GOLD
Confused about the differences in gold? Did you know that pure gold is so soft that unless mixed with other metals, it would not withstand daily wear and use in jewelry? The purity of gold is measured in the karat units from 1 to 24 with 1 being the lowest in purity and 24 being the highest. For example, 24K gold consists of 100 parts gold at 100% purity; 14K gold is 585 parts gold at 58.5% purity.
Metal alloys typically mixed with yellow gold include nickel or copper and for white gold include nickel and palladium. Most people with nickel allergies opt for white gold which is more often mixed with palladium and plated with rhodium. The care of white gold dictates that your piece should be re-plated on a fairly regular basis to keep that beautiful white gold finish.
PLATINUM
Platinum is enjoying a new resurgence in today's market. Although it was first introduced in the early 20th century, it all but disappeared until just recently. It is one of the strongest and most durable metals which rarely shows any wear or material loss. The strength of platinum allows it to hold stones better than any other metal. Jewelry made from platinum is at least 90% pure platinum. Like gold, many manufacturers alloy platinum with other metals.
PALLADIUM
Palladium is a hypo-allergenic, precious metal that is thirty times more rare than gold. It is nearly half as heavy as Platinum, but just as white and hard. Palladium does not tarnish and will always remain white without Rhodium plating.
TITANIUM
TUNGSTEN CARBIDE
STAINLESS STEEL