Wedding Ring Info: What you Can Afford and What Will Last

Five wedding ring metals make up the usual selection; gold, white gold, platinum, titanium, and silver. Each specific type has its pluses and minuses.

There's some important considerations in choosing a ring, from choosing the metals, karat, and color, to choosing a look that reflects your personality and budget. The following info will help you make the right decision in choosing a wedding ring.

The most common type of wedding band is gold. Gold is a soft precious metal that is classified by color and karats. Your options are yellow gold, white cold, and rose gold. The typical karats for gold rings are 14 and 18. Meaning a14 karat gold ring has 58 percent gold and 41 percent alloys like copper and zinc. 18 karat gold jewelry consists of 75 percent gold and 20 percent other metals. 24 karat gold rings are containing 100 percent pure gold. 24 karat gold is not the best for making rings. This is because the more gold in the ring, the softer the ring ends up. The softer the ring turns out to be, the less durable the ring and the the shorter it will last. 14 and 18 karat gold will not tarnish, but there are those who are allergic to gold, so picking a gold band may not be a choice. 14k yellow or gold bands retail from 60 to 5,000 dollars. 18k yellow or white gold wedding bands could cost you 85 to 5,000 dollars.

Platinum is a beautiful white precious metal that will never fade. It is a quite dense, solid precious metal that is the most durable of the precious metals, still it is too soft for bands. Despite the fact that platinum is a 95 percent pure white metal, ruthenium and iridium must be included for durability. Platinum wedding rings often feel heavier on the finger, but are very lasting and a great choice for both bride's and groom's wedding rings. Platinum is also hypo-allergenic. Platinum rings retail from 350 to 5,000 dollars.

Titanium is the most durable metal known to man, but it is not as common in ring making. This metal is hypo-allergenic and may be inlaid with gold, silver, or platinum to make exquisite rings that will be treasured for a lifetime. When electricity or heat is applied, Titanium oxidizes which then helps the metal to seem colored. Normal colors are purple, blue, and iridescent. Titanium rings can not be soldered, which means resizing becomes impossible. It is also one of the harder metals to cut through should the ring need to be extricated due to an emergency. Titanium wedding rings will cost from 150.00 to 4,000 dollars.

Silver is a remarkably soft white metal that is a victim to tarnishing and discoloration. Silver wedding bands are ideal for people who are on a small budget. However, since the metal is quite soft, silver wedding bands will not last quite as long as gold, platinum, or titanium wedding bands. Silver wedding rings go for 50 to 200 dollars.