Comparison
Black zirconium or Precious inlay?
Choose black zirconium if you want a black ring with a hard surface that is grown, not plated. Choose precious inlay if you want real hallmarked gold on the ring without paying for a solid gold one.
- Harder surface: about the same (Mohs 8 and 8.5)
- From: black zirconium £199, precious inlay £385
- Resizing: black zirconium, not usually; precious inlay, slightly larger
Checked .
| Side by side | Black zirconium | Precious inlay |
|---|---|---|
| Surface | Heat-grown black oxide | Two metals in one band |
| Hardness (Mohs) | 8 | 8.5 |
| Density | 6.5 g/cm³ reference | Varies by design |
| Resizing | Not usually | Slightly larger |
| Hallmarked | No, not a precious metal | Yes, by law above the exemption weight |
| Our rings from | £199 | £385 |
Which is heavier, black zirconium 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 black zirconium more expensive than precious inlay?
Black zirconium costs less: black zirconium rings start at £199 and precious inlay rings at £385 in our range. An inlay ring carries a line of solid gold set into the band, which is why it starts higher than plain black zirconium.
Every ring is made to order in your size, and engraving is free on every ring whose page offers it.
Which is harder wearing?
They are close in hardness (Mohs 8 and 8.5), so they mark at much the same rate with daily wear.
Black zirconium. The black is a hard ceramic oxide grown into the surface by heat, around Mohs 8, far harder than gold, so everyday knocks that mark a gold band leave it looking the same. It is scratch resistant rather than scratch proof: a hard blow against stone or steel can mark it, and a pale line is often metal rubbed off something else, which cleans away. Take it off for gardening, climbing and the gym, and if it is ever marked, our maker refinishes black zirconium depending on the damage.
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.
Can black zirconium and precious inlay rings be resized?
Black zirconium: Not in the usual way. The black is grown into the surface of the metal, so cutting or machining the band would show bright metal underneath. That is why the size is settled before the ring is made, and every ring is made to that measurement.
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
Black zirconium is hypoallergenic and a common choice for sensitive skin. Precious inlay is hypoallergenic and a common choice for sensitive skin. The metal allergy guide explains what causes a rash under a ring.
Titanium and zirconium are not precious metals, so there is no hallmark and none is required. Where a ring carries a solid gold inlay, that gold is hallmarked at Birmingham. 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.
Our verdict
Black zirconium if you want a black ring with a hard surface that is grown, not plated. Precious inlay if you want real hallmarked gold on the ring without paying for a solid gold one.
Not sure on width? The band width guide shows what each width looks like and weighs, and the metal chooser weighs the metals up against how you will wear the ring.
In these materials
Rings to look at
Rings made in, or available in, the two materials above, each with its current price, widths and finishes on its own page.
Plain black zirconium
Black all the way round, and none of it is a coating.
Gold line, titanium
Solid gold inlaid down the centre of brushed titanium.
Colour line on black
One narrow line of real colour through matte black.
Explore the fit and weight
Common questions
- Is black zirconium or precious inlay harder wearing?
- They are close in hardness (Mohs 8 and 8.5), so they mark at much the same rate with daily wear.
- Is black zirconium heavier than 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 black zirconium more expensive than precious inlay?
- Black zirconium costs less: black zirconium rings start at £199 and precious inlay rings at £385 in our range. An inlay ring carries a line of solid gold set into the band, which is why it starts higher than plain black zirconium.
- Can both be resized?
- Not in the usual way. The black is grown into the surface of the metal, so cutting or machining the band would show bright metal underneath. That is why the size is settled before the ring is made, and every ring is made to that measurement. 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.
- Are both hallmarked?
- Titanium and zirconium are not precious metals, so there is no hallmark and none is required. Where a ring carries a solid gold inlay, that gold is hallmarked at Birmingham. 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.