Do you know much about fine jewelry and the metals it’s made out of? I knew absolutely nothing until my husband and I were shopping for rings. Let’s learn more with a little help from DealDash.
I found the differences between yellow gold, white gold, pink gold, and platinum fascinating. It’s a little tricky, but let me tell you how they make the different colors of gold, and what the different “K” (karat) numbers mean. Let me just make it simple by telling you about the basics behind alloys. 24 karat gold is 100% pure gold which is far too soft to hold up to the everyday wear of a wedding band. So how do we make rings that we can wear? With alloys! Alloys are created by mixing different metals together to create a stronger version of itself.
14k gold is extremely durable, and it contains 58% pure gold. 18k gold is also very strong but is also richer in color since it contains 75% pure gold, this makes it the more precious, and also the more expensive option. In the case of yellow gold the remainder is a mix of equal parts silver and copper with a small amount of zinc. Making rose gold is really very similar – like yellow gold, rose gold is alloyed with silver, copper and zinc. However, the ratio is shifted to incorporate more copper and less silver, resulting in a warmer hue. Palladium white gold is the same deal – except it’s a mix of pure gold, copper, silver, and palladium.
Platinum is a completely different story. It may look very similar to palladium white gold, but it’s really nothing alike. Jewelry that’s made out of platinum is significantly more expensive that jewelry made of of gold, because platinum is about 30 times more rare than gold. And while gold is made with maybe 50-75% gold and the rest out of alloy metals, platinum is usually much more pure, averaging about 90-95% purity, which really drives up the price.
Personally, my husband and I opted for our rings to be made out of platinum. The main reason being is that is such a strong metal, and through it may develop a patina over time, it’s very easy to clean off with jewelry cleaner, or even just some warm soapy water.
Even though our wedding rings are platinum, most of my other jewelry is made out of different colors of 14 & 18 karat gold. I personally wouldn’t go to the expense of having all of my regular jewelry be platinum!
If you’re in the market to do a little jewelry shopping, why not see what DealDash has to offer? DealDash often has ear rings, necklaces, bracelets, jewelry boxes, and even Zales gift cards available for auction. And don’t forget, if you are bidding on an item and you don’t end up winning, you can always Buy It Now (BIN) and get all of your bids back. This is especially useful in the case of gift cards, since DealDash even provides free shipping! Good luck and happy bidding everyone!
