Journal
Silver vs gold vs platinum wedding bands
I make silver bands, so I'm not neutral — but I'd rather you chose the metal that genuinely suits you than talk you into one. Here's a fair look at silver, gold and platinum: what each costs, how they look, how tough they are, and what they ask of you.
Cost
This is the big, honest difference. Gram for gram, silver is a fraction of the price of gold, and a smaller fraction of platinum. A solid, hand-made silver band sits in the low hundreds; the same ring in gold or platinum is many times that, mostly because of the raw metal. If you want a real, solid, hand-made ring without the raw-material price of a precious-metal band, silver is how you get there.
Colour and look
Silver and platinum are both bright, cool, white metals — to most eyes, polished silver and platinum look strikingly similar. Yellow gold is warm and unmistakably gold; white gold is a pale metal usually plated with rhodium to look whiter (that plating wears and needs redoing over the years). If you love the bright white look, solid silver gives you it at the lowest cost, with no plating to wear off.
Durability and hardness
Here's where I'll be straight with you: silver is softer than gold or platinum. It can pick up fine scratches and, over many years, a well-worn band can thin slightly. For most people that reads as character — a ring that shows it's been lived in. If your hands take a genuine daily hammering (heavy manual work, climbing, constant knocks), a harder metal or a thicker silver band is worth thinking about. A wider, heavier band in any metal also stands up to wear better than a fine one.
Care
Silver tarnishes and needs the occasional wipe with a polishing cloth. Platinum barely tarnishes but scuffs to a soft patina many people love. White gold needs its rhodium plating refreshed periodically. So every metal asks something of you — silver's ask is a two-minute cloth now and then, which is about as low as maintenance gets.
Skin and metals
Some people react to the nickel used in certain white-gold alloys. Pure silver contains no nickel, which is one reason a lot of people find a solid silver band comfortable to wear every day. (If you have a known metal sensitivity, it's always worth a word with a doctor — I make rings, not medical calls.)
So which should you choose?
If you want the hardest, most heirloom-permanent metal and price isn't the deciding factor, platinum or gold have a real claim. If you want a genuine, solid, hand-made ring — bright and white, comfortable, affordable, and honest about being made by a person rather than a machine — that's exactly what a silver band is for. Not a compromise; a different set of priorities.
The bands
- The Thin Band — Narrow and light, in a polish or a satin finish.
- The Thick Band — Deep domed court profile, with real weight to it.