Guys White Gold Rings Are All The Rage

guest — Sat, 24 Jul 2010 06:58:48 +0000

White metals such as silver and palladium mixed with gold produces an alloy known as white gold. As with gold, white gold, used to make mens white gold wedding rings and bands, can be found in any carat measurement up to 21 carats. Basically, the amount of gold is the same but the alloy is different. White gold was originally developed as a substitute for platinum.

Traditionally nickel was used in white gold. However, nickel is no longer used as the studies found that nickel can cause reactions with some people. Initially, mens white gold wedding rings are electro-plated with another white metal called Rhodium, a metal very much similar to platinum, when they are new. This makes the white gold look whiter since the original color of white metal is slightly gray. This process is called rhodium plating. To keep a white gold ring looking new, it should be re-rhodium plated approximately each 12 to 18 months. White gold men’s wedding bands are increasingly popular as they are often used to enhance diamonds and other gemstones. However, it is suggested to check with the retailer that the alloy is nickel-free.

Since the white metal is an alloy, it is very hard and durable. Hence it is preferred as mens white gold wedding bands by a number of men presently. However, there is an equal demand for cheaper alternatives to white gold than the palladium whites which are nickel-free. Many new alloys in the current market rely on manganese additions as the main whitener. Some of these are palladium-free while others are low palladium alloys. Chromium and iron can also be used as whiteners. However, they tend to be hard and so this makes it more difficult to process. However, most of these alloys are not a good white color and so require rhodium plating, and many suffer cracking problems and tarnishing.

Years or even months of wear can turn white-gold a much duller version of itself. White-gold, mainly used for engagement and plain wedding rings, needs quite a bit of care as unlike gold and platinum it tarnishes and loses its shine much easier. Thus its vital that you keep white-gold as clean as possible. A regular clean will certainly bring that shine back to your cherished white-gold jewellery.

Make sure you dry the ring correctly; otherwise you may get undesirable temporary water stains on your ring. If left too long in moisture a white-gold ring will damage, as contact with too much moisture causes fractures in the plating. You could dry the ring with a soft piece of material or on the cool setting of a hairdryer. Never use heat on white-gold as this could have serious consequences for your ring. White-gold needs a lot more maintenance than its counterparts. It needs to be stored separately from other jewellery, which may scratch its delicate plating. The plating is made of the element rhodium – which creates that lustrous shine – however it also wears away quite quickly. The rhodium plating will need to be replaced every one to two years, as it wears away and in turn causes the ring to look a dull brown. It’s also vital that you avoid when wearing this ring household chemicals as these can cause severe damage to the ring, especially if certain metal alloys are present. You do have to take considerable care with white-gold rings, however, it is really worth it, as the shine of white-gold is considerably beautiful.

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Guys White Gold Rings Are All The Rage

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