Metal Matters - Which precious metal is right for your Jewellery

Precious metals have been valued for centuries, mostly because they are rare and have unique properties. Metals most used in jewellery, Gold, Platinum, Silver, Titanium and Palladium, all have individual properties which make each of them appeal to some people and not to others. Knowing and understanding your metal choices and how they will impact factors such as durability, wearability, and price allows you to make the right choice for you. Making an informed decision, like with gemstones, is the best way forward for your bespoke piece of jewellery.

Purity and Fineness

Precious metals are sorted by the carat of the metal – not to be confused with the carat weight of a gemstone! The carat in this instance is the quantity of pure metal contained within 24 parts. For example, gold that is 75% pure – 18 parts gold to six parts of an alloying metal – is 18 carat Gold. The different purities and alloys used will impact colour and durability. So, 9ct gold is very durable and therefore perfect for everyday use. It also has a different colour to 18ct gold, which is a much deeper, richer, more yellow colour due to the higher levels of pure gold. Hallmarks will reflect the fineness of the metal in jewellery and is a way to decipher what your metal is if you have inherited a piece. Hallmarking dates back over 700 years and is an expected part of the jewellery trade. 9ct gold is hallmarked 375 (as it’s 37.5% gold) and 18ct gold is 750 (75% gold).

Gold – The King of Metals

Gold has always been highly prized for its beauty and rarity. It has for centuries been a status symbol of wealth and power as well as financial means. When used in jewellery, there are several options available to you, from colour to durability. 

Pure gold is too soft to be practical for wear so is mixed with other alloys to make it more durable. This is also how different colours of gold are achieved – most commonly yellow, white, and rose but you do get black, blue purple and green too! Alloying metals such as silver, copper, and palladium are most used. The metal alloy the gold it’s mixed with will determine the colour. 

White gold is created by mixing in white metals such as silver, zinc, or palladium to the yellow gold. Often, high street jewellery is rhodium plated to give it a very sharp whiteness, but it wears away over time and will need replating to return it to the original hue. Arguably, the natural shade of white gold is beautiful, so you do not ‘need’ for it to be plated.

Copper is the alloying metal that makes yellow gold appear rose or pink in colour. For a more coppery feel, then opting for 9ct rose gold is advised but if a subtle shift is more what you’re after, then 18ct rose gold is best.

In recent years, the price of gold has shot up! It used to be that you would have gold in an engagement ring because it was cheaper than platinum, but these days, that’s not the case!

Platinum – The Noble Metal

A brilliantly hard-wearing and hypo-allergenic metal, platinum is especially popular for use in engagement and wedding rings as it can withstand everyday wear and tear. Sometimes, people prefer the setting of the stones to be in platinum and the rest of the ring to be in gold, as it can give an added feeling of security.

It’s a dense metal, almost 20% more than 18ct white gold, so feels heftier. It is also harder to scratch than gold but does dent more easily. It takes a high polish and is very resistant to tarnish. It is rarer than gold and until recently was priced as such, but now 18ct white gold is more. It tends to be hallmarked as 950, meaning that it’s 95% pure but does also come in 850, 900 and 999. 

Palladium – The Rising Star

A relative newcomer to the precious metal market, and only given hallmark status in 2009, palladium is part of the platinum family and a biproduct of platinum mining. It’s a lustrous silvery white metal and often compared to both platinum and white gold. There are two standard purities available in the UK – 50% and 95% (stamped 500 and 950). It is much lighter than platinum, about 40%, and is 12% harder. This makes is an excellent choice for wedding bands, especially men, who can be a little less careful with their jewellery. Given that it’s cheaper and lighter than platinum, you may be wondering why it’s not used more extensively in jewellery. The answer is that it is that much harder to work, so intricate designs and gem settings become more problematic. Durable and easy to maintain, although like any precious metal it will scratch and dent, palladium is a strong contender for simple bands and those with a tighter budget. 

Silver – The Versatile Metal

Along with gold, silver has been a valued metal for thousands of years, but it is the least expensive of all the precious metals whilst also being the most reactive. By this, we mean that it will oxidise, or become ‘tarnished’, when unworn and the metal will turn black. Luckily, this oxidisation doesn’t harm the metal underneath and can be easily cleaned away, restoring the piece to its former shiny self!

Sterling silver is the most commonly available variation of silver, with a hallmark of 925, meaning it’s 92.5% pure silver mixed with 7.5% of other metals (usually copper). There is also Continental Silver, which is stamped at 800, or 80% silver and 20% other alloys. This is found a lot in Europe, like in Italy and Germany. 

Silver is almost about half as dense as either gold or platinum, meaning you will notice the difference in weight. Silver, whilst beautiful, is also the softest of all the precious metals so not really advised for fine jewellery as it can be easily dented, bent, or scratched. Earrings and pendants are more protected than bracelets and rings, so be wary of setting any expensive gemstones in them. Overall, silver offers the wearer the beautiful tones of the whiter metals, at a more affordable price point, and some large, chunky bracelets and rings can be designed, stone free, to get a look you want.

Titanium – The Strong Metal      

Strong and lightweight, titanium is often used in men’s jewellery. It’s only about half as dense as silver, so compared to gold and platinum, it really will feel light. If a wearer is not comfortable with the weight of jewellery, especially men with wedding bands, titanium is a good choice. It’s another silver-grey metal which is also hypoallergenic, so won’t cause skin irritation. This makes it an ideal metal for pierced jewellery. When alloyed with small amounts of aluminium and vanadium, this can increase its durability and scratch resistance.

However, titanium is a difficult metal to work, so pieces of jewellery need to be mechanically cut, shaped, and assembled. If you decide to opt for a titanium ring, you need to be sure it fits as it’s impossible to resize! Due to the expense of extracting titanium and that it’s labour intensive to manufacture, this does push the price of it up to be like the other precious metals.

Which is Right for You?

Like most things in jewellery, it’s personal preference that will dictate what metal you should use for your bespoke jewellery piece (outside some of the confines noted already!). If you like the look of whiter metals, choosing between white gold and platinum is down to you and no jeweller should tell you which you ‘must’ have. If you are equipped with all the facts and information, then making the decisions should be easier.

If you want to talk through what metals you are considering for your next personal piece of jewellery, get in touch, and let’s start your story.