Below is info for choosing the metal to use for your wedding ring.
• Gold
• Titanium
• Platinum
• Silver

Gold

Gold is definitely the most popular choice for men’s wedding rings. There are two things to consider when choosing a gold men’s wedding ring. Which gold carat to choose and gold color or what combination of gold colors you would like. The gold carats normally used in men’s wedding rings are 9kt, 14kt and 18kt. The higher the proportion of gold used in the final metal, the more valuable and expensive the metal will be. So all other things being the same, an 18kt ring will be more expensive than a 14kt ring and a 14kt ring will be more expensive than a 9kt ring.

Many people see the hardness and durability of gold when choosing a men’s wedding ring.

Metal hardness is measured by what is called the Vickers scale where harder metals receive a higher Vickers score than less hard metals. 9kt has a Vickers hardness of 120 and 18kt has a Vickers hardness of 125. This shows 18kt as harder, though the difference is so slight that in practical terms 9kt and 18kt are much the same in terms of hardness.
9kt is more difficult to bend and is a little more springy than 18kt and therefore a fine 9kt ring may be less likely to bend out of shape than a fine 18kt ring. However, if the ring is of a good sturdy construction neither metal will be likely to bend out of shape.

9kt, 14kt and 18kt gold are each relatively hard and durable metals and are suitable for every day wear and use in men’s wedding rings.

Besides that you need to consider the color of the gold.  Gold is available in several different colors. The most popular is yellow gold, followed by white gold and rose gold, though other gold colors are sometimes also available such as bronze, peach, red and lime gold.

As each gold color contains the same proportion of pure gold, all gold colors that have the same carat will have the same Vickers score. When comparing the price of the gold colors in the same carat, white gold is normally a little more expensive than yellow gold and rose gold. Yellow gold and rose gold normally have approximately the same price.

When trying to decide between the gold carat types there are three things to consider.
1. The metal’s performance with every day wear
2. The difference in color between the 9kt, 14kt and 18kt gold
3. The difference in price between the gold carats.
In practical terms, 18kt generally holds up to everyday wear better than 9kt and 14kt and 18kt tends to look better than 9kt and 14kt as it ages over the years. This is one of the reasons why 18kt is normally preferred for ladies engagement rings rather than 9kt. 14kt is halfway between 9kt and 18kt in these respects. There is a difference in the color of different gold carats.  

18kt is the superior metal for men’s wedding rings provided that the ring is not a lightweight construction. However, 18kt is more expensive than 14kt and 9kt, which in a large men’s ring can be a noticeable difference. 

For a wedding&engagement ring that you wear every day of your life it is worth the difference in price and we accordingly recommend that 18kt be selected whenever it fits within your budget.
 
Also regarding the need to resize your gold wedding ring, a simple gold wedding ring can normally be resized in the future by a local jeweler. A gold ring with ribbed edges, a wave or woven pattern or engraving may be more difficult to resize without affecting the ring pattern.

• View yellow gold men’s wedding rings
• View white gold men’s wedding rings
• View two-tone men’s wedding rings

Titanium
 Titanium is a natural element which has a silver-greyish-white color. Titanium is the hardest natural metal in the world. It is very strong, three times the strength of steel and much stronger than gold, silver and platinum and yet is very light weight. Pure titanium is also 100% hypoallergenic which means that it if safe for anyone to wear as it will not react to your skin.

Titanium provides some unique factors that make it a good metal for rings. It is very strong, more dent, bend and scratch resistant than gold, silver and platinum, is lightweight and importantly offers an exotic array of colors which other metals do not.
 
One factor to consider with titanium is that titanium cannot be soldered, which means that titanium rings cannot normally be resized. Titanium rings made using pure titanium can normally be cutoff the finger in the event of an emergency, though they are more difficult to cut-off than gold, silver or platinum rings. Aircraft grade titanium rings normally cannot be cut-off in the event of an emergency.

Platinum
Platinum is a white metal, but unlike gold it is used in jewelry in almost its pure form (approximately 95% pure). Platinum is extremely long wearing and is very white, so it does not need to be rhodium plated like white gold. Platinum is a very dense, heavy metal, so a platinum ring will feel heavier than an 18kt gold ring. Platinum is however significantly more expensive than gold. All other things being the same, a platinum ring will be approximately twice the price of an 18kt white gold ring (not including gemstones).
The selection of men’s wedding rings made in platinum is generally smaller than the ranges available for gold and titanium rings. Platinum rings can be cut-off the finger in the event of an emergency.

Silver
Sterling silver is a white-grey colored metal which is less expensive than gold, platinum and titanium.
Silver is a softer metal than gold, titanium and platinum and does not have hardness that the other metals do. Silver is also more prone to oxidisation, sometimes causing the silver to turn black. For these reasons silver jewelry is best worn as dress jewelry, worn occasionally and is not generally recommended for everyday wear over an extended period of time. It is therefore not recommended to be used for a wedding ring.

You should note that all metals will scratch. That includes gold, platinum, silver and titanium. Titanium and platinum are more scratch resistant that gold and silver, though they will still scratch. So scratches on your wedding ring is something that is part of wearing a ring. If the ring you choose has a polished finish, you can have your ring re-polished by a local jeweler. We suggest that rings be polished about each 12 months or so, or sooner if you prefer. A textured ring finish such as a satin finish texture or a ring with detailed engraving can help to lessen the appearance of scratching from wear.