Precious Metals

There are a wide range of precious metals available for you to construct a diamond ring. The most popular metals are the ones that are very white or yellow in colour.

Gold

Since time began humankind has lusted after the beautifully alluring bright yellow lustre of a dense malleable metal that we know as Gold. The scarcity of Gold makes it a commodity that has always been in high demand. Gold is always yellow so there is no such thing as white gold in a natural form.

The Alloying Process
Gold in its pure form is referred to as 24 karat yet it is too soft for use with jewellery so a diamond ring would be too malleable to hold a diamond in place securely so accordingly the Gold needs to be alloyed with other metals like copper, silver or palladium to make it stronger.

As the alloy is added the percentage of Gold decreases proportionately. Gold in its pure form is referred to as 24 karat so when we talk about 18 karat it means it is 3/4 pure gold and the other 1/4 is other alloys have been added for jewellery purposes.

Polished Diamonds prefers to sell 18 carat diamond rings but we can supply 14ct, 10ct or even 9ct if required.

White Gold is simply yellow gold that has alloyed to silver and palladium rather than copper. The white alloys take the yellow out of the Gold and give it a stunningly pristine white finish. Properly alloyed white gold is white enough to have a nice reflection but giving the ring a Rhodium Plate gives both a protective coat and a chrome like finish. Please note here is no such thing as 24 karat white gold as it always needs to be alloyed.

Platinum

Platinum is very rare and extremely durable. Platinum is naturally white and has a deep metallic colour similar to white gold. Platinum is heavier than gold at 1.39 times and very dense which makes it difficult for jewellers to work with – the torch always needs to be hotter and the polishing process takes longer. Yet because of the density of Platinum it is extremely durable, secure and long lasting. When damaged Platinum will tend to dent rather than scratch meaning it will show marks but not loose metal. These tiny dents are called Patina which makes the Platinum appear to have a matt finish. These can easily be polished to become fully reflective once again. We recommend Platinum as the best white metal for jewellery but because of the cost it needs to be considered and balanced in order to also factor in a quality diamond. There is no point in spending all your budget on the Platinum ring only to have a tiny diamond set in it so you are better off to look at White Gold or Palladium yet if your budget allows then Platinum is the premium choice.

Palladium

Is a brilliant jewellery metal and although it is not as popular as Platinum this doesn’t reflect on its quality whatsoever. Palladium is from the Platinum group of alloys and is the whitest of all jewellery metals so it really makes a diamond stand out. Palladium is also 95% pure so it is hypoallergenic and kind to sensitive fingers. Palladium is also slightly lighter than white gold so it is a perfect choice for chunky diamond rings where the weight needs to be a minimum for comfort. Palladium is also less expensive than Platinum so we highly recommend it for a very white, great value and quality metal for jewellery.

Be sure to ask a Polished Diamonds metallurgist for any further information about the wide variety of metals that we produce for our exquisite jewellery. If you’d prefer a special composition we will gladly work with the metal and alloy to suit your requirements.

Remember Polished Diamonds is focused on providing you with the ultimate comfort, durability, security and style with all of our jewellery right here in Australia.