The Metal Guide
The metal decides a piece's colour, weight, durability, and a surprising amount of its price. It also affects which diamond colour grade you can sensibly buy.
Gold purity
Pure gold is 24K and too soft for jewellery, so it is alloyed for strength. The karat number tells you how much gold is present out of 24 parts.
- 22K — 91.6% gold; rich colour, soft, best for pieces that are not knocked about
- 18K — 75% gold; the standard for fine jewellery, balancing colour against durability
- 14K — 58.5% gold; harder and more affordable, with a slightly paler tone
Yellow, white, and rose
All three start as the same gold; the alloy decides the colour. Yellow uses silver and copper, rose uses more copper, and white uses palladium or nickel and is usually rhodium-plated for a brighter finish.
That plating is worth understanding: rhodium wears with time and needs reapplying every few years to keep white gold looking crisp. It is inexpensive, and we do it as part of servicing.
Platinum
Platinum is naturally white, so it never needs plating, and it is denser — a platinum ring feels noticeably heavier than the same design in gold. It is also hypoallergenic, which matters if nickel is a problem for you.
Rather than wearing away, platinum displaces as it is scratched, developing a soft patina that many people prefer. It can be polished back at any time.
Which to choose
For daily-wear engagement rings, platinum or 18K is the sensible range. Choose 14K if the piece will take hard knocks or the budget is tight; choose 22K only for pieces worn occasionally.
Remember the interaction with stone colour: yellow and rose gold let you buy a warmer diamond grade without it reading as tinted.
Questions this guide did not answer?
Ask an Advisor