There are many alternatives to Gold, Silver or Platinum now a days. Choosing the one that is best for you is not as hard as you think. Cobalt Chrome, Titanium and Tungsten are just a few examples.
As you can see from above there are many options when it comes to tungsten jewelry. The great thing about tungsten is that it is highly scratch resistant. Moreover, there are a variety of color options when choosing this metal. It also works very well with Ceramic to make your color options even broader. A coating can be used on the tungsten also. However, if this is scratched it will show through. Still another drawback however to tungsten is that it tends to be rather brittle. Therefore if dropped on tile or any other hard surface chances are it shatter. Very important to remember if ordering a ring in Tungsten, it is not able to be resized. Therefore, know what size you are looking for ahead of time.
As mentioned above, ceramic is a nice option along with the tungsten. The color options really are vast and since it is completely through the material it will not scratch off. However, much like the tungsten it is a brittle material and also can not be resized.
Cobalt chrome is still another alternative. With this option you get the whitest of white in all of the contemporary metals. Furthermore, this option is shatterproof and the most scratch resistant of the alternative metals. It can be scratched but these scratches are easily buffed out by your favorite jeweler. For these reasons it is a great choice for those of you that feel you are very rough on your jewelry. Cobalt chrome is one of the most versatile of the metals. It is easier to manipulate and therefore lends to more creativity in its designs. It is not easily sized however. A seem will show where additional metal has been added. It does not blend like gold or silver.
Finally, I would be remiss if I didn't mention Titanium. This metal is stronger than steel but lighter than aluminum. It too is a workable metal and therefore creativity is available. Can it break? Yes, but it takes a lot of work. This is also why this option, like the others, can not be sized. It is gray in nature but can be polished to give it a bright white look. This option has been around for awhile and therefore can be a little more costly but still much less expensive then gold or platinum.
The ring in the center is a great example of combining metals. It is titanium with a Mokume Gane inlay. Mokume Gane is the ancient art of folding metals in such a way that a pattern emerges (blog Feb 2015). As I mentioned before, the options for any of these are truly endless.
The list of alternatives to gold, platinum and silver can go on and on. However, I know you don't want to be reading this blog for the next three days. Lets just say gold, platinum and silver are here to stay and will be for a long time to come. However, you are not limited to just those three options anymore. Do some research and be sure to have your ring size when choosing one of these. These options are not just for men. A lot of women are choosing alternatives to the top three as well. As I have said in the past, your jewelry represents who you are and who you want to be. Have fun with it!