We made this custom platinum mens wedding band for one of our clients this spring. From the top it looks like a classic mens wedding band, but from the side it has a sleek and modern look with channel-set accent diamonds along the sides of the ring.

With proper care, quality jewelry can survive through many generations. Most jewelry is durable enough to withstand the wear and tear of everyday life, but jewelry should be treated carefully to ensure that the metals and gems stay in good condition. Gold and platinum are strong metals and diamonds are scratch-proof, but neither are indestructible! If you're gardening, weight-lifting, rock-climbing, doing any kind of extreme sport or doing rough work with your hands, it's probably best to leave your rings at home. Going swimming, skiing, or taking a long walk on a sandy beach? Leave your rings at home. Looking for rings in the sand, pool, ocean, or ski slope is very tricky indeed. Does your ring feel loose enough to slide off your finger? Bring it in to have it sized so it doesn't fall onto the ground and get damaged.

Lastly, just because it's a diamond, doesn't mean it can't break or chip! If you have a delicate ring or piece of jewelry where the edges of the diamond are exposed, take extra care not to hit it against any hard surfaces. The diamond could crack or chip!

Here are some photos of damaged jewelry we've seen over the years...

Platinum wedding bands that are scratched up and dull from daily wear and tear.

A radiant-cut diamond with chipped and broken corners.

A tungsten carbide wedding band that snapped in half after falling on a tile floor.

We recommend having your jewelry checked every 6 months to make sure that the prongs are tight and the stones are not loose. This is good preventive maintenance, especially for more delicate settings or settings with little diamonds along the shank.

A bottle of jewelry cleaner is included with every purchase at Protea Diamonds. If you run out, stop by to pick up some more! We once had a client who read an old wive's tale that said leaving a ring in bleach overnight was a good way to clean her ring. By the next morning, the bleach had completely eaten away her platinum ring. Using a proper jewelry cleaner is the best way to keep your jewelry sparkly and clean. Don't feel like cleaning your ring yourself? Bring it by and we will clean it in our ultrasonic or steam cleaner!

Join us for a glass of South African wine
and browse our curated holiday collection.

We will have a hand-picked selection of gifts available for purchase, as well as sale pieces discounted up to 70% off!

Saturday, December 7th
11am-5pm

In store only.

It's good to know the different properties and characteristics of metals so you can make an educated choice regarding which metal will work best for your lifestyle. The most common metals used in jewelry are silver, gold, palladium, and platinum. Some alternative metals, mostly used in mens jewelry, include tungsten and titanium. Different metals are best suited to certain types of jewelry. Silver is a very common metal used in many types of jewelry, but as it is a soft metal, it is not appropriate for engagement or bridal jewelry.

Most bridal jewelry is made of gold or platinum. There are different shades of gold, the three most common being yellow, white, and rose. Gold also comes in different levels of purity, ranging from 9karat to 24karat. The two most appropriate for bridal jewelry are 14k and 18k, both of which are hard enough to securely hold a diamond in place and withstand years of wear and tear.

From left to right: 18K Yellow, 14K Yellow, Unplated 14K White, Palladium, & Platinum.

The majority of our customers usually find themselves debating between 14k white gold and platinum. Both are great choices for bridal jewelry: the main differences are the price and how the metals wear over time. White gold is naturally a bit yellower than platinum, as you can see in the photo above. To give it that platinum-like white finish, white gold is generally plated with rhodium. Both metals get scuffed and scratched from the normal wear and tear of daily life, but the maintenance involved in maintaining their original luster is a bit different. Once the plating wears off of a white gold ring, the jeweler will buff the ring to get rid of any scuffs or scratches, and then he will re-plate the ring with rhodium. A platinum ring can simply be buffed and polished to get back to its original finish, but technically you are losing a little bit of metal every time you choose to have it refinished.

Different metals in scrap form.

Differences between the karats of gold are more evident in yellow and rose gold. The karats correspond to the purity of the gold, so a higher karat generally means the color will be more intense. An 18 karat yellow gold ring will be yellower than a 14 karat ring. White gold, whether 14 or 18 karat, will look the same once plated with rhodium. Certain blends of white gold include a nickel alloy, which can cause allergies in some people.

Palladium is becoming a more popular choice as a white gold alloy due to its hypoallergenic properties and its naturally white color, which results in a white gold that requires no rhodium plating. Palladium, which is part of the platinum family of metals, has been used as a precious metal for jewelry making since the late 1930s. Mens bands can be made using pure palladium, but palladium women's jewelry (or any more intricate type of jewelry) is generally made from palladium-based white gold.

14K white gold in grain form.

Some things to ask yourself when trying to decide on a metal: which color suits you best? Yellow, rose, white? If you decide on white, are you allergic to nickel? If so, let your jeweler know. Perhaps palladium or platinum will be a better choice for you. If you are deciding on a ring, will it be worn next to an existing ring you already own? For example, if you have a platinum ring and are considering buying another ring to wear with it, getting the new ring in platinum is probably a good idea. A platinum ring and a white gold ring worn together will wear in different ways. Some people are bothered by the difference in color, and some aren't. It's all about your preferences and what you feel will work best for you!