Contemporary metal
Precious inlay
Real gold, contemporary price
A channel machined into titanium or black zirconium and filled with solid 9ct gold or platinum. You get real precious metal on the face of the ring, hallmarked, for much less than a band made entirely of it. It is the honest middle: not gold plated, not gold coloured, actually gold. The gold is 9ct because it is the harder alloy, and a narrow line set flush in a hard metal needs to wear at something like the same rate.
Right for
- Wanting gold without a gold budget
- Mixing metals with a partner's ring
- A ring with a visible centre line
Choose something else if
- You want a solid gold ring rather than gold on the face
- You want one metal with no join in it
Honestly
The inlay is a few millimetres of precious metal, not a precious-metal ring. Each ring page gives the widths it is made in and what the band weighs, so you know exactly what you are buying.
Resizing. 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. More on which rings can be altered.
Measure with the free size finder and every ring is made to that size. If you are not sure yet, order with "I do not know yet" and we confirm the size with you before anything is made, and an unengraved ring can come back within 30 days.
In this material
22 rings
Gold line, titanium
Solid gold inlaid down the centre of brushed titanium.
Rose line, titanium
Solid 9ct rose gold down the centre of brushed titanium.
Gold line, black
Solid yellow gold set flush into satin black zirconium.
Rose on relieved black
Three tones: bright edges, black shoulders, rose gold centre.
Three tone
Bright edges, black shoulders, a gold line down the middle.
Trinity knots, gold inlay
Trinity knots cut through a solid gold inlay.
Twin gold lines, titanium
Two fine lines of solid gold, set into brushed titanium.
Rose gold edge lines, titanium
Two lines of solid rose gold framing a satin titanium centre.
Offset gold line, black
A 1.5mm line of 9ct gold set off centre in black zirconium.
Offset rose line, titanium
A line of 9ct rose gold set off centre in titanium, with a groove beside it.
Offset gold line, titanium
A line of 9ct gold set off centre in titanium.
Gold line, black dome
A grooved line of 9ct gold around the centre of a domed black band.
Gold line, three diamonds
Three diamonds set into a solid gold line.
Hammered black, gold line
Hand hammered black with a solid gold line.
Platinum line, titanium
A line of solid platinum set into brushed titanium.
Rose and yellow gold inlay
Two golds side by side in one wide inlay.
Wide gold inlay, titanium
Three millimetres of solid gold down the centre.
Brushed gold inlay, titanium
A wide gold inlay, heavy wire brushed with the titanium around it.
Twin platinum lines, titanium
Two fine lines of platinum, set into titanium.
Celtic, gold lines
Celtic knotwork between two solid gold lines, on a broad band.
White and rose gold lines
One white gold line and one rose, side by side.
Dashed white gold line, titanium
A white gold line, broken into dashes.
Weighing it up
Compare it against something else
Read more
Guides about precious inlay
Before you choose precious inlay
Precious inlay questions
- Can a precious inlay ring 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.
- Is precious inlay hard wearing?
- Its surface sits at Mohs 8.5. For comparison, airborne dust contains quartz at Mohs 7, which is why anything below that picks up fine scratches from ordinary wear. This is comfortably above that line.
- Is precious inlay hallmarked?
- Yes, at the Birmingham Assay Office. Gold over 1g and platinum over 0.5g must legally carry a UK hallmark, and ours do.
- How heavy is a precious inlay ring?
- 7.2 grams per cubic centimetre. Titanium is the lightest thing we make at 4.5 and platinum the heaviest at 21.4, so this sits in the middle of the range.
- Is precious inlay safe for sensitive skin?
- Yes. It contains no nickel, which is the metal that causes almost all jewellery reactions.