So, I’m shopping for my wedding band, and I think I’ve decided on a titanium ring. What I like are the simple titanium bands with a metal inlay through the middle, like this. I’ll probably get a ring with an inlay of silver, white gold, or possibly red gold. I have a few questions that I’m hoping someone who knows about jewelry or metals can answer:
White gold- I’ve been told that white gold is just regular gold dipped in another metal, like nickel, and that, over time, the white gold can lose it’s color and start becoming yellow. When it becomes yellow, it needs to be redipped, once every year or two. I’m wondering if a ring with white gold inlay needs to be redipped, and, if so, can it be redipped. How long does something like that take? How much does it cost?
I’ve also seen one website that says they don’t use nickel for their white gold. What would they use? Would their white gold need to be redipped?
I’ve been told that silver tarnishes faster when it’s stored with other metals. It seems that putting silver in between two bands of titanium would cause the silver to tarnish. Is it a big deal to polish a silver inlay ring like this?
Red Gold- I’m not even sure what this is, or if there are any potential difficulties with it, like described above. Can someone fill me in about red gold?
Basically I want to get a titanium ring with an inlay strip, and am trying to think of any problems I might have with it, so if there’s anything else I’m not thinking of, please let me know.
Thanks!
Well I have worn a titanium wedding ring for quite some time. I was told when shopping for the ring to not get an inlay because gold is so inherently soft whereas titanium is pretty much the strongest. I love my titanium ring, it symbolizes strength and endurance in a roundabout sort of way. Why even get the gold inlay? Whynot just get two inlays of titanium?
I have almost the exact same ring you are looking at, with a wider silver band. I’ve been wearing it for a year and a half, the silver is not tarnished at all. The constant wear of your skin will keep it from forming a tarnish. Silver is fairly easy to polish anyway, while it’s a pain to clean an entire set of ornately carved silverware, cleaning one smooth band of silver in a ring is trivial.
White gold is gold alloy heavy in nickel or silver, so it has a whiter appearance. This is usually plated with something like rhodium to make it extra white and bright, but that wears off and you see the real white gold color which is greyer and yellower than rhodium or platinum. People often get an allergic reaction to nickel, so that’s the selling point for avoiding nickel in the alloy.
I don’t know if your banded ring would need to be re-dipped or if it is dipped in the first place, you would need to talk to the jeweler about his specific process. There is no requirement to dip white gold in rhodium, it just makes it whiter.
Red gold is just a gold alloy where the metal mix causes a more reddish hue than standard alloys. One site I saw claimed it’s just more copper and less silver than a normal mix.
You have been misinformed. White gold is an alloy of gold and nickel. It wears much better that fine silver or coin silver.
They may be using gold alloyed witn something other than nickel.
I have never heard of such a thing. Sulphur causes tarnish, not metals.
My suggestion would be to forget the silver inlay in titanium since the silver will wear away much faster that the hard titanium.
Red Gold is Gold alloyed with another metal to give it a reddish cast. If you want RED then Red Gold is not for you.
There are several gold alloys presenting pale tints of various colors.
You can see the differences when side by side but one alone is almost possible to identify.
BTW Many items of white gold are Rhodium Plated to give them a bright high lusterous appearance. You are looking at Rhodium not White Gold. White gold is durable but not have the high brightness and luster of rhodium.