Yellow Gold Engagement Rings
While platinum and white gold engagement rings are particularly en trend at the moment, no rings look more timeless or classic then yellow gold engagement rings. As a relatively rare material, gold is precious. So by combining it with the lofty characteristics of the diamond, that of strength and resilience, it creates gold diamond engagement rings that perfectly represent all the beauty and longevity of a long-term, committed relationship.
Gold itself has a host of beneficial qualities. It is resistant to tarnishing, is hypoallergenic and malleable, which makes it easy to shape. However it is this softness that means that gold in jewellery is not 100 percent pure but mixed with other metals to form an alloy. Metals like copper, silver, zinc or nickel are added to make it less flexible and able to withstand everyday use. Many people are allergic to nickel though which is why it is important to check this before looking for engagement rings.
Although yellow gold is perceived as less a la mode, it only has to be teamed up with a more modern cut of diamond or setting for it to be given a fresh new appeal. Yellow gold princess cut engagement rings, for example, not only look stunning but by using this square modified brilliant cut diamond they become strikingly contemporary items of jewellery. Alternative settings such as the pave, tension or rubover setting can also be used to produce original designs.
It may seem today that couples leave a period of time between their engagement and marriage because of the sheer amount of work and money involved in putting the event together, but once it was for a different reason altogether. In 1215, Pope Innocent III decreed that couples should leave a longer gap between when they became engaged, or bethrothed as it was known then, to the moment they got married. He stated that: "Marriages are to be . . . announced publicly in the churches by the priests during a suitable and fixed time, so that if legitimate impediments exist, they may be made known." This statement is now woven into the marriage ceremony itself.
