Comparison
Precious inlay or Titanium?
Choose precious inlay if you want real hallmarked gold on the ring without paying for a solid gold one. Choose titanium if you want the lightest ring we make, or a wide band that would be heavy in anything else.
- Harder surface: Precious inlay (Mohs 8.5 against 6)
- From: precious inlay £385, titanium £165
- Resizing: precious inlay, slightly larger; titanium, slightly larger
Checked .
| Side by side | Precious inlay | Titanium |
|---|---|---|
| Surface | Two metals in one band | Solid metal, no plating |
| Hardness (Mohs) | 8.5 | 6 |
| Density | Varies by design | 4.5 g/cm³ reference |
| Resizing | Slightly larger | Slightly larger |
| Hallmarked | Yes, by law above the exemption weight | No, not a precious metal |
| Our rings from | £385 | £165 |
Which is heavier, precious inlay or titanium?
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 precious inlay more expensive than titanium?
Titanium costs less: precious inlay rings start at £385 and titanium rings at £165 in our range. An inlay ring carries a line of solid gold set into the band, which is why it starts higher than plain titanium.
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 6 for titanium, so it picks up fewer everyday marks.
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.
Titanium. About 4.5 g/cm³, the lightest metal we make rings in, and solid all the way through, so there is no plating to wear and a mark is only ever a mark in the same metal. It picks up fine surface lines with daily wear. Most of our maker’s rings are Grade 2 titanium; the stronger Grade 5 is kept for tension-set designs, where its extra strength holds the stone, and it is no more scratch resistant.
Can precious inlay and titanium rings be resized?
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.
Titanium: A little, and only larger. Titanium is not cut and rejoined like gold, but the inside of the band can often be machined to make it slightly bigger. Because it cannot go smaller, the size is settled when you order and the ring is made to that measurement.
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
Precious inlay is hypoallergenic and a common choice for sensitive skin. Titanium 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. 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. The UK hallmarking guide explains each mark.
Our verdict
Precious inlay if you want real hallmarked gold on the ring without paying for a solid gold one. Titanium if you want the lightest ring we make, or a wide band that would be heavy in anything else.
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.
Gold line, titanium
Solid gold inlaid down the centre of brushed titanium.
Plain titanium
The lightest ring we make, and the simplest.
Rose line, titanium
Solid 9ct rose gold down the centre of brushed titanium.
Explore the fit and weight
Common questions
- Is precious inlay or titanium harder wearing?
- Precious inlay has the harder surface: Mohs 8.5 against 6 for titanium, so it picks up fewer everyday marks.
- Is precious inlay heavier than titanium?
- 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 precious inlay more expensive than titanium?
- Titanium costs less: precious inlay rings start at £385 and titanium rings at £165 in our range. An inlay ring carries a line of solid gold set into the band, which is why it starts higher than plain titanium.
- Can both be resized?
- 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. A little, and only larger. Titanium is not cut and rejoined like gold, but the inside of the band can often be machined to make it slightly bigger. Because it cannot go smaller, the size is settled when you order and the ring is made to that measurement.
- Are both hallmarked?
- 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. 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.