Metals

As you have probably already seen on the website we work with silver, yellow gold, white gold, rose gold, platinum and palladium as well as silver.

What colours are the different metals

White Metals

I don’t rhodium plate my white golds so they keep their original colours. 9ct white gold looks a bit more like silver but with a very slight yellow tinge. 18ct white gold when made matte has a grey colour that looks just like brushed steel and when polished has a shiny gun metal look.
Platinum is the most precious and expensive metal we use. It is whiter than 18ct white gold but still has a slight gun metal look. It is also the heaviest metal which makes it very tactile. Palladium is pretty much the same colour and strength as platinum but a lot lighter in weight so you can get a lot more for your money. If you want a strong metal on a budget palladium is a very good option.

Yellow metals

If you were thinking of yellow gold then 9ct yellow gold is the least yellow. The higher the ct the deeper the yellow. 18ct and 22ct have a very rich yellow colour. However when a silver ring is inlaid with 9ct gold the yellow gold takes on a more subtle shade.

Metal colour examples

Which metals are strongest

Strongest
Platinum
Palladium
22ct yellow gold 18ct gold
14ct gold
9ct gold
silver
Weakest
Palladium and platinum are about the same strength. This is also true of 22ct and 18ct gold. There is a lot of information on metal strengths on the internet but read more than one article before making a decision.

finishes

I use two finishes. Matte and Polished and they do make some of the metals look different. With the Matte finish the metals have a deeper and more subtle look. Once the piece has been worn for a while either the matte or the polished finishes will fade and after a year the pieces will look the same. Of course you can polish the piece to make it shiny again or give it a rub with a green kitchen sourer to make it matte.