Engagement Ring Subject Index

1. White Gold vs. Yellow Gold
2. White Gold vs. Platinum
3. Gold Karat Ratings
4. Maintaining Your Engagement Ring
5. Professional Jewelry Maintenance
6. Keeping Diamonds Secure In A Ring Setting
7. Custom-Produced vs. Stock Diamond Settings
8. Tension Set Engagement Ring Styles
9. Fancy Cut (Non-Round) Diamond Shapes
10. Bridal Set Ring Styles And Jewelry Options
11. Choosing A Ring For An Heirloom Diamond
12. The 4 C's: Cut, Color, Clarity, Carat Weight

Why is gold so valuable and the popular choice for high-end jewelry?

1. Gold is a very rare substance, and only occurs in nature. (It cannot be artificially created.)
2. Gold is strikingly beautiful, especially when polished.
3. Gold is very malleable - that is, with the right tools, it can be bent and twisted into just about any shape you can imagine.
4. Gold is durable, and jewelry fashioned from it can be worn day-to-day for lifetimes.

What is "white" gold?

White gold combines yellow gold with additional materials to change its appearance:

1. A particular alloy of other metals is combined with it to produce a more neutral color. (14K white gold still contains just as much gold as 14K yellow gold, but the alloy component is mixed differently.)
2. The gold is plated with a thin layer of rhodium, which gives off a shiny, bright white appearance.

Is white gold more expensive than yellow gold?

The steps necessary to produce white gold are not significantly costly, and at Emma Parker & Co. we never charge extra for producing jewelry in white vs. yellow gold.

Why do some people prefer white instead of yellow gold?

Although yellow gold represents more classic and traditional tastes, white gold is far more popular today, particularly among young people. (In fact, 95% of our jewelry is requested in white gold rather than yellow gold.)

What tradeoffs exist when choosing white gold?

Keeping the shiny, bright appearance of white gold jewelry requires some maintenance, since the rhodium layer will wear off after a long period of use, leaving behind a more dull appearance. As you can imagine, this will happen more quickly for engagement rings and wedding bands that are worn every day, than for fashion jewelry that you use only on special occasions.

Maintaining your white gold jewelry with regular polishing and rhodium plating every few years will ensure that it looks its best, and this can be done easily by local jewelers or by sending your jewelry to us for service.