Which metal for wedding ring?

[WTF0ver]

Hi,

Going to be buying my wedding ring soon and was wondering whether I'd need to buy the same metal as engagement ring (white gold) or something else? I read somewhere that different metals can rub against each other. Would I need to choose another white gold ring or could I go for palladium or something (can't afford platinum unfortunately)?

Thanks for any responses!

I'm not a jeweller or anything, but yes, my understanding, if you are going to regularly wear both rings together (as many of us do) then they need to be the same metal (and same carat) or the harder wearing one rubs away at the softer metal.

Yes, that’s correct. My engagement ring is platinum and I was told to stay clear of gold and only get platinum again (or palladium) for my wedding ring for this reason.

Thanks for the replies! I'll look for white gold.

I got my (white gold) wedding ring from Orla James as they were bloody brilliant. They sent cheap metal rings in different sizes and thicknesses to let me try first. You pay a small fee for this but IIRC, it's refunded when you send the rings back.

Then, they let me customise my ring into what I was looking for (super thin band). Also, they offer free resizing AND they offer free re-plating which I thought was brill.

I found them cheaper than most the high street brands too.

I can't sing their praises enough 😊

Was it 18ct white you were looking for OP?
Price of gold so high atm platinum is virtually same price

@Figroll16It's 9ct. From what I've read you need to have the same ct as well as the same metal so they don't rub?

@Dec2019mumtobeI was actually looking at Orla James before and thought they looked good so that's great to read your recommendation!

Should I get the same size ring as my e-ring is? I wasn't sure if wearing them together might make a difference? Thanks.

The whole ct / metal type thing doesn't really matter. You'd have to be wearing them for hundreds of years for rubbing to cause any real issues.

Gold price is high so platinum/palladium a good buy at the moment.

The main issue with different metals is different colours- so if you have a platinum ring next to a white gold- over time you'll be able to tell the difference.

As for size- it totally depends on your finger. If your current ring is snug I'd advise going up a half size to accomodate so that you don't get that bunched up finger look. Probably best to try on some bands with your ring to see what suits.

I have an 18ct white gold engagement ring and a 9ct white gold wedding band. I looked into it loads online and seen conflicting info so spoke with jewellers from various places and they all basically said it didn’t matter with the carats, they said you’d need to wear them all day and night for 50+ years at least to see any signs of wear and tear.

I wear my band all the time and my e.ring about 50% of the time as I take it off for work and only put it back on when I’m on annual leave/going on holiday/going out etc etc

Also due to my job (nurse) a lot of jewellers recommended 9ct as they said it would withstand more than an 18ct would in terms of scratching etc. I have a diamond cut band so can’t see any wear and tear anyway but just passing on what I was told when I was looking

I’m terms of sizing I went down two ring sizes in between the time we were engaged to the wedding so had my e.ring resized to match my band. It’s a snug fit but I can spin it round and take it off easily enough with a wiggle. When I’m cold my rings move a lot more and spin but they’re not loose enough to fall off past my knuckle.

I’ve got a platinum engagement ring and a plain old cheap silver wedding ring and they look exactly the same honestly you can only tell the difference if you look under bright light really close....which no one ever does.

Mine are the same metal and the design of the engagement ring means the wedding ring touches the stone setting in a single spot and it has worn a noticeable groove in the stone setting after 20 years wear. Not a problem yet but I need to keep an eye on it.

Thanks everyone, very helpful! Good to hear some people wear different metals together no issues.

I've got quite skinny fingers but they're prone to swelling when it's hot (and even when it's cold!). So my e-ring, while a secure fit, is slightly loose and turns a bit but gets quite tight if I'm somewhere hot (or rushing about the shops when it's warm inside). It freaks me out a bit when I feel the ring getting tight. I take off the ring when I'm doing chores or showering/going to bed etc. I'd like to keep the wedding ring on all the time if possible (my mum had worn hers non stop for over 30 years before she had to give in and get it resized!).

I have diamonds on the band of my engagement ring and got a diamond wedding band so I tried to match up with size and clarity of diamonds rather than the metal. Might be worth bearing in mind if you have similar rings.