New Diamond Rings

We are very proud to present to you our new huge selection of diamond rings. This is a brand new collection for 2007 and feature all styles, including 3 stone, 5 stone, half eternity, full eternity, greek key, gents diamonds rings, and diamond solitaire engagement rings. All of our diamond rings feature superior quality diamond stones. This means they are well cut and of extra-high quality in terms of colour and clarity. These are not just standard commercial quality diamonds that you may find from other places. We are certain you will be impressed with them. What's more is that most of our diamond rings are made from 18 carat gold, as opposed to 9 carat.

Because of our low overheads, we are able to offer nearly all of these rings at nearly 60% off the genuine manufacturer's RRP.

This particular line is generally made to order and therefore not all sizes are stocked in our Reading jewellers. Delivery time is usually from 3 days up to one week, depending on the diamond ring size you require.

What is white gold?

As with rose gold, technically speaking there is no 'white gold'. Because gold is an element it only has one colour: yellow.

So how is white gold made? White gold is made from mixing gold (yellow) with other metals to create a neutral colour. Common metals used to mix with the gold are silver, nickel and palladium. But mixing a yellow metal with a white one doesn't quite produce white. It produced a dull 'grey' colour. To get from this grey metal to the white, shiny platinum-type colour the white gold is coated with a metal called rhodium. This technique is called rhodium plating. This gives white gold a bright and shiny finish.

A downside of white gold, is that with extended use the rhodium plating will eventually begin to wear off, exposing the duller colour of the white gold underneath. Fortunately this is not permanent, and almost any piece of jewellery can be re-rhodium plated and restored back to its original white gold colour.

Often we have requests to change a yellow gold piece of jewellery into white gold. Yes this can be done, though we don't often recommend it. It can be rhodium plated and afterwards it looks identical to white gold. However when the rhodium does start to wear off it exposes the yellow gold underneath, meaning the jewellery requires regular maintenance of the rhodium plating.

White gold jewellery has become very popular recently, and is often seen as a more modern alternative to traditional yellow gold jewellery. It is often said that white gold helps to improve the appearance of diamonds because the metal that is reflected is of white colour.

We sell a large selection of white gold jewellery for sale in both 9 carat and 18 carat.

Rose gold (pink gold)

It is commonly thought that rose gold is actually a type of gold which is yellow. This is incorrect. Gold is an element, and is yellow. There are no other colours of gold. So where does 'rose gold' come from? It is an alloy made of gold and other rose coloured metals.

So, to make the rose colour, gold is simply mixed with red colour metals such as copper. Various different tones and shades of 'rose' can be made by adjusting the proportion of gold and copper. This is perhaps why the term rose is used to describe some shades, and pink to describe the lighter shades.

Pure gold is rarely used to make jewellery. This is because it is a soft metal, and is easily misshaped in its pure form. This is why gold is almost always mixed with other metals to form a harder alloy. It also reduces the cost because the other colours are less expensive.

Rose gold is often used to make chains and bracelets. It is not a common type of gold but it is often asked for, which is why we stock a strong selection of rose gold jewellery.

More information on gold chains

We have a large selection of gold chains that is forever changing. We are proud to feature nearly all styles of chain, from curb and anchor to prince of wales and byzantine. All of our chains are 100% solid unless otherwise stated. This means we do not sell cut-down and lighter hollow versions of our gold chains - as often you will find with other online jewellery stores.

When selecting a gold chain you should consider how it is going to be used. If a pendant is to be hung on it then you must ensure that the bail on your pendant is large enough for the chain to pass through. We aim to provide as much information as possible on our gold chains, however if you wish to know any further information on any item then please contact us. We can supply you with any measurements, including the width.

9ct Versus 18ct

9ct gold and 18ct gold are the most common types of gold purity you will find in the UK jewellers. One of the most common assumptions is that 9ct is stronger than 18ct. This is not necessarily true. It depends on the other types of metal used to make up the rest of the allow. Generally, jewellery items made from 18 carat gold are of a higher quality anyway, and therefore use harder and higher quality metals in the alloy.

Another assumption is that 9ct and 18ct items should not be worn next to each other, in case one wears the other out over a period of time. Generally this is not a real issue. There is not a significant difference in the hardness between the two, and wear will always occur when rubbing is involved, even if two metals are identical.

The main difference between 9ct and 18ct is 1) the colour - 18ct has more gold so is a more rich "gold" colour 2) knowing that you simply are wearing more pure gold.

Information about types of gold

Confused about what "carat" means? Is "ct" the same thing? Please visit our new gold information section to find out the answers to these questions, as well as explanations as to the various types of gold alloys and why some are more expensive than others.

Gold bracelets

Out of all the types of gold jewellery, a gold bracelet is one of the most popular types of item. They come in similar styles to gold chains, allowing the wearer to match the two items together to be worn as a set. Generally, men wear a bracelet which matches their chain, and usually the bracelet is a little heavier or more substantial. A curb style is the most common type of gold bracelet.

Ladies tend to wear fine and dainty looking bracelets, which are often set with gem stones such as diamonds or coloured stones. Another common form of bracelet which is worn by women is the charm bracelet. This allows the wearer to attach gold charms. This is often done over a period of time, and often the gold charms are collected from different places around the country or world, to help signify specific memories. Gold charms can be used to symbolise memories or occasions.

We are proud to have a vast range of both gold chains, bracelets and charms and we are sure you will find our prices to be the best in the UK.