The Pros and Cons of Popular Metals Used in Jewelry: Gold & Platinum

Known for its beauty and durability, gold is the most popular metal used for jewelry. It can come in a multitude of different colors, but we offer yellow, white and rose here at Rare Carat. The karat is a measure of how pure the gold is, with 24kt. being pure, solid gold. Gold is soft on its own (too soft for use in jewelry), so alloys are mixed in to make it stronger, harder and more durable for everyday wear - it also reduces the cost (bonus). Since gold comes out of the ground yellow in color, the alloys also aid in changing the color to white or rose. Depending on the color of the gold, some of the alloys used are copper, nickel, zinc and silver. Here at Rare Carat, you can choose either a 14 karat or 18 karat gold setting. All of the settings will be stamped inside with the karat purity.

Note: If you choose white gold, it will need to be rhodium plated (dipped) over the years to keep it looking bright white and shiny.

Platinum is another very popular metal used in jewelry because it is durable and has a lot of heft to it. It comes out of the ground white in color, so there is never any need to have it rhodium plated over the years. It does scratch easily though, so you'll want to have it polished every so often to keep it looking shiny and new.