Novell’s “Choosing the Right Metal” Brochure in Modern Bride

The April/May 2008 issue of Modern Bride magazine highlights the latest brochure from Novell Design Studio - “Choosing the Right Metal for Your Bridal Jewelry.” This brochure is designed to help the average consumer decide which metal will be the best choice for their wedding or engagement ring, as it is not only a symbol of love and celebration, but can also be an asset to be treasured in the years ahead.  

A Brief Overview of Each Metal
Each of the precious metals that Novell uses to manufacture their bridal jewelry – platinum, palladium and gold – can have a place in almost any jewelry collection. However, platinum and palladium both have additional benefits that contribute to nearly everlasting durability and longevity. Novell recommends that nearly every consumer should consider the following when selecting a metal for their wedding ring as well as other jewelry:

• Choose yellow gold if you prefer a yellow color metal surrounding your diamond, or if you simply desire yellow gold to other metals.
• Choose white gold if you prefer white color and don’t mind a ring that may lose its whiteness over time or due to wear.
• Choose palladium for a silvery white color that lasts, but may currently be considered less treasured than platinum.
• Choose platinum for an eternally white, naturally enduring metal, whose beauty and rareness will be treasured for generations.

Seven Other Factors to Consider When Choosing Bridal Jewelry
In addition to platinum, palladium or gold, tungsten and titanium are also other options for wedding rings. Novell suggests consumers look into seven more factors while making their decision. They are as follows (but not ranked by importance):

• Intrinsic value - This is the basic worth of the metal. Prices of all metals fluctuate according to supply in the market and demand by consumers.  The more pure and precious a metal, the more limited its availability tends to be.
• Life span - In addition to a metal’s ability to withstand wear and tear, lifespan is judged by certain practicalities. Both platinum and tungsten are highly durable. But tungsten rings can not be resized. If your fingers change over time, and they usually do, a tungsten ring would have a far shorter lifespan than platinum.
• Purity - How much precious metal content does your ring actually have? 14K gold is a mix of 58% pure gold and 42% non-precious metal. 18k gold is 75% pure. Platinum, palladium, titanium and tungsten are all at least 90-95% pure, but of these metals, only platinum and palladium are considered precious.
• Surface strength - All metals scratch, but with gold that scratch actually removes a sliver of metal. With platinum, scratching just ripples the surface. The displaced metal can be moved back into place by polishing.
• Restorability - Can your ring be made to look new again? Can it be refinished, re-sized, or re-conditioned easily? Platinum performs beautifully in each case. Something that can’t be said for the other metals.
• Rarity - This relates not only to the scarcity of a given metal, but to the demand for it in uses other than jewelry. For example, while supplies of both platinum and palladium are very limited, platinum is utilized in far more ways than palladium. Medical and industrial interests also compete for this already scarce metal. Greater demand on a smaller supply makes platinum more highly prized.
• Hypoallergenic qualities - Hypoallergenic metals reduce or minimize the possibility of an allergic response by minimizing potentially irritating substances. Platinum and palladium are the only hypoallergenic precious metals.

The “Choosing the Right Metal for Your Bridal Jewelry” brochure is available as a free download at http://www.novelldesignstudio.com/choosing_your_metal/. 

More About Novell
Novell Design Studio has prided itself on continually bringing innovation to the wedding ring industry. The company currently specializes in customizing its designs to suit individual's particular needs, tastes and diverse lifestyles. Since no consumer should just have to settle for what is on the shelf, Novell can specially manufacturer almost all of their wedding ring styles in many variations – wider, narrower, in different metals (platinum, palladium or gold), with different finishes, and much more. Novell wedding rings are sold at over 1,000 authorized jewelry stores nationwide. Visit www.novelldesignstudio.com to find the authorized retailer in your area.