Which metal should I choose?
That's up to you. Don't let anyone tell you which metal you should choose. From our experience though, the things to consider are:
The colour - have a look at our metal comparison photo below. There are slight variations depending on the carat of gold
The price/value - This is a personal choice. It depends on your budget and how important it is to you for your wedding ring to hold intrinsic value. For instance, most of the cost of a silver or titanium band is in its construction whereas a gold/platinum/palladium wedding ring holds a lot of value in the metal itself.The durability - There are LOTS of different opinions about this. It's important to know that no matter what metal your ring is made of, the structure of the ring is guaranteed for life. So, when people talk about durability, they're mainly talking about surface dings and scratches.
The surface of your ring can always be brought back to its original state, so it's not a huge deal. But, it can be annoying if you don't want to have to maintain your ring. If you really want to know who's the toughest tom in town, in our experience it's (from softest to hardest) - copper, electrum, silver, palladium, brass, white and yellow gold, red gold, platinum and titanium. Generally, the higher the carat, the harder the metal. Honestly, though, we think the other 3 factors are more important considerations.
The weight and how it feels to wear - this is something you really have to experience, but at the extremes, titanium is a noticeably light metal and higher carat gold, platinum and palladium are definitely heavy and more substantial feeling.
And the metals themselves...
STERLING SILVER
The Helvetic of metals 925 parts silver, 75 parts copper. Ubiquitous, simple, beautiful. We use recycled silver to make our rings.
Silver is great if you're on a budget. It tends to hold the darkening of the etchings really well and has a bright, white appearance that a lot of people love.
Silver is not so great if you work with your hands as it can scratch, dent and ding quite easily. If you're into a more rustic look, then it's all good! And again, we can always fix up surface problems. Also! Natural hot pools, swimming pools and sulphur-containing chemicals can discolour the surface of silver rings.
Who do we get it from: Regal Castings
Where do they get it: The film industry, workshop scraps from other jewellers, heirloom jewellery, old silverware.
Where is it fabricated: Regal Castings in Auckland.
GOLD (ETHICALLY SOURCED FROM NEW ZEALAND)
Gold is almost always alloyed with other metals before it is used in jewellery making. In its pure form it's too soft for everyday wear. Carat is a measure of purity. 24 carat is pure gold. 9 carat is 9 parts gold and 15 parts other metals or around 1/3rd gold. 14 carat is 14 parts gold and 10 parts other metals or around 5/8ths gold and 18 carat is 18 parts gold and 6 parts other metals or 3/4 gold. In general, the higher the karat, the harder and heavier it is.
Gold is great as it can fit most budgets depending on the carat used. Also, it's a world-recognised commodity, so if the zombie apocalypse eventuates, boom, you can trade your ring for some ammo.
Gold is not so great if you want a super bright, white coloured metal (unless you go with 9ct white gold). We don't rhodium plate our white gold, so make sure you look at the metal comparison photo closely.
Who do we get it from: Morris and Watson
Where do they get it: Alluvial New Zealand Suppliers (sometimes it's also mixed with gold recycled from old jewellery and jewellery workshop scraps)
Where is it fabricated: Morris and Watson in Auckland
ETHICAL NEW ZEALAND BEACH GOLD
We only use alluvial New Zealand gold - this is eroded out of the mountains naturally by water then collected not so naturally by people. From small-scale fossickers to river dredgers to large-scale gravel deposit mining it all has an impact but in our opinion a lot less impact than hard rock mining (you know, the kind with the giant holes in the ground and tanks full of cyanide). This may sometimes have a little recycled gold mixed in but the gold in your ring will always be at least 95% pure New Zealand alluvial gold.
For a super low impact option, we can also use our very own local black sand beach gold. This is 100% pure New Zealand alluvial beach gold which we source, alloy and fabricate ourselves. You can read more about it here.
ELECTRUM
Our electrum is a 50/50 mix of ethical gold and recycled sterling silver. It is effectively 12 carat gold.
Electrum is great because it has a cool name and the colour is a warmer version of white gold, kinda like champagne. Also, it's super ethical.
Electrum is not so great as it's a bit softer than golds of a similar value, so it should only be used for wedding bands, not solitaire engagement rings.
Who do we get it from: We make this ourselves
Where do we get the metal: The gold component is our super ethical beach gold and the silver component is 100% recycled silver from our own workshop scraps (originally from Regal Castings in Auckland)
Where is it fabricated: Right here in our own workshop
PLATINUM
Is the most valuable of the metals we use, a heavy and substantial metal with a naturally white and lustrous finish.
Platinum is great because it's a beautiful colour and is super durable. When we see platinum rings that we made years ago, they look the most untouched by time, when compared to the other metals (apart from Titanium that is). The weight of these rings really does make them feel more special. Also good in the zombie apocalypse scenario mentioned above.
Platinum is not so great because it's expensive. Also, it only comes in the one colour, so if you're a gold kinda person, it's just not for you (although 18ct white gold is a very similar option).
SENSITIVE SKIN
If you're worried about skin sensitivity, the very safest options are platinum, palladium and titanium. If you would rather have gold, the higher the carat, the less chance of a reaction.
Most often, people are sensitive to either nickel or copper. Our white gold, Platinum, palladium and titanium do not contain any nickel or copper. Sterling silver, yellow, red and green gold all contain some copper but no nickel.
If you end up with a ring that irritates your skin, we'll work with you to find a suitable alternative.