Ring Metals

While talk around wedding bands usually centers around the type and size of the diamond, the metal or combination of metals which you choose for your wedding and engagement rings also speak volumes: emotionally, symbolically and aesthetically. There are a number of metals, though the following gives an outline of the core metals in our Goldsmiths range.

White Gold

White gold wedding rings are available from Goldsmiths in 9 carat and 18 carat purity levels. While all white gold is an alloy - composed of yellow gold mixed with nickel, manganese, or palladium- 18 carat white gold offers around 75% pure gold, alongside a really bright, lustrous finish, which is part of the reason why it's so desirable.

With pieces crafted by top-name designers such as Jenny Packham, as well as our own Goldsmiths rings, the choice available is truly comprehensive when it comes to both wedding and engagement rings in shimmering white gold.

Silver

Goldsmiths stock a range of ladies' and men's sterling silver wedding rings in D shape, slight court, traditional court, and flat court styles. A simple, refined, and understated choice, silver has much to recommend it when compared to other materials.

With the same cool, glossy tones as white gold, a silver wedding ring offers a polished and durable piece of jewellery which is extremely similar in appearance to much more costly metals. Many people appreciate the way that it ages, too, burnishing from daily wear at a faster rate than other ring types.

Sterling silver is made up of copper and 92.5 per cent silver, with the copper adding an extra level of durability to the overall metal. This is incredibly useful for jewellery that is designed to be worn for long periods of time, such as a wedding band. It's a low-maintenance metal too, as simply wearing silver regularly means that the metal keeps its lustre.

Yellow Gold

Warm, sumptuous yellow gold is the traditional metal of choice for both wedding rings. Prized above other precious metals, gold's emotional and financial worth is evident in the language: we talk about the "gold standard", about "golden rules" and the "golden age".

Here at Goldsmiths, we offer gorgeous yellow gold wedding bands in 9 or 18 carats, set with diamonds, rubies, emeralds, and sapphires, as well as less adorned styles in a contemporary finish.

For a really classic, romantic look, it's hard to find a metal to surpass yellow gold. The honey-coloured tones of this precious metal set clear diamonds off to perfection, while slim golden bands are often the first thing that comes to mind when we picture marriage.

Ring Metals - Rose Gold

Popular among the Tsars in Russia, rose gold has become an increasingly attractive choice for modern couples seeking to tie the knot. The blush-colour of the metal symbolises love and affection, and it's perfectly acceptable to team rose gold pieces with items of jewellery in more common white or yellow gold.

Rose gold is often used as an accent metal, although the radiance of its colour means that it's also an excellent choice for an entire ring as it shows off diamonds to perfection: something recognised by Goldsmiths' own master craftspeople, as well as those employed by Ponte Vecchio, whose engagement rings we also stock.

Thanks to rose gold's high purity levels and low reactivity, it doesn't tarnish, and is a relatively low-maintenance precious metal. It gains its pink tones from the addition of copper, rather than nickel, making it less likely to cause skin irritation than white gold.