Inlay wedding rings: what they are, whether the gold is real and how they wear

What is an inlay wedding ring?

A band made in one material with a second set into it. A channel is machined into a titanium or black zirconium ring and filled with a strip of solid 9ct gold or platinum, finished flush with the surface so the two read as one ring.

The inlay can be one fine line, two or three lines, a wide band of gold across the centre or a shape such as a Celtic knot. The same idea works with wood: a strip of real timber set into titanium.

Precious inlay: The material page: what is inlaid, why 9ct and how it is made.

Is the gold in an inlay ring real?

Yes. It is a solid strip of 9ct gold, 37.5 per cent pure gold, set into the channel. It is not plating and it is not gold coloured metal. Platinum inlays are solid platinum in the same way.

Because it is real precious metal it is hallmarked. The precious part carries the hallmark. The mark includes +METAL to show that the rest of the ring is a base metal. Our hallmark guide explains each mark.

UK hallmarking explained: What each mark means, including on rings that join two metals.

Why is the inlay 9ct and not 18ct gold?

Because 9ct is the harder alloy. A narrow line of gold set flush in a much harder metal should wear at something like the same rate as the band around it, so the harder gold is the better choice for the job.

It also keeps the price where an inlay ring belongs: real gold on the face of the ring, without the price of a band made entirely of gold.

What is 9ct gold?: How pure it is, how it wears and how it compares with 18ct.

How does an inlay ring wear?

Like the band it is set in, with one difference to know about. Titanium and black zirconium are far harder than gold, so the gold is the softer part of the face. Day to day the ring wears as a titanium or zirconium ring does, light and hard wearing.

A wood inlay wants a little more care than metal, because wood is a natural material. Our wooden ring guide covers how it is sealed and what to keep it away from.

Are wooden wedding rings durable?: How a wood inlay is protected and how to look after it.

How to look after a wedding ring: Cleaning and care for each metal.

Can an inlay ring be resized?

Often a little larger, never smaller. On a titanium base the inside of the band can be machined to make it slightly bigger. The ring is never stretched, so the inlay stays exactly as it was made. On a black zirconium base the black is grown into the surface, so the size is settled when you order and the ring is made to it.

So size carefully before you order. Our free ring sizer and size finder take a few minutes.

Why some rings cannot be resized: What each metal allows and what we do about a wrong size.

Ring size finder: Find your size at home before you order.

Is a colour line the same as an inlay?

No. A colour line on a zirconium ring is the metal itself, coloured by growing its own oxide under electrical current. Nothing is added to the channel. An inlay is a second material, gold, platinum or wood, set into the band.

Both give a ring a line of colour. The inlay gives you hallmarked precious metal. The colour line gives you blues, greens and purples that no metal has naturally.

How anodised colour works: How zirconium grows its own colour.

Does an inlay ring go with a gold wedding ring?

It is one of the best ways to pair them. A partner with a gold ring and one with a titanium or black inlay band share the gold, so the two read as a pair without being the same ring. Yellow, rose and white gold inlays let you match the colour of the other ring.

Our free ring try-on draws an inlay band onto a photo of your own hand, so you can see the line of gold on you before you order.

Can you mix metals?: Pairing different metals and how they wear side by side.

Ring try-on: See an inlay band on a photo of your hand.