Like the look of platinum wedding rings but not the price tag? You may want to consider a wedding ring crafted from palladium. Over the last few years mens palladium wedding bands have become increasingly popular for many good reasons.
There is an alternative. Palladium, a platinum group metal has emerged as the most affordable precious metal to be used in men’s palladium wedding bands today. Palladium is virtually the same to platinum, which trades at over $1,400 an ounce. Both metals are naturally white, unlike white gold rings that need to be plated with rhodium to make it look white. The only difference is palladium is about half the weight of platinum. Young couples are choosing palladium rings for their wedding bands because of the price. Palladium trades at just over $300 an ounce, which makes it only a fraction of the cost of platinum or white gold rings.
Palladium is rarer than gold. It is cheaper because of simple market economics. Few couples know about this metal and therefore, there is less demand for this metal, so the price is low. For example, 20 years ago, no one bought mens palladium wedding band. Gold was all the rage at the time, so platinum was a very affordable metal used in jewelry. Then the producers of platinum started creating consumer demand for platinum, which has paid off today because platinum is more expensive than gold. People who bought their platinum wedding rings 20 years ago got it for less than the price of 14k gold rings. This is impossible today because of the demand for platinum. Well, palladium now is like platinum 20 years ago. It has not caught on yet, so the price remains low. This is an excellent opportunity for young couples today to buy their wedding rings on a budget. In the years to come this opportunity may not exist anymore as more and more couples learn about the beauty and affordability of palladium wedding bands.
In addition, palladium is extremely hard wearing and durable, which is a consideration when you are selecting a ring that you will be wearing for a lifetime. This is also something to consider when selecting an ornate setting, as the harder metals will provide a more secure setting for a longer time as they are less likely to wear.
Palladium wedding rings showcase diamonds beautifully and the color of the metal will enhance the sparkle factor of your diamond engagement ring. The metal palladium also has a lower melting point then platinum, making it more jeweler friendly when looking for ornate ring designs and settings.
This is why palladium looks and acts just like platinum. In fact, palladium is just as rare as platinum because palladium is only found where there are platinum deposits. This means palladium is actually more rare than gold. There are only a few mines in the world produce palladium. The only difference is palladium is about half the weight of platinum. This means that if you have two identical rings, one made of platinum and one made of palladium, the palladium ring is half the weight. The reason palladium costs less is because there has not been as high a demand for it as there is for platinum. This will change in the future as more and more consumers become aware of palladium as a lower cost alternative to platinum.
14k white gold rings are made of only 55% gold and 18k white gold rings are made of 75% gold. Palladium Wedding Bands are made of 95% pure palladium. The consumer gets more value by purchasing palladium rings because their price is the same as 14k white gold, but the purity level is much higher at 95%. Palladium is stronger and more scratch resistant than white gold. There is no difference in the coloring of the scratches as there is no plating to be rubbed off creating a difference in color.
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