Yellow gold engagement rings are one of my favorite “trends.” Can something be a trend if it’s as classic as yellow gold? Probably not, but yellow gold engagement rings seem to be making a comeback. Yellow gold adds warmth and uniqueness to your engagement ring and makes it stand out against a sea of (still predominant) platinum and white gold.
Pure gold (24 karat) is too soft for engagement ring use – it would scratch, get marred and otherwise damaged way too easily. So usually you’ll see 18 karat (which is 75% gold) and 14 karat (which is 58.8%) yellow golds for engagement rings – what’s keeping them from 24kt? They’re alloys! An alloy is a blend of two or more metals, and the most common partners in crime for yellow gold are zinc and copper – in fact copper is responsible for the alloy we all know and love rose gold.
Because the alloys can differ slightly from brand to brand, you’ll notice a slight difference between the shades of gold on a Henri Daussi ring vs. a Tacori ring, for example. So when you’re scoping out yellow gold engagement rings and you notice different shades of yellow, it’s not just your imagination. And there isn’t a particular alloy that’s “better” so defer to your preference – though you will find more variety in 14kt, just because it’s more common (and a little less expensive.)
Yellow gold is also a great way to SAVE MONAAAAY! Not on the setting itself, but because of its implications for your diamond. You already know I advocate shopping for a diamond in the near colorless grade range to score a great deal without super noticeable color. But! If you shop for a yellow gold engagement ring, you can bump up your color grade even more because the yellow metal will make your diamond look whiter by contrast. Conversely, you can use yellow gold to boost the color of a more highly colored diamond that’s not yet on the fancy color scale but is definitely noticeably yellow. I’ve seen our jewelers at DBRL and RLJ work magic with these stones, setting like an M color in a yellow gold bezel that makes it look like a light fancy yellow (for a fraction of the cost.)
You can also mix and match white gold, rose gold, or another yellow gold wedding ring with your engagement ring for an even more unique look. It’s a fabulous option and I highly recommend you start scoping out both my Pinterest and DBRL’s for even more ringspo!
