Wondering What's the Best Metal for Wedding Bands?

Choosing wedding rings can be daunting, have you and your partner been struggling with the pros and cons of which metal to choose? Wondering what metal is the best for wedding bands? Why metal is toughest or strongest to last a lifetime?

We have put this list together to give you a bit more insight into what we can offer and what to consider when choosing your wedding ring metal.

Gold

Gold is the most common and classic choice for wedding and engagement rings—and for good reason. Whether it's yellow, white, or rose gold, this metal provides you with many options. However choosing which carat gold to go with can prove more difficult. Unlike with diamonds, the higher the carat metal does not necessarily make it better.

Our most common selections are 9ct and 18ct gold. 14ct can be difficult to source ethically and 22ct or 24ct is far to soft to be used for wedding bands, although they have higher gold content that makes them soft and will wear quickly.

Consider your lifestyle before choosing your gold option, if you work with your hands or are generally more concerned about the lifespan of your ring, opt for 18ct gold wedding rings. Although 9ct gold is technically 'harder' than 18ct, this doesn't necessarily mean its more durable long-term. 9ct gold is in fact more brittle, which means it can be less resistant to wear and tear, of course this depends on you and how you care for your jewellery.

If you are more concerned with the look of the rings, 18ct gold has a higher gold content so will have a deeper and brighter colour. If you like subtle shades of gold opt for 9ct.

Although 9ct gold makes up the largest selection of our wedding rings there are a few styles that are favourites with our couples. The 9ct Yellow Gold Light Flat Wedding Ring, 9ct White Gold Medium Wedding Ring and the Mixed Gold Entwined Wedding Ring is a favourite with those who want something a little different.

Platinum

Known to be one of the rarest metals in the world, platinum is not only becoming a much more popular luxury option for wedding bands, but it’s also one of the strongest precious metals. It is able to handle scratches and wear and tear far better than the other metals we can provide.

Although it’s one of the most expensive metal choices, the longevity of its wear makes it worth the high cost. Platinum bands rarely get damaged in everyday life, and it doesn't loose its colour, meaning you won’t need to replace it and its shine won't fade over time. A lot of people who like the look of Silver but find white gold too warm opt for the cool white appearance of Platinum.

Our most popular Platinum rings are currently the Platinum Delicate Wedding Ring and the Platinum Wide Flat Wedding Ring.

Sterling Silver

Silver is one of the most common metals used for making jewellery, it's also the most affordable. Just like with gold, pure silver is too soft to be used on its own, so it’s mixed with copper or other metals to create sterling silver, a more durable alternative. However it is still less resistant to wear and tear over time when compared for gold or platinum and will scratch easily. 

We would recommend against silver wedding bands where possible but if they are short term placeholder rings or cost is a concern it can be a good option.

Alternatives

Love the look of platinum but not the price tag? Palladium Could be for you. While it’s not quite as durable, it’s pretty close and still ideal for anyone with an active lifestyle who wants that mirror-like finish however we can only source a limited supply so only certain designs would be possible in Palladium.

Tungsten and Titanium are becoming popular for those who favour a masculine band but these are not available to use from sources we trust.

Matching an Engagement Ring

If you will be wearing your wedding band beside your engagement ring we would highly recommend choosing the same metal so over time they wear at the same rate. If your engagement ring has stones which sit low we can create a curved nesting band to fit it perfectly. If this sounds like something you need have a look at our Chevron Nesting Wedding Ring or Curved Nesting Wedding Ring.

Ultimately it is up to you to choose which metal suits you best. If you would like to discuss more options with use please get in touch or book a consultation.