Brilliant Choice
Lorna Rothanzl
As a newly engaged woman, one decision stares you in the face: Will your engagement and wedding rings have the luster of gold, dazzle of silver, durability of platinum or a combination of these? To make the right choice can be a challenge.
“Consumers have a tremendous interest in platinum,” said Lynn Ramsey, president of the Jewelry Information Center in New York.
Marketed as the industry’s strongest white metal, most platinum is mined in South Africa. Its purest form is 95 percent platinum. If marked “Irid Plat,” it’s 90 percent platinum mixed with iridium.
Prior to World War II, platinum was popular in the jewelry industry, Ramsey said. But when it became a strategic metal in the war effort, it was banned from commercial use. In the late 1980s, the metal was reintroduced to bridal jewelry and remains in vogue.
Yellow and white gold have been longtime choices. The greater the gold content in the ring, the richer and softer the color will be. In its purest form of 24 karats, gold is soft and requires special care.
To strengthen the metal, other alloys are added that reduce the gold’s karat rating. White gold is actually yellow gold alloyed with palladium, a relatively rare silvery white metal. The alloy nickel also can be mixed with yellow gold to form white gold. Yellow gold is less brittle than white gold.
Adam Graham, director of marketing with the American Gem Society in Las Vegas, said a mixture of metals is traditional. For instance, jewelers often work with gold settings, then use platinum prongs to secure the stones.
“Platinum is a more difficult metal to work with,” Graham said. “It has a higher melting point. Resizing a platinum ring is not as simple a task as it is with gold or silver.”
Such factors can influence your choice. But an affinity with one metal – the gold earrings your grandfather gave you, for example – may have swayed you long ago. Or you could have an aversion, such as the bad taste in your mouth from the silvery steel of braces.
“People have a mindset for the metals they want for their bridal jewelry,” said Scot Caniglia, director of jewelry sales at Borsheim’s Fine Jewelry & Gifts in Omaha, Neb., one of the nation’s largest jewelers. “They may think they want the white gold of a mother’s wedding ring and then choose platinum, but most still want more yellow gold than the white metals.”
Borsheim’s worldwide clientele provides its staff with insights into their tastes and sensibilities. For instance, Caniglia said the weight of a ring and not the metal may influence some consumers.
“Platinum is twice as dense as a 14-karat gold ring,” he said. “The heavier the ring, the richer and more comfortable it feels.”
The price of platinum, however, may be beyond your budget. Available at a lower cost than platinum, white gold may better suit you. But it can require maintenance.
“After some wear, white gold may take on a very slightly yellowish tone,” Caniglia said. “All white gold comes out of a plant with iridium plating that makes the gold look very white. As this plating wears off, it can be replaced, but true platinum remains constantly white.”
Though popular in fine jewelry, the softer silver rarely finds its way behind the bridal jewelry counter. “Silver doesn’t have the durability of platinum or gold and is not a good choice to hold a stone in place,” Caniglia said.
Copper is another metal rarely found in bridal jewelry. Those who favor its reddish hue may find rose gold an option. Copper alloy is mixed with yellow gold to develop this pink metal.
Most bridal couples want their choices to reflect their personalities.
“Today more than ever before individuality is a concern of bridal jewelry clients,” Caniglia said. “White gold and platinum are accented with yellow gold. Some couples want a touch of yellow gold in their white setting for a different design touch.”
For the adventurous, the hardest metals may be the right choice. Wedding bands of titanium, for example, are sought by consumers concerned their hands-on, active lifestyle could damage softer rings.
“Titanium wedding bands are grayish-pewter looking and appear to be quite heavy, although when they’re held, they’re revealed to be light,” Caniglia said. “They can be purchased through an airplane manufacturer.” The downside to titanium is the difficulty in buffing it to a polished shine.
Prospective grooms tend to focus on utility, these experts said. Men most often choose a traditional gold band with a heft or weight that offers personal comfort.
“Men want something they personally like and will feel comfortable wearing, before they buy what merely matches their selected engagement ring,” Caniglia said.
Caniglia said ring trios – comprised of an engagement and two wedding rings – have given way to the groom selecting his ring while his fiancée chooses her engagement and complementary wedding ring.
The selection of wedding ring settings also has grown. For example, the European bezel or partially bezelled setting offers a secure alternative to traditional prongs. It holds the stone with a small rim of metal around the entire edge.
If your dream rings consist of components from many styles, you may turn to a custom jeweler. Victoria Baghtchedjian, manager of Jaheta Jewelry in Scottsdale, Ariz., said this option has grown popular because of the one-of-a-kind rings produced.
“Couples want their rings to be creations no one else has,” she said. “They want their rings to reflect them.” Baghtchedjian said many clients select white gold complemented with touches of yellow gold. Custom rings include a professionally designed setting, a cut stone, prongs and often engraving.
Whether your ring is traditional gold or a space shuttle alloy, the metal you select will reflect your tastes. Continual care and professional maintenance will retain your ring’s luster throughout your married life.
Since your decision about wedding and engagement rings will stare at you for years, make sure it’s a brilliant choice.