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Engagement
Ring Guru > Additional Articles- Series 1
Gold Settings for Diamonds
When diamonds first became widely available to the public back in the
1870’s, settings were often complex and did not always display the diamond
in its most beautiful light. Today, however, there is a wide spectrum of
settings available to match your personal taste and style.
The gold of your diamond ring can be 18ct, 14ct or 9ct and be either
white, yellow and/or rose gold. 18ct gold, whether it is white, yellow or
rose gold is the best and preferred choice for gold engagement rings. It
is composed of 75% gold and 25% metal alloys to give it strength. The
second most popular gold is 14ct gold.
But you may wonder what the difference is between 14ct and 18ct gold and
any other purity for that matter, other than price. 9ct has a Vickers
hardness (metal hardness is measured by what is called the Vickers scale)
of 120 and
18ct 125. This shows 18ct as harder, but the difference is so slight that
in practical terms they are much the same. Another difference that should
be considered is that 9ct is more difficult to bend, therefore a fine 9ct
ring may be less likely to bend out of shape than a fine 18ct ring.
However, if
the ring is of a good solid construction neither metal will be likely to
bend out of shape. Basically, 18ct is a little more yellow than 9ct and
18ct tends to look nicer than 9ct when it is old.
18ct is the superior metal for a lady's ring, as long as it is not of a
lightweight construction. However, it is almost twice the price of 9ct.
Keep in mind though, that gold is a soft, malleable metal and is more
easily damaged than metals such as platinum. Over years, it will wear
away. Gold is, however, easy to polish, and to repair. Plus, it won't
tarnish. Gold is also frequently chosen because of it’s obvious beauty and
traditional
elegance.
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