What is the lightest metal for a wedding ring?

Which metal is the lightest for a wedding ring?

Titanium. At about 4.5 grams per cubic centimetre it is the least dense metal we make rings in. The Royal Society of Chemistry describes it as being as strong as steel but much less dense, which is exactly what you want from something worn every day.

Zirconium comes next, at about 6.5. It is the metal our black zirconium rings are made from. After that the precious metals begin and they are a big step up: sterling silver is 10.4, 9ct gold 11.4 and platinum 950 20.1.

Ring weight calculator: Any metal, width and size in grams.

Is titanium good for a wedding ring?: Weight, scratches, skin and resizing.

How much does each metal weigh as a wedding ring?

For a plain court band in UK size N, 6mm wide with a 1.6mm wall: titanium about 2.2g, zirconium 3.2g, sterling silver 5.1g, 9ct gold 5.6g, palladium 950 5.9g, 18ct gold 7.7g and platinum 950 9.8g.

At 4mm wide the same order runs from 1.5g in titanium through 2.1g in zirconium, 3.7g in 9ct gold and 5.1g in 18ct gold to 6.6g in platinum. So a wide titanium ring is still lighter than a slim gold one: an 8mm titanium band comes to about 2.9g, less than a 4mm band in 9ct gold.

Titanium ring weight: Every width and size in grams.

Platinum ring weight: The heaviest of the ring metals.

Why are titanium rings so much lighter than gold?

Density. Size for size, 9ct gold weighs about two and a half times as much as titanium and 18ct gold about three and a half times. The more gold in the alloy, the heavier the ring.

Platinum 950 is the heaviest of all, at about four and a half times the weight of titanium. That settled weight on the hand is the reason some people choose it.

9ct gold or titanium: Weight, price and wear side by side.

Does a lighter ring feel cheap?

No. A titanium band is solid metal all the way through, with nothing to plate or replate. The low weight is what makes a wide band comfortable from the first day.

Some people do like to feel a ring on their hand. If that is you, 18ct gold or platinum gives you that weight. To see how a width looks before you choose, the ring try-on draws any of our rings onto a photo of your own hand, free.

Ring try-on: See a ring on a photo of your own hand.

Rings for men who never wear jewellery: What feels least like wearing a ring.

What else changes how heavy a ring is?

Width matters most. Double the width and the weight doubles, so in the same metal an 8mm band weighs twice a 4mm one. Wall thickness comes next: a 6mm titanium band in size N comes to about 1.6g with a 1.2mm wall and 2.8g with a 2mm wall.

Ring size changes the figure only a little. A line of gold or platinum set into titanium adds very little too, so an inlay ring weighs close to its titanium base and nowhere near solid gold.

Band width guide: Widths from 2mm to 10mm.

Inlay wedding rings explained: Solid gold set into a lighter, harder metal.

Which light ring should you choose?

For the lightest ring of all, plain titanium. For a light black ring, black zirconium: about 1.4 times the weight of titanium, with a harder surface. For a light ring with real gold in it, a titanium band with an inlay of solid 9ct gold, which is also a good way to have gold without the weight of a gold band.

Most durable wedding ring metal: Which metal scratches least and lasts.

Cheapest metal for a wedding ring: Every metal in price order.