Precious Metals

Lauren B Jewelry of New York uses the finest quality precious metals in order to assure that the appearance and longevity of pieces sold by us last a lifetime. The two major types of metals used in fine gemstone and diamond jewelry are platinum and gold. The precious metal settings, in our jewelry, are the equivalent to a beautiful frame or backdrop that is used to house a piece of art. In the case of jewelry, art is the design patterns and gemstone combinations that form the jewelry we carry. Below, we will give you a brief overview of each metal and its use in jewelry, especially as it pertains to Lauren B Jewelry of New York.

PLATINUM Platinum is an extremely rare metal that is characterized for being very strong and dense, yet supple enough to be reworked into any number of jewelry designs. This valuable metal’s place in jewelry making traces back to ancient Egyptian times, and has experienced a noticeable resurgence in popularity of late, especially when it comes to engagement rings. Platinum is naturally white in color, and its natural luster acts as a beautiful setting for the brilliance and sparkle of diamonds.

In comparison to its white gold counterpart, platinum holds several advantages as a choice for jewelry, especially in the diamond engagement ring category. Platinum is a denser, stronger metal than white gold, which gives it a more substantial, weightier feel, while making it much more resilient to scratching. Also, because it is white in nature, platinum rings do not have to be rhodium plated to maintain its color. Lastly, platinum jewelry is made at least 80% pure, while gold jewelry can be as low as 58% pure gold- as is found in 14 karat gold. All the benefits of platinum also contribute to its one negative which is the high cost of this metal. Because platinum possesses many desirable characteristics from a jewelry standpoint, and is especially rare- found in only certain regions of the world- it is substantially more expensive than gold, making it impractical from an economic standpoint for some jewelry creations.

At Lauren B Jewelry of New York, platinum is regularly used in engagement ring settings and diamond wedding and eternity bands. We offer our clients the option to choose which precious metal they desire for their custom, hand-made, engagement ring settings. They can also opt for one of our many pre-set platinum engagement rings here or platinum engagement ring mountings.

At Lauren B Jewelry, our extensive fine fashion jewelry collection only has a handful of products that are set in platinum. In fact, our platinum jewelry collection consists of this diamond halo platinum stud earrings (far left) along with these dangling cushion cut diamond earrings (left) and this diamond necklace and diamond earring set (right), along with these two exquisite brooches (pictured to the bottom right). As a general rule of thumb, platinum is far more common in engagement and bridal jewelry, than with any other type of jewelry.

There is no right or wrong answer when it comes to selecting which precious metal to use for your diamond engagement ring or fine fashion jewelry. However, it is impossible to deny the exquisiteness and lifelong enjoyment that platinum jewelry brings its wearer.

GOLD

Gold is a rare metal that is commonly used in fine jewelry creations for its attractive, bright finish. Its aversion to rusting or breaking down unlike other, less durable metals, makes it popular choice amongst fine jewelry retailers such as Lauren B Jewelry of New York. Gold is naturally soft and very malleable, meaning that it can be shaped into most any jewelry design. All these attributes contribute to the enduring, and seemingly always increasing, value of pure gold and gold jewelry. In terms of jewelry, gold is generally characterized according to its level of purity, and its color.

PURITY

As a measure of purity, karat (abbreviated as “K”) is used to measure how much actual gold content is in the metal of the jewelry.

24 karat gold is 100% pure gold meaning that it is 24 out of 24 parts gold. However, it is too soft to be used for most jewelry and is not practical for everyday wear. Therefore, gold is mixed with other alloys to make it more durable and secure for gemstone settings, while at the same time making it more cost effective.
18 karat gold is 75% pure gold (18 out of 24 parts) and is mixed with other alloys such as palladium, copper, zinc, nickel and silver in order to make it more stable especially when it comes to settings created for holding different types of gemstones in place. At Lauren B Jewelry, a majority of our fine fashion jewelry collection is formed out of 18 karat gold because of the richer, more golden appearance it gives off than lower karat gold. Because it is a softer surface than lower karat gold, it also polishes much easier.
14 karat gold is 58.3% pure gold (14 out of 24 parts gold) and contains a higher content of other metals than 18 karat gold, making it a stronger, less malleable metal. Lauren B Jewelry carries a line of 14 karat gold jewelry, which serves as a less expensive and close substitute to 18 karat gold.

COLOR

When deciding to purchase fine jewelry, the other important factor to consider is the color of the gold. This decision can be a matter of personal taste on the consumer’s part; such as what color goes with your skin tone, or you may be simply looking to add variety to your jewelry collection. Current fashion trends within the jewelry industry may also dictate what color metals are most popular at the time. At Lauren B Jewelry, we design and sell elegant pieces with certain combinations of metal colors and different gemstones, based on our many years of experience as jewelers in New York’s Diamond District. We offer our clients a wide collection of appealing gold jewelry in the following colors:

Yellow Gold:

Yellow is the natural color of this metal, and is often thought of as the most classic color for fine jewelry making. Yellow gold helps fuse the colors together in beautifully crafted gemstone jewelry such as this sapphire and diamond 18k yellow gold ring (pictured above right). Yellow gold can also act as a beautiful, contrasting setting for white diamonds as in this delicately crafted 18k yellow gold and diamond link bracelet. For our more exclusive designs, Lauren B Jewelry only uses 18 karat yellow gold because it undoubtedly richer, shinier tone than 14 karat yellow gold.
White Gold:
This metal has arguably become the most popular in the world of contemporary fashion jewelry. To create its white appearance, gold is alloyed with lesser white metals such as silver and palladium, and then coated with another white metal called Rhodium. The Rhodium is very similar to platinum in that it is extremely white and strong, however it needs to be maintained (“re-rhodiumed”) every so often in order for the white gold to retain its appearance. Despite this need for constant care and being lighter in weight, white gold can be a very acceptable alternative to the far more expensive platinum. To the untrained eye, it is nearly impossible to detect any difference between white gold and platinum when it is used in jewelry. At Lauren B Jewelry, white gold is widely used in our diamond and engagement jewelry. White gold acts a stylish setting for bringing out the fire and brilliance of high quality diamonds found in our fine fashion jewelry collection and diamond engagement rings. Visit our New York showroom or conveniently shop our online collection of white gold jewelry.
Rose Gold :
This precious metal used for jewelry purposes is created by adding larger portions of copper (a reddish-orange metal) to the alloy mixture. Rose gold is a relatively new phenomenon in the jewelry industry, with its beginnings tracing back to just over a century ago. This metal has seen a noticeable spike in popularity of late because of its exotic yet elegant appeal to jewelry shoppers. At Lauren B Jewelry, we carry a full collection of rose gold rings, earrings, necklaces and bracelets adorned with an assortment of diamonds, pearls, precious and semi-precious gemstones (image: rose gold 1, rose gold 2). You can shop our online collection of rose gold jewelry here or we invite you to visit our New York store located in the world famous Diamond District.
Blackened Rhodium gold:
This color metal is created by adding black Rhodium plating to the gold alloy. Blackened gold can create a beautiful setting for all gemstones- especially black and brown diamonds, colored semi-precious stones, and pearls. Lauren B Jewelry carries fine fashion jewelry mounted in blackened gold- such as this pearl, diamond and sapphire 18k blackened gold ring (image GSR-5399) and this stunning 18k blackened gold and semi-precious gemstone bangle bracelet. Black rhodium gold is also a popular choice in our engagement ring collection such as this marquise shaped ring and this sapphire and diamond combination.
Two and three tone gold jewelry:
Different combinations of rose, white, yellow and blackened gold in the same jewelry piece creates a bold yet fashionably elegant statement when done properly. The different shades of these gold metals when used together can be very alluring. This 18 karat rose, yellow and white gold diamond bracelet and 18 karat rose and white gold ring is one of many multi colored gold jewelry items sold at Lauren B Jewelry of New York City.
At Lauren B, we pride ourselves on offering our customers a wide array of categories, styles, and colors of jewelry to choose from. Our salespeople are on hand to guide you through the buying process to ensure that you will end up with the type of jewelry that you will be satisfied with for years to come.