Is 18K gold worth the extra money?

[mustangman65]

Hi, I'm looking to buy an engagement ring. My girlfriend prefers regular gold (not white) and I was wondering if the 18K is really worth spending extra for? What's the difference for regular gold color? Won't 14K be better? Someone told me 18K is too soft for every day use, is that true? What about the higher karat golds? Like 21K, 22K, is it a good idea for an engagement ring?

[Yosef]

Of course 18K gold is worth spending extra money for. Yes 14K is more durable. But 18K has more luster and a slightly deeper color depending how it's alloyed of course. Even 21K and 22K can be worn daily but you will just have to be careful with it. The higher karatage it is the softer it is of course, an you'll want a thicker ring that will deform less (won't bend) and you can have polished many many times to make it look brand new again.

If you want a yellow metal I strongly suggest 18K gold. Europeans wear 18K gold all the time and they have no problems so neither should you :)

[Mervyn L. Cohn ASA]

Ask your jeweler to show you rings of both metals side by side so you can see for yourself how much whiter the 14K is compared to the 18K. It is true as above that the 14K being less pure gold will wear better, but ladies don't wear them as hard as men so it really won't matter all that much. The big difference is visual and seeing in this case maybe believing.

[ken7700]

18K gold can be used. Everyone keeps telling me that getting it in a ring is not something I want because it is not very durable. Now I know the truth. Thanks everyone.

[ukmarkyj]

Just to reassure you, 18ct gold is probably the most widely sold metal for engagement rings in the UK. It is both durable and less costly than Platinum.
Platinum is very popular although when used for rings under $1000, it will usually mean you spend more on the ring mount than on the diamond.