A Guide For Buying Rose Gold Wedding Bands

While many people prefer to have wedding bands done in yellow or white gold, there are quite a few people who have caught on to the unique beauty of rose gold wedding bands.  White gold wedding rings seem to be all the rage now, but if you don’t like to just follow along with the crowd, a rose gold wedding set might just be what you are looking for.  This guide will tell you everything you should know about those gorgeous, glowing, rose gold wedding bands before you shop.

A Little about Gold in General

Pure gold is yellow in color, but it can be alloyed with other elements to obtain colored gold.  Pure gold is 24 karat, and so when 14 parts of pure gold are mixed with 10 parts of an alloy metal, together they create 14 karat gold.  18 parts pure gold with 6 parts alloy will create 18 karat gold.  Therefore, the higher the karat rating of gold, the softer it will be because it will have more gold in it, which by nature is a soft metal.  That is always helpful to remember for all gold, and especially for mens wedding rings, because the lower the karat weight, the harder and sturdier it will be.  This is the reason that many wedding bands for men are 10K – men tend to be a bit harder on jewelry than women!

What Exactly is Rose Gold?

Rose gold is created by mixing gold with copper and sometimes  sterling silver. As noted above, you can have “pure yellow gold” that has not been alloyed with any other metal. Pure gold is almost never used for jewelry-making since it is too soft. While rose gold definitely is gold, there is no such thing as “pure rose gold”, since there is always a certain percentage of it that is copper. As a side note, sometimes it can be easy to confuse copper jewelry with rose gold, so be sure to confirm that you are buying rose gold and not just copper before you buy.

Rose, Pink, Red…Traditional or Contemporary?

Even though the terms rose, pink and red gold are sometimes used interchangeably when it comes to this type of gold, there is a difference. The amount of copper in the gold determines how “rose”, “pink” or ”red” the gold looks.  Higher copper content will result in a “redder” coloration.  The most common alloy that is used to make true “rose gold” is a mixture of 75% gold and 25% copper.  Red gold, on the other hand, will most likely be at least a mixture of 50% gold and 50% copper.

All of the various colors of rose gold are beautiful. Choose the coloration that is most appealing to you! Many of the wedding band designs created with rose gold have traditionally been stamped or engraved with beautiful patterns. If you love vintage jewelry, then this may be the look for you. In fact, many stamped rose gold rings are so beautiful they don’t even need gemstones. This is good news for the price conscious wedding band shopper, since the price will naturally be lower with no added stones. With the rising interest in rose gold however, many very contemporary-looking rose gold wedding bands have recently hit the market. Whatever your particular style, you can be sure you will be able to find what you want in a rose gold ring today.

Why You May Not Want the Highest Karat Rose Gold You Can Get

The highest karat version of rose gold is 22K, sometimes referred to as “Crown Gold”, and is not commonly used to make jewelry.  To achieve 18K rose gold, usually 75% gold is mixed with 21% copper and 4% sterling silver.  This results in a rose color which has a beautiful color and luster, but still may not be the best choice for mens engagement rings, or any jewelry for men for that matter.  

Price Matters

If you are concerned with price, as many people are today, many cubic zircona rings are now being set in rose gold, and would be a great choice for a cost-conscious shopper.  Only a jeweler would be able to tell the difference between a cubic zirconia rose gold wedding band and a wedding band with a diamond in it.  While cubic zirconia stones may not last quite as long as a diamond, they can be a good alternative until an actual diamond can be purchased and set into the ring. The choices are almost endless, so don’t be afraid to venture into the world of cubic zirconia and rose gold!

Just keep the information above in mind while you shop for rose gold wedding bands, and you will be sure to end up with something that is beautiful and will last you a lifetime.

Happy Shopping!