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Precious Metals and Daily Jewelry: Which is the Best Metal for Your Lifestyle’

August 20th, 2022

The jewelry you wear daily projects your personality and aesthetic to the world. Each precious metal commonly used by jewelry designers has its benefits and disadvantages while remaining beautiful for luxurious accessories. Our Wilson & Son Jewelers team has put together a guide to the most common jewelry metals so that you can choose the best one for your daily jewelry.

Sterling Silver

The lustrous sheen of sterling silver makes it an adaptable and excellent metal for jewelry. Less expensive than other materials, this metal allows a broader range of people to afford gorgeous designer jewelry at a fraction of the cost. Besides being mostly hypoallergenic, sterling silver is incredibly durable and easy to maintain.

Metalwork designs make great sterling silver necklaces and gemstones add a pop of color on a sterling silver fashion ring. Sterling silver will look fantastic with most any ensemble, and you can buy several different types to explore your daily style fully.

Yellow Gold

Beloved since ancient times, yellow gold has offered a radiance that adds a gorgeous glow to most looks. Pure gold is too malleable to make jewelry, so jewelers tend to use alloys. 22k, 18k, 14k, and so on refer to the percentage of gold to other metal alloys added for stability.

While most designers use hypoallergenic alloys, still be careful about what gold jewelry you wear as some may contain nickel that can cause sensitivities, making these pieces impossible to wear daily. Yellow gold will also require professional polishing over time to maintain its beauty and fix any damages, but it is a gorgeous metal to make part of your signature look.

White Gold

The bright sheen of white gold is from the materials added to the precious for durability. The hue also comes from a rhodium dip, creating the radiant look people admire. Its coating will wear off over time, especially if you wear the item daily, so it will likely need to be redipped.

This will just require a professional jeweler that you trust with your pieces and will be able to skillfully restore the beauty of all of your white gold jewelry. Since white gold is so popular, several bracelets, earrings, and more wrought in this magnificent metal will be a fantastic addition to your daily style.

Rose Gold

Copper mixed with pure gold at a higher percentage than other golds is what gives rose gold its pinkish glow. This precious metal is generally hypoallergenic because of its increased level of copper, which provides durability and unique coloring.

Rose gold looks lovely on all skin tones and has gone through periods of popularity, so most designers offer rose gold pieces within their collections. Mixed with other metals or worn as the sole precious metal within your outfit, this metal has a contemporary feel even though it has been used regularly since the late 1800s, with a rise of styles during the Art Deco period for engagement rings and fine jewelry.

Platinum

The most expensive precious metal on this list is platinum. Incredibly dense and, therefore, requiring more of the material to create the same gold pieces, this metal is entirely worth the price tag. Incredibly low maintenance, platinum jewelry will remain brilliant and less damaged with daily wear than many other precious metals.

Platinum jewelry usually barely has any other alloys added, and its luminous silver look comes from nature. While the initial price tag may be steep, the durability and ease of wear make this an excellent material for oft-worn pieces such as your wedding band or a sentimental necklace.

Buy Gorgeous Jewelry at Wilson & Son Jewelers

We house many bridal and fashion jewelry collections in our Wilson & Son Jewelers showroom. Our selection of the world’s most sought-after jewelry designers will help ensure that you find the piece in the precious metal you prefer.

We can help protect your luxury items for years with our expert jewelry services that can clean your pieces and repair any part that requires it. Visit our Scarsdale, New York jewelry store for an incredible experience with our team of jewelers.