability render it impractical for everyday wear. Hence, lower karatages such as 9k, 14k, and 18k gold offer a balance between durability and gold content, catering to the demands of both style and functionality in jewelry design.
Exploring the Platinum Family in Fine Jewelry
The platinum family offers a range of elements ideally suited for crafting exquisite fine jewelry pieces. However, platinum solder, a crucial component in jewelry fabrication, is less prevalent due to its elevated cost and formidable melting point, presenting challenges in handling. With a higher melting point than gold, heating platinum to a liquid state for soldering poses a risk of damaging gemstones due to the intense heat required.
Resizing Platinum Rings
Resizing platinum rings requires meticulous attention to detail, particularly concerning soldering techniques. Mismatched metals in the solder can result in visible joins of differing colors post-resizing. At Diamaura, we employ cutting-edge technology, including specialized laser machines, to execute platinum soldering with pinpoint precision while safeguarding the integrity of precious gemstones.