Choosing a precious metal is a balance of personal preference, lifestyle, and how each complements your skin tone. Each metal offers distinct characteristics worth understanding before making your decision.

This guide explores the precious metals we work with, their composition, and the practical characteristics we've come to understand through years of crafting fine jewellery. Each offers its own advantages depending on the piece you're creating and how you intend to wear it. Your A.G consultant will also walk you through the choices during your consultation, with your lifestyle, existing jewellery, and preferences in mind.

A.G engagement rings and women's wedding rings are made in 18 carat gold (yellow, white, or rose) or platinum. Men's wedding bands are typically made in 9 or 18 carat gold (yellow, white, or rose), platinum, zirconium, or mokume gane. A combination of metals is also possible. Depending on the design, ring surfaces can be finished in polished, brushed, hammered, or other specialty textures.

Yellow Gold

In its natural form, gold is soft and unsuitable for prolonged wear. For jewellery, it's always combined with other metals to improve strength and durability. Gold purity is measured in carats, representing how many parts of pure gold are contained within 24 parts of alloy.

We use 18ct gold for engagement rings and women's wedding rings, while selected men's wedding bands are also available in 9ct gold.

18ct yellow gold is 75% pure gold (18 parts out of 24, hence the name 18ct) mixed with metals such as copper, zinc, and silver. 9ct yellow gold contains 37.5% pure gold. Higher carat gold contains a greater proportion of pure gold, resulting in a richer yellow tone.All gold at A.G is free of nickel, which can cause skin irritation and is common in lower grade alloys.

Features

- Naturally rich colour that won't fade over time.

- Suitable for everyday wear.

- Complements both diamonds and coloured gemstones.

White Gold

White gold begins as naturally yellow gold before being alloyed with white metals to create a cooler tone. All A.G white gold uses nickel free 18ct or 9ct white gold with palladium as the alloying metal. In its unplated state, 18ct white gold carries a slight grey or off-white tone. We rhodium plate our white gold rings to achieve a brighter, crisper white finish and improve surface lustre. Read more about rhodium plating here.

All A.G gold is free of nickel. Clients choosing a white metal will typically decide between white gold and platinum. See a detailed comparison here.

Features

- Excellent structural strength.

- Holds fine details exceptionally well.

- Bright white finish after rhodium plating.

Considerations

- Unlike platinum, white gold gradually loses a small amount of material through decades of wear. In practical terms, this difference is only noticeable over many years of regular wear.

- Rhodium plating softens over time and needs to be reapplied periodically. This service is complimentary for A.G clients for life.

Rose Gold

Rose gold is made by combining yellow gold with copper. The higher the copper content, the more pronounced the red or rose tone. 18ct rose gold is 75% pure gold and 25% copper. A.G rose gold rings are made in 18ct or 9ct. All gold at A.G is free of nickel.

Features

- The colour holds true over time.

- Rose gold contains a higher proportion of copper, which may not suit those with particularly sensitive skin.

Platinum

Platinum is a naturally white metal and one of the most popular choices for engagement and wedding rings at A.G. It's naturally dense, reassuringly weighty, and considerably rarer than gold.A.G platinum is approximately 95% pure, with 5% alloy metal.

Platinum is roughly 30% heavier than 18ct white gold. Many clients appreciate this additional weight, while others prefer the lighter feel of gold.

Features

- Platinum is the most durable metal option available. It resists wearing away, so a platinum ring retains close to its original thickness over time.

- It's naturally white and doesn't require plating.

- It's rarer than gold.

Considerations

- Platinum is more malleable than white gold. Rather than wearing away, the metal gently displaces with everyday wear, developing a soft patina that many clients appreciate.

- It requires regular cleaning and polishing to maintain its appearance, Over time it develops a soft natural patina that many clients appreciate. It can also be polished back to a bright finish during routine servicing.

- We recommend only wearing platinum against another platinum ring to avoid the metals working against each other over time.

Zirconium

Zirconium is becoming increasingly popular for men's wedding bands. It's a natural element that undergoes extraction, heating, and oxidation to produce its deep black colour. That colour is permanent and won't fade, tarnish, or change over time.

One of the more popular configurations at A.G is a black zirconium ring with a contrasting gold inner sleeve.

Features

- Strong and durable.

- No replating or polishing required. The black finish is permanent.

Considerations

- Zirconium rings can't be resized.

Mokume Gane

Mokume gane is an ancient Japanese metalworking technique developed by master swordsmiths. Layers of two differently coloured precious metals are bonded together under heat and pressure, then twisted, carved, and forged to produce organic patterns that resemble wood grain. Each piece produces a different result, so no two rings are ever the same.

A.G has a mokume gane jeweller on our team and is proud to offer this as part of our wedding band range. Rings made using this technique are a strong symbol of marriage: two different elements permanently joined as one.

Features

- Unique, one-off designs.

Considerations

- Labour intensive and more expensive than other A.G wedding band options.