A Guide to White Gold Women's Wedding Bands

Weddings, whether it is the first or second or eighth as in the case of Elizabeth Taylor, will always be joyous events; the bride may opt for a lavish or simple wedding, and do away with the wedding gown but never the wedding bands.

Different Types of Rings, Stones, and Metals

Traditional wedding bands in gold or silver are still the popular choices for today's bridal couples. But there are more choices available if they want something trendy and fashionable that reflects their personal tastes. There are newer metals in the bridal ring market which are cheaper but of quality grade such as platinum, tungsten, and titanium.

As for precious stones to go with the wedding bands the diamond is the top favorite but there is a growing demand for rubies, sapphires, and emeralds, to go with or replace the diamond. Some couples prefer the elegance of simple unadorned bands or top it with a solitary diamond to highlight the shine of the metal. A lovely combination is white gold and diamonds.

Advantages and Disadvantages of White Gold

White gold women's wedding bands have that platinum sheen, and white gold is much cheaper than platinum, which makes it a good buy for those who have a limited budget. However, if embellished with semiprecious stones or a diamond, the value of the white gold band increases.

Worn regularly, the rhodium plating will wear off. You will have to have the ring repolished to regains its original luster and frequent polishing erodes the metal and eventually the ring will crack, requiring servicing. If you are also allergic to rhodium, white gold may not be good for you.

Different Types of White Gold Women's Wedding Bands

To strengthen gold, alloys are mixed with a white metal, preferably copper, silver, palladium or nickel. For that golden color you are familiar with, gold is mixed with copper and silver. For white gold, nickel or palladium is mixed with gold.

A nickel alloy hardens the gold, which makes the gold best suited for rings. With palladium, the gold becomes pliable and therefore easy to manipulate into settings or unusual designs. To give the white gold its white sheen, it has to be coated with rhodium. These rings are either plated to give off that the white gold color but this is much cheaper than solid white gold.

White gold also comes in different karats. If you are looking for cheaper white gold bands, look for lower karats but make sure that if your engagement ring is also white gold, this must have the same karat as your white gold wedding band. The harder ring will rub away at the softer or higher karat wedding band.

How to Choose

When buying your white gold women's wedding band, ask the jeweler what alloy was used if you have allergies with some metals. This must be your first consideration because you are going to wear that ring everyday of your married life.

Price

White gold wedding bands are reasonably priced. The gems used, the intricacy or simplicity of the design may influence the price. You can get discounted white gold wedding bands for under a $100 or choose from the fancier selections that can cost $100 and up to a thousand dollars or more.

Where to Buy

If your local jeweler has limited designs, shop online. You can browse dozens of white gold wedding bands from different merchants and compare prices too.