What material to choose for your wedding rings?

When wedding couples come into our store, the first question is, "Would you like coffee or tea?". The question that follows is often, "Have you already thought about the color of the wedding rings?". Even if couples are still completely unsure what type of wedding ring they like, they will often have a preference for the color of the wedding bands. When we talk about color, we actually mean the material of the ring. Whereas this is obvious with a yellow-colored ring (yellow gold), it is less obvious with a silver-colored ring (white gold, platinum, silver are all silver in color).

We will go through the different materials in this post. Would you like to see the materials in person? Then be sure to make an appointment with one of our experts!

Gold

This material is by far the most chosen material for wedding rings. Not only are rings made of gold incredibly durable, the color often shows beautifully on the skin. Gold is used in different alloys, with 14 carat and 18 carat being the most commonly chosen in the Netherlands.

Because gold is made in an alloy, there is a lot of room to customize the color of the material. A 14-carat gold ring contains 58.5% pure gold, with the rest of the alloy being used to adjust the color. A yellow gold ring has about 20% copper and 20% silver added, while a red gold ring is more likely to have 40% copper added.

There are 3 main shades within the gold alloy:

Yellow Gold

White gold

Red gold

Mixing with the main shades creates some more exclusive gold alloys:

Rose gold (sits between yellow gold and red gold)

Hazel gold (sits between red gold and white gold)

Sunrise gold (is between yellow gold and white gold)

Platinum

Do you want a wedding ring with a white color? Then Platinum is a good option! Platinum is available in two varieties; Platinum 600 (60% pure platinum) or Platinum 950 (95% pure platinum). In terms of color there is a subtle difference between the two variants, Platinum 600 is just a bit more gray, while Platinum 950 has a true white color.
The high purity of Platinum 950 also makes it the most durable option for your wedding rings!

Platinum 950

Platinum 600

Titanium

The material best known from the aerospace industry. Titanium is as strong as steel, with only a fraction of its weight. Rings in Titanium tend to be a bit chunkier than standard wedding rings and often have some distinctive surface finishing. Titanium has the advantage of being a lot cheaper than gold, but the disadvantage of titanium rings is that they can never be resized. So if the wedding ring no longer fits at some point, a new ring will have to be purchased.
Titanium

Silver

A silver wedding ring is a great option for couples with a slightly lower budget. Silver wedding rings are similar in finish to gold wedding rings, while the price is about the same as titanium. Silver has the advantage over titanium that it can always be resized. However, because silver is a soft material, silver wedding rings will wear and damage much more quickly if you compare it to the above materials.

Silver

Tantalum

This material is really a new kid on the block. For couples looking for wedding rings with a dark color Tantalum is a perfect option. The material has long been used in various industries due to its high melting point and beautiful machinability. Because of this, Tantalum wedding rings can also always be resized and are available in all styles of wedding bands.

Tantalum