Thoughts on Metals

JMM4208

Over Thanksgiving break my BF took me to a couple jewelry stores to get my opinion on rings he had picked out. One of them (pictured below) is perfect and it’s surprisingly affordable. The only thing is that my BF is concerned about it being 10k white gold. I have had jewelry in 10k before and it wasn’t really an issue, but since this is something that I will put on and never take off I am worried that I may need to go with something with a higher karat of gold/different metal. I would like to know your opinions on metals and experiences with them. Thank you so much for your input.

 

 

-In the meantime, I am a grinning idiot because my BF has almost picked out a ring. I am so excited and happy that I still get the surprise of not knowing when he is going to ask!

Ana_2985

No I'm pretty sure 10K gold is fine for everyday wear. A higher gold content makes the metal softer. The other metals that get mixed in with gold are much stronger so jewelry with a lower gold content will be a little more resistant to bending or scratching. You'll still want to have it polished/re-dipped/plated every so often to maintain the white color.

ETA: Platinum vs. gold is a personal choice IMO. There's pros and cons to each. I don't care for platinum because it's more expensive, I don't like the dullness, and it has a gray tone I think. Pretty ring, btw.

AudgiePodge

That's a pretty ring.
The lower the gold k, the stronger and more durable it will be. The higher it is, the more gold it has, so it's more malleable.

JMM4208

Wow,you all are fast!
I remembered reading something about how the karat relates to the strength but i couldn't figure out which direction it went. TY for the clarification.

@Ana- I've heard about the re-polishing/dipping/plated issue before, have you ever had to get it done?

Narwhal

The ring I wear everyday is 10k. I've worn it everyday for two years now and haven't had any trouble with it. I have a 18k ring that I can't even wear that often because it bends really easily. I actually prefer my 10k. If you're not looking for resale value, I say go with the 10k. 

Ana_2985

Well I definitely need to get it done, but I haven't yet. If you buy your ring from a local jeweler they will often offer to do it free of charge once a year. Actually, if you have a warranty I believe they sometimes require you to bring it in every so often or the warranty will be voided.

Anyway, no I haven't done it yet because we bought my ring online. I'm going to wait until closer to the wedding so it's all shiny next to my wedding bands. I think Zales told me they charge $30-$40, but I didn't check anywhere else.

garcias1

You might want to ask if they set the stones in platinum even though the metal is white gold.  My ring is white gold, but I had to get my center diamond tightened because one of the prongs got bent.  Platinum is good for the settings because it is stronger.  Other than that, I wouldn't worry about 10k gold.  That ring is beautiful

JMM4208

@Narwhal Thats really good to know about the 18k, but total bummer about your ring though.

@garcias good idea, I'll mention that to him.

SeaTea02

I get one of my rings replated every 6 months and it always looks great. It is a 14k white gold and it looks a lot whiter than the 10k white hold class ring I just got. I hope the class ring looks more white after I get the plating done, ill let you guys know after i do if the question comes up again.

loves2shop4shoes

My ring is 18k white gold.  I can already tell that it is very malleable and scratches easily.  To be fair, I am viciously rough on all of my jewelry.  I think you should be fine with 10k, especially because you can always get it redipped.

rxjen

Very pretty ring!!

PP all made good points as far as the metal is concerned.

CFar13

I love when these boards come up because I always learn something new!

Ps. I have nothing valuable to add to this thread...sorry.

mana8503

Beautiful Ring!  I ditto all the PPs, pros and cons to all metals.  I left it up to my bf to decide because I couldn't, platinum or white gold.  Knowing him, he went with platinum. 

bakes218

I just wanted to say I love that ring. It is a little bit like mine. My ring is 14K white gold and I love it. It is pretty durable. Although FI got a titanium ring because he did not want something that could easily scratch like 14K gold. He does a lot of work with his hands though and plays hockey but I think you would be fine with 14K gold.

Blue & White

I got 10K for my class ring because it's stronger (and I was in marching band, so it got rough-housed a lot, haha).  It was durable and still pretty.

I have a platinum engagement ring from my great grandma (that I wear as a right hand ring) - and I've never had any problems with it except that my fingers got fat   then I just had it stretched.  I'm kinda in love with it.  Which sucks cause if my boyfriend took me ring shopping, I'd just pick out rings that look like it (I'm silly)

SO, if you're crazy like me (I work in chem and bio labs 60% of the week so my rings are still rough housed) - I recommend either of those

JMM4208

@Blue What instrument do you play? I play sousaphone and i know my hands are going to get beat up for the next little bit.

@bakes When we get to the bands part of it i will definately remember the titanium band for my BF, he is a total man's man so he will need something that can be hit by a truck.

Thank you all again for your amazing input! And I am totally in love with this ring, ill keep you all posted on what shows up.

bsidebella

My ring is 14K white gold and that's what my FI requested when my ring was made. Well, not specifically, but he asked his great-aunt (the designer) for a low karat gold and a bezel setting for the diamonds, because he knows I'm not an every day jewelry-wearer and I tend to be rough with my other jewelry (well, none if it is real, so why bother, amirite?). He wanted to be sure that when I got the ring it would be able to "handle" me! However, I'm already noticing some scratches on it - guess I gotta learn to be more gentle =/