Metals
The gold alloys I use are 14K yellow, 14K pink, and 14K palladium-white. 14K gold, regardless of color, is 58.5% gold. 14K yellow and pink golds are alloyed with copper, silver and zinc. 14K palladium-white gold is alloyed with copper, silver and palladium. Palladium is a member of the platinum group of metals and therefore gold alloyed with this metal is more expensive. Palladium-white gold is more grey and more yellow than the more usually available white gold, which is alloyed with nickel. The expense of gold has limited how many styles of gold rings I have in stock ready to ship. The gold rings in the "ring sets" and "new work" pages I have in stock but many of the gold rings shown on my home page are made to order. If a gold ring is patterned, I treat the gold surface with iodine before polishing to accentuate the design.
The sterling I use is 92.5% silver and 7.5% copper. Sterling reacts with the environment to form dark grey oxides. I deliberately oxidize my patterned sterling rings with sulfur to accentuate the design. This process will normally continue while the rings are being worn. The grey color will darken down in the design and will often appear on the interior surfaces of the ring. As we live our lives and rub our rings on doorknobs and insides of pockets, the exposed surfaces will remain clear of oxidation.
I believe my rings look best after they have been worn long enough to accumulate the patina of everyday usage. A less shiney surface accentuates the interplay of textures, patterns and metals.