Couples in love, getting married, hope that they do it once and for all. The bride and groom choose their wedding rings for a long time and thoughtfully – after all, they will wear these jewellery every day for several decades. In order for jewellery to retain its beauty for a long time, it must be handled with care. And first of all, shoot before performing any action that is likely to lead to damage: before sports training, cleaning, cooking. However, in everyday life it is impossible to foresee all dangerous situations, while some wedding rings cope with them better than others. What are these rings?

The resistance of jewellery to external influences depends on the metal, the type of stone, the type of its cutting and the method of setting. Let’s take a closer look at each of these factors.

Wedding ring metal

Pure gold is a soft metal, its Brinell hardness is 20 units, silver – 26, copper – 40. Accordingly, the more copper in the alloy, the stronger the finished product. Most of all copper is in 585 pink gold – 325 g per 1 kg of precious metal. In yellow gold of the same sample of copper, no more than 22.75%. The higher the grade, the lower the strength of the jewellery and the more scratches appear on it.

The situation is different with white gold. Copper is completely absent in it. To obtain the desired shade, either palladium (hardness – 52) or platinum (hardness – 50) is added to it. Accordingly, the strength of products made of white alloy is slightly higher than that of yellow or pink.

Rhodium-plated wedding rings should be singled out in a separate category. It not only gives the ring the perfect shine and color, but also prevents scratches. The hardness of rhodium reaches 101 points – this is the highest figure among precious metals.

Gold shows much less flexural strength than platinum, and a rhodium layer won’t help here. The prong setting is much more durable in the platinum version. Platinum teeth will securely hold the insert and will not bend if accidentally caught on clothing.

We will talk in detail about stones, their practical cuts and setting methods further.

Stones in a wedding ring

In addition to classic smooth wedding rings, jewellery stores offer jewellery with a variety of inserts: from inexpensive cubic zirconias to luxurious diamonds. Which stones are the least prone to scratches and chips?

Type of stone

Diamonds are out of competition! They are ideal for a wedding ring and are almost impossible to scratch. But this does not mean that nails can be hammered in with this stone. For all its hardness (10 out of 10 on the Mohs scale), diamond is a brittle mineral, with a sharp and strong impact, it can crack.

Rubies and sapphires are also not afraid of scratches. These stones are varieties of the mineral corundum, whose hardness on the Mohs scale is 9. Only one point lower, and the strength is 4 times less than that of diamond.

Another gemstone increasingly used in engagement rings is the emerald. He needs to be handled as carefully as possible. The hardness of the stone is 7.5-8 points, which is a good result. However, natural emeralds are often riddled with a network of cracks that are potential fault lines.

The hardness of cubic zirconia varies between 7.5-8.5. This is a good indicator, especially considering that in case of destruction of the stone, the installation of a new one will cost you a mere penny.

Cut

A durable wedding ring should contain stones without sharp corners. The pointed ends of the Pear, Marquis and Heart cuts are prone to shattering, even when it comes to diamonds. If you like these stones, make sure that the frame reliably protects the corners from breaking.

The choice of a rounded cut significantly reduces the likelihood of damage to the stone. Pay attention to the round and oval inserts. Not only are they safer, but these crystals give a brighter play of light thanks to a mathematically verified processing model.

(for more information on the types of cut, read our guide to types of stone cuts)

Setting

Blind setting offers more security than any other type of fixation. The frame covers the stone from all sides and protects it from chipping. In this case, the top of the insert is located almost flush with the shank.

The channel setting is considered to be quite strong and is used for setting several small stones. For her, a channel is formed in the metal both along the entire length of the wedding ring, and only on its visible part. Stones are placed one after another in the channel, after which the edges of the recess are sealed.

There is an opinion that diamonds in a blind or channel setting do not play as brightly as in an open setting. In fact, most of the light that causes the stone to shine enters through its crown, reflects off the lower edges of the pavilion, and exits back, blinding your eyes.

Prong setting involves fixing the insert with separate teeth – four or six, less often – eight. If the prongs begin to cling to the clothes or you feel that the stone in the frame is slightly wobbling, take the wedding ring to the workshop, where the jeweler will squeeze the prongs.

In pavé setting, tiny stones are held in place only by the “droplets” of gold. Any impact on the ring can lead to shear of the miniature retainers and, as a result, to the loss of the stone. Always check the condition of the jewellery after accidental blows, even if they fell not on the inserts themselves, but on the “bare” metal.
You may choose a wedding ring that takes into account all the protection factors or only some of them. Now you know what to look for when wearing more vulnerable jewellery, and you can extend their “life” for as long as you like.