A lot of people are faced with the choice of whether their ring should be made with white gold or titanium. Let’s go through the most important factors you should consider when deciding between these two materials and see how they compare.
Durability
Titanium is a stronger metal than gold, which is known for its softness. Although a white gold alloy contains additional metals that make it harder, its durability still cannot compare to that of titanium.
Titanium ring with diamonds
Compared with a ring made of white gold, which is easier to wear down, bend, or even break, a titanium ring is much harder and more long-lasting.
You will also find that titanium is not as easy to scratch as white gold. Rings made of both materials can be polished if needed.
Price
Titanium is usually cheaper than white gold. However, because of its hardness, titanium is not as easy to work with.
This is why some more intricate ring designs might require more effort to create with titanium than with white gold.
In such cases, the additional labor costs may make the price of a titanium ring comparable to that of a white gold one (or even higher).
Color
White gold has a metallic color that is a result of the rhodium plating the alloy is covered with.
However, over time, the plating wears off, exposing the yellowish tint of the gold alloy beneath. When that happens, to restore the luster and color of your white gold ring, you will need to have it replated with rhodium.
Click here to see a selection of beautiful white gold rings.
With titanium, you won’t need to pay for replating – the grayish, platinum-like color of your ring will stay the same over time.
Titanium is available in more colors than white gold: You can buy a titanium ring in blue, red, black, and other hues.
Click here to browse a selection of titanium jewelry (for men’s titanium jewelry see here).
Unlike many other metals, titanium is not colored by adding additional substances but by simply changing the optical structure of its surface through the use of electricity.
Allergies
Some people are allergic to the nickel that is sometimes found in gold jewelry, but with titanium, you should not experience such problems.
For one thing, the titanium used in rings is very pure and hardly contains additional metals, and the material itself is hypoallergenic, meaning that it is unlikely to cause an allergic reaction.
White gold that contains nickel can sometimes cause a rash in people allergic to this metal, usually when the rhodium plating wears off in some places.
However, there is white gold jewelry that does not contain nickel, so if you are concerned about allergies, you should make sure your white gold ring is nickel free.
Weight
A titanium ring is surprisingly light and is pretty comfortable to wear. In fact, titanium is one of the most lightweight metals used in jewelry.
A white gold ring, on the other hand, will be noticeably heavier than a titanium ring of comparable size.
Repairs and Resizing
One of the downsides to titanium is that it is a very hard metal to work with. This means that repairing a titanium ring would be a pain.
The biggest problem with rings made of this metal is that resizing them is very hard, often impossible.
White gold rings, in contrast, are much easier to work with, and their parts can be altered with much less hassle.
If you choose to buy a titanium ring, you should take your time to select the design and size that best fit what you are looking for because any alterations may not be achievable later.
