METAL

The information below may help you to decide which precious metal is the best for you.

PALLADIUM
	Palladium is a noble metal and a member of the platinum group. First assigned its own UK hallmark "950" back in January 2009, palladium is durable and has a bright, white natural colour that doesn't tarnish and so does not need rhodium plating in the same way as white gold. Palladium weighs much less than platinum, and is much more readily available in supply. In summary, palladium provides some of the properties of platinum but at a much lower price point.
18KT WHITE GOLD
	UK hallmarked as "750", 18kt white gold is actually 75% gold and 25% other alloys which are used to strengthen the gold for use in jewellery. White gold jewellery, in its unfinished form, has a dull, grey appearance. To prepare it for sale, it is rhodium plated which gives it a highly polished, chrome finish. 18kt white gold contains more gold than 9kt white gold, and so is more expensive, although not as expensive as platinum.
18KT YELLOW GOLD
	Also UK hallmarked as "750", 18kt yellow gold is the most traditional metal used in jewellery manufacturing. Some years ago, it was the preferred choice of most, although the advent of white gold and, most notably platinum, has slightly diminished its popularity. Yellow gold provides a lovely warm, rich colour to jewellery, with the contrast in colour between the yellow gold and the whiteness of diamonds being highly pleasing and attractive to the eye.
18KT ROSE GOLD
	Again, UK hallmarked as "750", 18kt rose gold - also often known as "pink" gold - is made up of 75% gold and 25% copper to provide a reddish finish to the metal. Rose gold was popular in the last century, but fell out of fashion for a number of years, although has recently been making a comeback.
18KT YELLOW GOLD & PLATINUM HEAD
	A combination of two popular metals, an 18kt yellow gold ring shank with a platinum head provides the best of both worlds - traditional style, with the added benefits that platinum offers such as durability and non-tarnishing. Combining two metals to produce a diamond ring mount is only possible in those mounts that are "two part" castings - in other words, the head and the shank "components" are pieced together to produce the finished item. These ring designs are priced approximately half way between the price of the same ring in purely 18kt yellow, and the price of the same ring in purely platinum. It is also possible to combine 18kt rose gold with a platinum head if you so wish, for around the same price point.
950 PLATINUM
	UK hallmarked as "950", at 95% pure, platinum is the purest of all the precious metals. This purity provides a stunning metallic finish to all jewellery, and is perfect for maximising the brilliance of the diamond itself. Platinum is rare, and is 30 times more rare than gold. In fact, it is estimated that if all the platinum in the world was poured into a single Olympic sized swimming pool, it would scarcely be deep enough to cover your ankles. So, why is platinum so popular? The key to this lies in its density and weight, which makes it much more durable than other jewellery metals. As a result, firstly, it provides the most secure setting for a diamond. Secondly, like all precious metals, platinum scratches. However, the scratch on a platinum item is merely a displacement of the metal and none of its volume is lost. Thirdly and finally, platinum's purity makes it hypoallergenic and ideal for those people with sensitive skin.