Cost, scratch resistance, and other details....is 14K gold best all around? and is 18K gold just softer but costlier than 14K?
Cost, scratch resistance, and other details....is 14K gold best all around? and is 18K gold just softer but costlier than 14K?
Gold is classic and valuable. Even white gold still has value. We got my engagement ring reset and the jeweler bought my gold from me. It will need to be re-plated. Some places have a warranty saying they will re-plate for free once a year or even free for the lifetime, other places will charge a small fee usually about $25 to re-plate. Gold is mixed with nickel to create white gold. I am allergic to nickel myself, but with the plating on the ring, I don’t have any reactions. I know that the rings are not always mixed with nickel, it just happens to be the most common. Depending on what the alloy is that the gold was mixed with might raise the price of the metal. 18K is softer, but will be more white. It will scratch and eventually, if your ring is thin can wear through. 14k is harder and will last longer.
Platinum is expensive. It is more white than white gold, but it does tend to dull over time. It is a very strong metal and doesn’t scratch as easily. Many times a jeweler might use white gold for the band and platinum for the prongs, not always, but sometimes because the metal is stronger.
Palladium is a derivative of platinum. It’s cheaper, but it has a few problems that platinum has like dulling after a short time. Also, it is not as strong as platinum either. It has a tendency to crack either around the prong area or the back of the band where your ring gets the most wear. Most jewelers have a hard time fixing these. This is usually why most chain jewelers and local places don’t sell palladium. You really only buy it on the internet and don’t get much of a warranty with your rings either.
I would pick gold if you were deciding between 14k gold. You are getting something valuable there. The value of gold may go up and down, but it will last longer than the other metals. Except maybe platinum, but like I said, it’s expensive.
I hope this helped at all. Good luck!