Ring Metals

While talk around wedding bands usually centers around the type and size of the diamond, the metal or combination of metals which you choose for your wedding and engagement rings also speak volumes: emotionally, symbolically and aesthetically. There are a number of metals, though the following gives an outline of the core metals in our Goldsmiths range.

White Gold

White gold engagement rings are available from Goldsmiths in 9 carat and 18 carat purity levels. While all white gold is an alloy - composed of yellow gold mixed with nickel, manganese, or palladium- 18 carat white gold offers around 75% pure gold, alongside a really bright, lustrous finish, which is part of the reason why it's so desirable.

There are some truly spectacular white gold engagement rings on offer, featuring solitaires, diamond clusters, and glamorous princess cut diamonds. White gold is in many ways the ideal metal for your wedding ring, as it offers the luxury and prestige of real gold but with a cool, elegant, and silvery tone.

With pieces crafted by top-name designers such as Jenny Packham, as well as our own rings designed and manufactured in-house, the choice available is truly comprehensive when it comes to both wedding and engagement rings in shimmering white gold.

Yellow Gold

Warm, sumptuous yellow gold is the traditional metal of choice for both wedding rings. Prized above other precious metals, gold's emotional and financial worth is evident in the language: we talk about the "gold standard", about "golden rules" and the "golden age".

Here at Goldsmiths, we offer gorgeous yellow gold wedding bands in 9 or 18 carats, set with diamonds, rubies, emeralds, and sapphires, as well as less adorned styles in a contemporary finish.

For a really classic, romantic look, it's hard to find a metal to surpass yellow gold. The honey-coloured tones of this precious metal set clear diamonds off to perfection, while slim golden bands are often the first thing that comes to mind when we picture marriage.

Rose Gold

Popular among the Tsars in Russia, rose gold has become an increasingly attractive choice for modern couples seeking to tie the knot. The blush-colour of the metal symbolises love and affection, and it's perfectly acceptable to team rose gold pieces with items of jewellery in more common white or yellow gold.

Rose gold is often used as an accent metal, although the radiance of its colour means that it's also an excellent choice for an entire ring as it shows off diamonds to perfection: something recognised by Goldsmiths' own master craftspeople, as well as those employed by Ponte Vecchio, whose engagement rings we also stock.

Thanks to rose gold's high purity levels and low reactivity, it doesn't tarnish, and is a relatively low-maintenance precious metal. It gains its pink tones from the addition of copper, rather than nickel, making it less likely to cause skin irritation than white gold.

Consideration for Metals

Ultimately, the choice of metal or metals used in your wedding and engagement rings is very personal. Your lifestyle as well as your aesthetic preferences - and the jewellery you already own and wear will need to be considered before you reach a final decision.

As a rule of thumb, it's generally best to keep to just one type of precious metal per hand. While white, yellow, and rose golds can easily be worn together, it's less advisable to team gold of any shade with platinum, as the denser platinum can wear the gold away.

If you are finding it hard to narrow down your choice, Goldsmiths also stock a range of wedding rings which include various metal combinations, including appealing intertwining yellow, white, and rose wedding rings, symbolising compatibility, fidelity, and romance.