24K Gold Wedding Band?
My fiance has given me the choice of either a 18K gold band or a 24K
gold band, both by the manufacturer Christian Bauer. I can select a
band with all else being identical. I'm concerned about the relative
hardness and how each will wear over time.
The sales woman at the store selling this line says the 24k band has
been hardened by "compression" and is will wear comparable to the 18K
band. I read a 1996 message in this newsgroup that some 24k gold
bands are actually a alloy of 99% gold and titanium.
I like the weight of the 24k band and, I suppose, the novelty of 24k.
I like the thought that the ring has more actual gold in its
construction. I don't want it if it will appear worn considerably
sooner than the 18k. The price difference is $225. v. $840. from the
local store.
ring wear is a function of what you do and for how long. If you dont fix
your car, dont do gardening dont do diy etc, then most soft metals like
24ct gold will be ok. Ive worked a lot of 24ct gold and can say avoid it
if you can. the price difference you quote is not worth it. 18ct is much
harder on account of the alloys used. Suggest you try finding a working
goldsmith who would make up by hand your wedding band your dealing with
the man who made it , a lot more personal for such a special item.. Most
high st store wedding bands are mass produced from gold strip blanked
into washers and upset in a ring maker. Ive seen them working in our
jewellery quarter in Birmingham.
Jewellery can be like marriage. At first when my ring started to show signs
of wear I would get out my burnisher and polish it up, I hated to see it
change in appearance. Being a blacksmith / welder I had to do a lot of
polishing to keep it looking new. The last few years I have accepted that it
will change and just let it wear. To my surprise, it has become even more
beautiful with a smooth, waxy, really GOLD look to it. Think of the
difference between jewellery store bands and Celtic museum pieces. I
wouldn't trade my ring for anything. It will change as I do and become even
more meaningful to me. I also like the pure gold appeal. Get yourself a gold
coin, a plumber's torch, a hammer, and an anvil, and you can make your own
with a bit left over. Otherwise, buy the 24k ring from your local shop, you
won't regret it.
"hardened by compression" does sound like a bit of old bolocks to me, but
I'd like to know what they are really doing. My guess would be a steel shot
tumbler followed by hand burnishing. I've hammered pure gold to its limit,
and it still is nowhere near as hard as 18k.
Well, several readers now have echoed the conventional trade wisdoms that 14K is
harder than 18K, and 18K is harder than 24K. But I'll have to agree with
Abrasha, who's opinion is that 24K is quite hard enough. Here's why...
While 24K is indeed easier to dent and scratch and bend than are 18K or the
harder still 14K, hardness is not always the same as toughness. The obvious
example in jewelry is platinum, well known for being softer than any of the gold
alloys, yet also known for being far more durable over time. It's density and
toughness mean that though easy to scratch, it does not wear down as quickly as
gold does. While 24K gold is not by any means as durable as platinum, any
goldsmith can quickly demonstrate that it is tougher than it seems, by trying to
polish the stuff. Like platinum, it buffs only slowly, compared to the ease
with which it can be scratched or bent. It wears away more slowly than one
would expect, and I'd expect it to last easily as long as the harder 18K and 14K
alloys.
Regarding the claim that the 24K band has been compression hardened, some have
expressed doubt about this. Pure (24K) gold, like platinum, work hardens more
slowly than do alloyed metals, and it is never either as hard as 18K, nor does
it increase in hardness as much, though work hardening, as do 18K or other karat
golds. But it does indeed work harden quite substantially, enough so that it's
no longer limply soft, but has at least a little bit of spring to it.
Compression, such as shrinking an overside band in a standard wedding band
stretching/shrinking type ring sizing machine, would be quite effective at
giving a 24K band considerably greater hardness than it's fully annealed state.
Do note that 24K will indeed show scratches and dents more quickly than will
18K. But 18K, or even 14K, will both also show such wear and tear, though
somewhat more slowly. With 14K, it won't be as noticable, since it's wearing
away more at the same time. 18K wears away slightly more slowly, and shows
dents and scratches a bit more. 24K, shows yet more scratches and dents, and in
normal wear will not retain a bright polish for very long at all before becoming
quickly covered with small marks and scratches. But THIS IS GOOD. this patina
of fine scratches and dents is really the end, stable, finish of most types of
jewelry in any case, and with 24K, gives a surface best able to show off the
wonderful rich color of the pure gold.
If the price doesn't stop you, I'd suggest the 24K gold. But you certainly are
paying a substantial premium in price for the 24K. As Abrasha and others note,
I'd bet you could get such a band for less, perhaps made by a newsgroup reader
like Abrasha or others. About the only real aspect to consider is being sure
that whomever makes it is able to create the band without needing to resort to
solder seams, which will almost always have a visible color and hardness
difference with 24K gold. 24K can be welded without solder, or cast as a
continuous band without a seam. If of a good weight, and properly worked to
harden it up a bit, it would be a wonderful thing you might have the rest of
your life.