18ct gold or Precious inlay?

Which is heavier, 18ct gold or precious inlay?

An inlay ring weighs what its titanium or zirconium base weighs plus a little for the gold line, so it sits much closer to the base metal than to solid gold. Every ring page gives the weight of that band.

Is 18ct gold more expensive than precious inlay?

Precious inlay costs less: 18ct gold rings start at £689 and precious inlay rings at £385 in our range. An inlay ring carries a line of solid gold rather than a whole band of it, which is why it costs less than 18ct gold.

Every ring is made to order in your size, and engraving is free on every ring whose page offers it.

Which is harder wearing?

Precious inlay has the harder surface: Mohs 8.5 against 3 for 18ct gold, so it picks up fewer everyday marks. 18ct gold marks sooner, and any jeweller can polish it back.

18ct gold. 18ct is 75% gold, which gives it the deepest colour and real weight on the finger. It is a little softer than 9ct, so it shows marks a little sooner, and they polish out at any jeweller. Yellow and rose gold need nothing more; white gold is often rhodium plated, and replating brings back its bright white whenever you want it.

Precious inlay. Solid gold set flush into a titanium or zirconium band and hallmarked at Birmingham. The two metals wear at different rates, so the gold picks up marks first, and it polishes back. The inlay is a few millimetres of gold, not a gold ring, and we give the weight on every product page.

Want gold that wears harder? 9ct gold is the harder alloy and costs less than 18ct. Compare 9ct gold and precious inlay

Can 18ct gold and precious inlay rings be resized?

18ct gold: Yes. A plain 18ct gold band can be made larger or smaller by a jeweller, the way wedding rings have always been resized. The exception is a band set with stones all the way round, where there is nowhere to cut without disturbing a stone, so on those the size is settled when you order.

Precious inlay: Often, a little larger. On a titanium base the inside of the band can be machined to make it slightly bigger, though not smaller, and it is never stretched, so the inlay stays exactly as it was made. On a black zirconium base the colour is grown into the surface, so the size is settled when you order and the ring is made to it.

Either way, getting the size right first is the easy part: the free ring size finder measures it at home in a couple of minutes, and the resizing guide explains the differences between metals.

Sensitive skin and hallmarks

18ct gold is a gold alloy, and white gold can be alloyed with nickel, so if you know you react to nickel, a hypoallergenic metal such as platinum, titanium or zirconium is the easy choice. Precious inlay is hypoallergenic and a common choice for sensitive skin. The metal allergy guide explains what causes a rash under a ring.

Gold, silver, platinum and palladium are hallmarked by law above the exemption weights. The marks go inside the band, where you can read the fineness for yourself. The UK hallmarking guide explains each mark.