Wedding Ring Metal Choices

A wedding ring or wedding band, depending on the type of English you speak in your region, is a metal ring worn by a married person to signify that he or she is married. It is given to a spouse, usually at the wedding ceremony. In a church wedding, the rings are very important. In addition, Blessing the Rings is a very important 'ritual' in a Christian wedding ceremony.

As you are planning your wedding, it is advisable to shop for your wedding rings at least six months before the wedding date. This would allow time to visit as many stores and do lots of research; it also prevents panic shopping. By ordering your rings earlier, you are on the safe side, in case you may need to resize them. However, be informed in your choice of metal, as not all metals can be re-sized.

After your wedding day, your rings would always bring the day to your mind. Therefore, you should choose a ring that you can live with. And for the men who do not wear jewelry, there is a metal suitable for you. Even if you have a job that requires you to use your hands a lot, there is a metal just for you. Things to be considered before settling for a metal is durability, malleability, appearance, hypoallergenicity, budget, lifestyle and so on.

• PLATINUM – a very rare natural white metal, usually 95% pure and relatively heavy. It's extremely durable and when it scratches, there is very little metal lost which makes it withstand many years. Platinum is more hypoallergenic than other ring metals. This means it has a decreased tendency to cause allergies; it will not irritate your skin
• GOLD – the most popular wedding ring metal, naturally yellow metal, usually 70-75% pure. It is widely available and less expensive. When yellow gold surface is plated with rhodium, you have WHITE GOLD. When copper alloy is added to yellow gold, you have ROSE GOLD. By sometimes adding cadmium and excluding copper from the alloy, GREEN GOLD is what you have. Whether yellow, white, rose or green, gold is an evergreen choice any day, anytime.
• PALLADIUM – a lustrous silver white metal also used as an alloy in white gold. It is flexible, hypoallergenic and less costly because of its density.
• TITANIUM – has a grey finish or can be polished black. It is as strong as steel but weightless like aluminum. It is perfect for men who don't wear jewelry. This is as a result of its ruggedness. Titanium rings are scratch, dent and bend resistant. They cannot be re-sized
• SILVER – a rare choice for rings because silver is a soft metal. It is very soft and easily damaged in its pure form. Silver is durable and less rare; preferable if you are on a budget. STERLING SLIVER is 92.5% pure silver and 7.5% another metal. Silver tarnishes, therefore requires frequent polishing, though plating it with rhodium can protect it for a while.
• TUNGSTEN CARBIDE – It’s becoming popular, the hardest of all wedding ring metals and resilient to scratching. It cannot be re-sized
• ZIRCONIUM – it has a similar appearance to titanium and also resilient
• COBALT CHROME – a premium bright white metal, whiter than tungsten and titanium. It is a strong metal with more scratch resistance than titanium. Cobalt is shatter proof and will not crack. Unlike titanium and tungsten, cobalt wedding rings can be considerably re-sized

Other metals include eco-gold, mokume gane, stainless steel, ceramic, meteorite, and wood. Looking at the images below may not give you a real feel of their appearance, but you will get an idea. In making your choice, consider the scale below, starting from the top:

1. Budget: platinum – yellow gold – palladium – white gold – stainless steel – titanium
2. Hypoallergenic Scale: white gold – platinum – palladium – titanium – tungsten – silver surgical steel (in extreme cases)
3. Appearance: Yellow gold – white gold – platinum – palladium – titanium – tungsten – silver steel
4. Durability – titanium – tungsten carbide – platinum – gold

Platinum	Yellow gold
White gold	Rose gold
Palladium	Titanium
Sterling silver	Tungsten
Zirconium	Cobalt chrome