How Do I Choose the Finish For A Ring?

For daily use over the years solid gold is the best if you want yellow gold. 10 or 14 karat is very good for rings as it contains alloys that make the gold harder then 24 karat gold. We do not carry solid gold rings. Next best choice is a lifetime guaranteed ring. These rings have 3 layers of gold plating 100 mils thick. This comes with a certificate. Even with this option it is suggested the ring not be exposed to harsh chemicals like chlorine bleach and other cleaning agents. It is even a good idea to remove any plated ring when you shower or do dishes. Less expensive gold plated rings should be treated as costume jewelry and worn with care to complete a look and not worn on a daily basis if you want to wear it for years. Rhodium plating is the most resistant to damage of all the plating materials as it is very hard and non allergenic.
Rhodium looks identical to highly polished Sterling Silver and is used to plate Sterling to prevent tarnishing. A good Sterling Silver rhodium plated ring will last for years and is a inexpensive way to have your own special ring you wear every day. Sterling Silver with no rhodium plating is also good but will require polishing from time to time as all sterling tarnishes if it is not plated. Vermeil Gold is Gold Over Sterling Silver. I would treat these as special occasion rings as they are plated with yellow gold. The silver seems to give the gold a special rich glow.
We offer a few Stainless Steel Rings. These are sturdy and non allergenic with no concerns we are aware of.

Because of the softness of pure (24k) gold, it is usually alloyed with base metals for use in jewelry, altering its hardness and ductility, melting point, color and other properties. Alloys with lower carat, typically 22k, 18k, 14k or 10k, contain higher percentages of copper, or other base metals or silver or palladium in the alloy. Copper is the most commonly used base metal, yielding a redder color. Eighteen carat gold containing 25% copper is found in antique and Russian jewelry and has a distinct, though not dominant, copper cast, creating rose gold. Fourteen carat gold-copper alloy is nearly identical in color to certain bronze alloys, and both may be used to produce police, as well as other, badges. Blue gold can be made by alloying with iron and purple gold can be made by alloying with aluminium, although rarely done except in specialized jewelry. Blue gold is more brittle and therefore more difficult to work with when making jewelry. Fourteen and eighteen carat gold alloys with silver alone appear greenish-yellow and are referred to as green gold. White gold alloys can be made with palladium or nickel. White 18 carat gold containing 17.3% nickel, 5.5% zinc and 2.2% copper is silver in appearance. Nickel is toxic, however, and its release from nickel white gold is controlled by legislation in Europe. Some people will get a green ring around the finger from nickle in the alloy. Alternative white gold alloys are available based on palladium, silver and other white metals (World Gold Council), but the palladium alloys are more expensive than those using nickel. High-carat white gold alloys are far more resistant to corrosion than are either pure silver or sterling silver. 

White gold is an alloy of gold and at least one white metal, usually nickel or palladium. Like yellow gold, the purity of white gold is given in karats.

White gold's properties vary depending on the metals and proportions used. As a result, white gold alloys can be used for different purposes; while a nickel alloy is hard and strong, and therefore good for rings and pins, gold-palladium alloys are soft, pliable and good for white gold gemstone settings, sometimes with other metals like copper, silver, and platinum for weight and durability, although this often requires specialized goldsmiths. The term white gold is used very loosely in the industry to describe karat gold alloys with a whitish hue. Many believe that the color of the rhodium plating, which is what they see on many commercial pieces, is actually the color of white gold. The term white covers a large spectrum of colors that borders or overlaps pale yellow, tinted brown, and even very pale rose. The jewelry industry often hide these off-white colors by rhodium plating.

About one person in eight has a mild allergic reaction to the nickel in some white gold alloys when worn over long periods of time. A typical reaction is a minor skin rash.[1] White gold alloys made without nickel are less likely to be allergenic.

.925 Silver Items Are Finished In Rhodium Which Costs About $7,000.00 Per Ounce.
It Is From The Platinum Family And Is Used In Hypo-Allergy Jewelry Since It Contains No Nickel As SS Does.

WHY DOES STERLING SILVER TARNISH?
Sterling Silver Is An Alloy Of Silver Containing 92.5% Pure Silver And 7.5% Other Metals, Usually Copper.

Fine Silver (99.9% Pure) Is Too Soft For Producing Large Functional Objects, And In
Sterling The Silver Is Alloyed With Copper To Give Strength Whilst Preserving The
Ductility Of The Silver And A High Precious Metal Content.

Corrosion:
Most of our silver rings are treated with rhodium plating and will not tarnish. A few are not so read descriptions carefully.
Silver Tarnish Is The Formation Of Black Silver Sulfide On The Surface Of The Metal, And Is Caused
By Sulfur And Sulfides Which Attack The Surface Of The Silver. Because Of This, The Rate
Of Discoloration Of Silver By Tarnish Is Worse With Higher Levels Of These Airborne Pollutants.
All Fine Sterling Silver "Does" Tarnish.

We Recommend That You Do Not Wear In The Shower, Hot Tub, Sauna, Ocean, and Swimming Pool
Or Areas Where Chemicals Are Used, Like Hair Salons, Medical Atmospheres Where Disinfectants
Are Used, The Chemicals In Soaps, Makeup, Perfumes, And Oils Of Your Skin.
This Exposure Will Only Quicken The Tarnishing Process.

We Suggest You Store Your Sterling Silver Jewelry In A Plastic Bag When You Are Not Wearing It.
Clean Your Sterling Silver After Each Wearing With A Soft Cloth Will Keep The Chemicals
And/or Oils From Just Sitting On The Sterling Silver Which Will Cause Tarnish To Develop.
Use A Sterling Silver Polishing Cloth When Ever Possible, They Are "treated" To Help
Protect Your Sterling Silver And Will Add Life To Jewelry.


 
Contact us for any other questions you may have....