A little knowledge goes a long way. It makes sense to do a little research on diamonds and metals. This will ensure that you are an informed consumer and that you don't spend more than you want to on the engagement ring you choose.
This article is copyrighted by Rachel Sanfordlyn Shreckengast of GetFrugal.com and WedFrugal.com
First, we'll discuss metals. The two most popular metals used in engagement rings are gold and platinum. Your partner will likely have a preference for one metal over another. A good way to find out your partner's preference is to ask, but you can also usually tell by the jewelry your partner wears. We'll discuss gold first.

Gold comes in a number of different colors. The two most popular colors for engagement rings are yellow gold and white gold. Other colors of gold include rose gold and green gold, which are often found in Black Hills gold designs. In order to get colors other than natural yellow (the natural color of gold), gold must be combined with another metal in order to form an alloy (mixture of two or more metals) that determines the color of the gold. Rose, red and pink golds are basically the same color of gold. Most jewelers use the names interchangeably to mean the same thing. Rose gold is made by adding more copper to the alloy. It also generally means that less silver is used. If your partner has a copper allergy (like I do) they may not be able to wear rose gold. Green gold is sometimes achieved by an alloy of gold and silver but cadium can also be used. White gold is produced with a variety of combinations which can include silver, palladium, copper, tin, zinc, maganese or nickel and gold. Yellow is the color of pure gold, but depending on the karat of the gold, it can also contain silver and copper.
This article is copyrighted by Rachel Sanfordlyn Shreckengast of GetFrugal.com and WedFrugal.com
Pure gold is yellow gold (the natural color) and is 24K or 24 karat gold. 24 karat gold is rarely used in jewelry because it is too soft of a metal to stand up well to use. Different metals are used both to change the color of natural gold and to increase the strength of natural gold. 18K gold is available and is 18 parts gold and 6 parts of other metal/s. I wouldn't recommend 18K gold for a wedding engagement ring because it is on the soft side for a ring that will get so much use. You can also choose other karats, including 14K (14 parts gold to 10 parts other metal/s), 12K (12 parts gold to 12 parts other metal/s) and 10K (10 parts gold to 14 parts other metal/s). My engagement ring happens to be 10 karats because it is stronger and holds up to more use, but most folks opt for 14 karats of gold for the setting on their ring because it contains more gold. 10 karat gold will cost you less than 14 karat gold.

Gold is marked with a number of symbols. Make sure that your ring has a mark in order to insure that you are truly getting gold. A mark of 24K means 24 karat gold. A mark of 18k or 7500 (European usually) means 18 karat gold. A mark of 14K or 585 (European usually) means 14 karat gold. 7500 stands for 75% pure gold, while 5850 stands for 58.5% pure gold. If you see a mark of 925 on a white metal, than that stands for sterling silver. Beware of items with the following markings; G.F. (gold filled), G.E.P. (gold electroplate), R.G.P. (rolled gold plate), vermeil (gold plated silver or bronze), YGF (yellow gold filled) if you want an entire ring made of gold or gold and alloys. Gold-filled pieces are at least 1/20th (I believe this is 4.8K, but am not positive) gold, gold electroplated and plated pieces are generally gold plated onto a base metal. Rolled gold plate is a thin sheet of rolled gold fused to another metal using heat and vermeil is gold plated over silver (the most common) or bronze. If you want to insure that you have an actual accepted gold content, try to avoid such marks. As far as plating is concerned, the gold can wear off with use so it's best to get something else if only for practical reasons. This information should give you a general knowledge of gold, so it's time to go onto information about platinum.
This article is copyrighted by Rachel Sanfordlyn Shreckengast of GetFrugal.com and WedFrugal.com
Platinum is more durable than gold, but also has a much higher pricetag. It has a duller finish (for example, silver reflects 95% of light) and stands up better than gold to most reactions (chemical, natural, etc.). It doesn't show the effects of oxidation (the black stuff you often find on silver). Platinum rarely causes allergic reactions because it is a pure material. Platinum is generally comprised of six materials (which are closely related to one another). These include Iridium, Osmium, Platinum, Palladium, Rhodium and Ruthenium. There aren't any karat marks to identify platinum, but you will generally find it marked with PT or PLAT in the U.S. and 950 or PT950 in Europe. While platinum is superior to gold in a number of ways, the expense of platinum is much greater and you may or may not want to spend that extra money on a nicer stone rather than a nicer metal. The choice, of course, is yours.

Pages In This Article: Pg 1: Preferences, Pg 2: Metals, Pg 3: The Four C's, Pg 4: Diamond Advertising Myths, Pg 5: Further Diamond Buying Resources

Best Wishes,
Rachel Sanfordlyn Shreckengast
06302002