Yellow gold has spent years in the wedding ring wilderness after centuries of being the metal of choice for those tying the knot. But as the appeal of white gold and platinum starts to fade, a new generation is discovering the allure of the traditional gold wedding ring.
Wedding rings made from platinum and its less expensive alternative, white gold, grew in popularity throughout the late 1980s and 1990s. Partly because of what was seen as the clean, refreshing purity of silver and other white metals, and partly because of a wider backlash against gold jewellery, by the turn of the century gold rings were looking increasingly passé.
Pop stars and fashion styles can inspire wedding ring jewellery
However, inspired by a new breed of fashion designers and pop stars, the gold wedding ring is making a comeback. As the World Gold Council’s website proclaimed, celebrities from Britney Spears and Paris Hilton to Jessica Simpson have recently combined pastel vest tops and sawn-off shorts with “lashings of gold jewellery.”
Kesh, a 20-year old fashion designer and DJ, has caught the eye of musicians like MIA, Mariah Carey and Lupe Fiasco with what the Independent calls “her signature fusion of eclectic vintage, neon 1980s tracksuits and oversized gold jewellery.”
And the high end of fashion, in London at least, is often dominated by millionaires from the emerging economies like Russia and India, two countries whose traditional appetite for gold (especially for weddings in India’s case) is growing rapidly.
People buy their wedding rings to match their other jewellery, and as the fashion for white metals fades away, they want wedding rings in yellow gold again - to match other rings, bangles, necklaces and earrings.
Rising gold price matches eternal value of a wedding ring
After a soft period in the 1990s, the price of gold as a commodity has gone from strength to strength since 1999. And when people want to buy jewellery that will last - like an engagement or wedding ring, as opposed to costume jewellery or something to match this season’s outfit - they want to get something permanently valuable for their money.
For the time being, at least, gold - the most ancient form of wealth - only looks like gaining in value. And that is, for many people, the reason why it should be chosen to be a symbol of their eternal love.