If you want to help keep the cost of your engagement ring down, white gold is the way to go. White gold engagement rings are a great substitute to platinum rings and they are quite difficult to tell apart.

In this article, I will outline the differences between white gold and other metal types commonly used in engagement rings (such as yellow gold and platinum). I will also share some other ring alternatives if your goal is to score a great ring without breaking the budget.

So then why get a white gold engagement ring rather than another kind of ring? Here's a chart showing some similarities and differences between all three:

Some gold engagement rings are plated or coated with a different material. This is usually done to increase the durability of the ring (because gold is a "soft" metal) or the image/color.

White gold engagement rings are sometimes coated with rhodium which is a type of platinum. Since the colors are about the same, rhodium is put on the ring to make the ring more durable and long lasting. Unfortunately for your wallet, rhodium is one of the most expensive precious metals according to wikipedia.

Yellow gold engagement rings are sometimes also coated with platinum. This has a two-fold purpose since it increases ring strength and changes the appearance to silver.

Since white gold is less expensive than platinum, you should expect to save some decent money on your engagement ring. The only way to save more money on your ring is to change what you want on it (smaller diamonds, rubies instead of a diamond, etc) or to get an engagement ring made with silver.

For other cost effective engagement rings, you might want to look at:

• Cubic zirconia engagement rings
• Gemstone engagement rings
• Solitaire engagement rings
• Cheap diamond engagement rings
• Emerald engagement rings