Choosing your ring metal

So you’re getting ready to create your own modern heirloom - congratulations!
You may have already spotted a style you love and are now selecting the details to create your custom piece.

Two of the details to consider when choosing the metal for your ring are Carat and Colour.

 
Carat

When talking about carat of Gold, the carat refers to the percentage of gold in relation to the other metals present in your jewellery.  As pure Gold is soft, it’s rarely used to create jewellery, especially jewellery you want to last a lifetime (or more!). To make the Gold more durable, pure gold is mixed with other alloys.

RUUSK pieces can be made in 9ct, 14ct or 18ct Gold. The higher the proportion of Gold, the more valuable and expensive it will be. 18ct Gold contains approximately 75% pure gold, 14ct is 58.3% pure gold and 9ct is 37.5% pure gold.

18ct, being 75% Gold, is therefore most valuable metal of the three.

In regards to durability, this is often a confusing one as it would seem logical to think that because 9ct is 'harder' it's more durable. But when we think of hardness and durability in gold we can relate this to glass and plastic. Glass might be harder than plastic, but it is also more prone to cracking and breaking. The flexibility in plastic can help make it more durable. This is helpful when thinking of gold ct options too. Generally, 14ct and 18ct are thought to be more durable, although they are softer than 9ct gold.

 
Colour

The next element to consider is colour. Gold is available in several different colours, the most popular being Yellow, White and Rose.

The colour of the Gold is determined by the other metals used in the alloy mix.
However, as the proportion of Gold varies depending on the carat chosen, it’s also important to consider how the carat also affects colour.

Yellow Gold
Yellow is the natural colour of pure Gold and it is also one of the most common or traditional shades used in Jewellery.
Pure Gold is mixed with alloys such as silver and copper to strengthen it and the brightness will depending on the amount of Gold in the final metal.
Higher percentages of Gold will result in a brighter shade of yellow, with 18ct being a richer yellow than 9ct.

Rose Gold
Rose Gold is created by mixing Gold with alloys such a copper to give it a reddish hue.
The intensity of the rose colour will increase with a higher proportion of copper,
so 9ct Rose will tend to have a slightly stronger reddish colour compared to a more subtle 18ct Rose Gold.

White Gold

White Gold is probably the most commonly used metal for women’s engagement rings and is created by mixing pure Gold with alloys such as palladium and silver.
With this said, the colour of white Gold is often misunderstood as almost all White Gold jewellery sold in stores has been Rhodium plated to give it a whiter appearance.
White Gold is actually light grey in colour.

RUUSK White Gold pieces are Rhodium plated so that they will best match any other White Gold jewellery you wear. However, if you would prefer to leave your piece unplated just let us know.

 

You can also request to have your special piece made in Platinum if you would prefer. Find out more about the difference between White Gold and Platinum here.