Metal options for your jewellery
A question we get asked often is "what is the right metal for me?" This can all depend on a few factors, your personal choice, if you have allergies to certain metals and how hard wearing you require you jewellery to be. This applies for all jewellery types such as engagement rings, wedding rings, pendants, earrings and even cufflinks.
When looking at rings and in particular wedding rings we discuss ideas and options with you, for example we always recommend ladies having the matching metal to her engagement ring as this will reduce wear and tear over time. If you require something hypoallergenic we would always suggest Platinum, Titanium or Zirconium and Palladium. All precious metals are delicate items and over time will show day to day wear and tear, but please do not be alarmed as this is easily corrected with a polish/refinish.
What Metal?
Gold
Pure gold (24ct) is too soft to be used on its own in jewellery. It is mixed with other metals to give it strength and durability. The higher the pure gold content, the higher the number of carats. Here at G H Moore, we mainly use 9ct and 18ct gold.
In 9ct gold, 375 parts out of 1000 are pure gold.
In 18ct gold, 750 parts out of 1000 are pure gold.
Pure gold is naturally a very bright yellow but it can be mixed with different metals to give us yellow gold, white gold and rose gold.
Yellow Gold
9ct yellow gold - 9ct yellow gold is a slightly softer yellow colour and is generally a lower price point. 9ct yellow gold is perfectly fine for everyday wear but will require a polish/refinishing service every now and again.
18ct yellow gold - 18ct yellow gold a richer yellow colour and is more sought after for engagement and wedding rings. As with 9ct yellow gold this will require a regular polish/refinishing over time.
We use both 9ct yellow gold and 18ct yellow gold in our all our jewellery ranges, 18ct yellow gold is more durable but the hardness level between the two metals are very similar.
White Gold
9ct white gold- 9ct white gold is a softer metal as it contains a high silver content, we use 9ct white gold mainly for pendants and earrings as they do not take so much wear and tear on a daily basis.
18ct white gold - 18ct white gold is the hardest of the golds due to the other metals mixed within it. Like 9ct white gold they are both naturally an off-white colour, technically there is no such thing as white gold its all made from pure 24ct gold and just other alloys mixed to create the colour.
All white gold jewellery is generally Rhodium Plated which gives the items a brighter white colour similar to Platinum.
Rose Gold
9ct rose gold - 9ct rose gold has a higher copper content compared to 18ct rose gold and is generally the more sought after choice given the lovely pink hue.
18ct rose gold - 18ct rose gold has a softer pink hue and is a perfect choice for someone who does not like the brassier yellow tones of yellow gold or finds white gold too bright.
The hardness level between the two are very similar and we would recommend either for all jewellery types, it mainly comes down to colour preference.
Platinum
Platinum - Platinum is a naturally bright white metal, It will not fade or change colour unlike white gold (when the rhodium has worn). Platinum is a very durable metal making it the hardest wearing, although it will still scratch and can lose its shine, but this is easily removed with a re-polish. The Platinum that we use in our jewellery is 95% pure and is only mixed with 5% other alloys, this gives it a fineness mark of 950. Platinum is naturally hypoallergenic.
Palladium
Palladium - Palladium is a very similar metal to platinum as it also a naturally bright white metal and will not discolour. Palladium is less dense in weight making it lighter on the finger which some people find more comfortable. The palladium we use for our jewellery is 95% pure which gives it a fineness mark of 950. Palladium is naturally hypoallergenic.
For the manufacture of jewellery and silverware, precious metals are not used in their purest forms. Instead they are alloyed with other metals. It is not possible to discern by sight or by touch what the precious metal content of an alloy is.
Our customers can rest assured that all of our products come with a guarantee of the precious metal content through the 700-year-old practice of third party independent hallmarking.
The 1973 Hallmarking Act makes it unlawful to describe an item over a certain weight as gold, silver, platinum or palladium without an independently applied Hallmark.
- All Silver articles weighing more than 7.78 grams must be hallmarked.
- All Gold articles weighing more than 1 gram must be hallmarked.
- All Platinum articles weighing more than 0.5 grams must be hallmarked.
- All Palladium articles weighing more than 1 gram must be hallmarked.
Articles below these exemption weights may be described as Gold, Silver, Palladium or Platinum without the need for a hallmark.
All items purchased from G.H.Moore (over the legal weights) are hallmarked at British Assay Offices.