Stereotype of yellow gold wearing woman vs white gold / platinum

[Anonymous]

Trends are cyclical. I just inherited my grandmother’s wedding band and engagement ring from the early 1930’s. It’s a white gold setting that looks very modern and contemporary.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Kind of like how one PP mentioned that a decade ago her small ruby and yellow gold ring wasn’t necessarily cool, I think there is a stereotype of gen X women with platinum engagement rings with large diamonds who were traditionally “cool” or trendy a decade ago. It looks dated now.

I agree with this but it’s only partly about the material/color. That ring from like 2000ish to 2015ish (you know what it looks like) is embarrassing in a way that having a ring that is “off-trend” can’t be. It just marks you as a bandwagoner. Also, the “it” ring from this era is really showy, too, so it sticks out. To me it’s kind of anti-style. It’s like “I I don’t have taste at all, I just saw a ring on tv/in rom coms/in magazine ads/on my friend, and decided that was my dream too.”

Have you seen the current trends? Your post reeks of the trendy “other generations suck” attitude which is naive and immature. I’m guessing you’re not old enough to have friends getting married now. Because as ALWAYS, there are trends. Right now it’s 2-3 carat center stones with a halo on a thin band. The upcoming trend is thick and stacked again like….gasp…the 90s.

And newsflash, a lot of men make this decision on their own. Fewer with each passing decade but yes, they still do. Insulting men who, with great pride and care, picked something for someone they love is an ugly look. Much uglier than following a trend.

PP here:

- I'm 42. And before you ask, I'm married. Got married in 2014. I'm referring to my generation.
- Most of my friends who have this ring either picked it out themselves or provided their partners with fairly specific instructions as to materials, shape, size, etc. Even the ones whose partners technically picked out the ring "on their own" had a good sense of what their gfs wanted because of the way they fawned over certain other friend's rings.

Of course there are always trends, and some people follow them and some don't. My point is that engagement ring trends are funny because people will follow trends so aggressively that they all get the same ring, but they will claim (and actually believe) that this is just their unique dream ring and always has been. But in hindsight, you can tell of course that they just bought in hard to current trends.

My advice to people getting engaged now would be to ignore all engagement ring trends and instead look at your own style and jewelry and think about what kind of ring you want to be wearing when you're 60. If you do this, you'll never regret your choices, whether they wind up being on trend or not, because it will feel like you. I have a lot of friends who don't wear their rings anymore or whoare having them re-set because they got caught up in what they were supposed to get instead of what felt authentically like them, and now their ring feels generic and not sentimental. And engagement ring should be a very sentimental jewelry choice.

It's pretty hard, though. I've always been the person who marches to my own drum in terms of style, but once marriage became a possibility and I started checking out the rings, all I saw was kind of in the same style-of-the-day. I did look at antique stores and off beat artisan stuff, but even there you can't be sure that you are not falling into a trend. I mean, looking at vintage stuff is sobering - you look at some things and wonder that apparently someone at some point thought it's a good idea, but who and how?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is a weird question, to be honest.

I wear yellow, white, and rose gold. I typically mix them.

What is the issue, again?

Rose gold is a whole different ballgame - there is definitely a stereotype around people who wear rose gold. Trend chasers.

Um, my rose gold stuff is close to 100 years old. Some trend!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is a weird question, to be honest.

I wear yellow, white, and rose gold. I typically mix them.

What is the issue, again?

Rose gold is a whole different ballgame - there is definitely a stereotype around people who wear rose gold. Trend chasers.

Um, my rose gold stuff is close to 100 years old. Some trend!

lol yes, these kids bashing trends are just too young to realize these things existed before they did. It’d be cute if they weren’t so snobby about it.

[Anonymous]

OP, you are totally making up a stereotype that does not exist.

Why?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Kind of like how one PP mentioned that a decade ago her small ruby and yellow gold ring wasn’t necessarily cool, I think there is a stereotype of gen X women with platinum engagement rings with large diamonds who were traditionally “cool” or trendy a decade ago. It looks dated now.

I agree with this but it’s only partly about the material/color. That ring from like 2000ish to 2015ish (you know what it looks like) is embarrassing in a way that having a ring that is “off-trend” can’t be. It just marks you as a bandwagoner. Also, the “it” ring from this era is really showy, too, so it sticks out. To me it’s kind of anti-style. It’s like “I I don’t have taste at all, I just saw a ring on tv/in rom coms/in magazine ads/on my friend, and decided that was my dream too.”

What ring is embarrassing? My ring form 200 is nearly identical to my mom's from the 60s. It also looks just like the one on the cover of one of the main bridal magazines in 2000. Why would anyone be so insecure as to be embarrassed about their rings?

[Anonymous]

I, personally, don't see the appeal of dipping gold in a different metal or mixing it to make it a different color. I understand that lower karat gold is mixed with other metals to make it more durable, but I don't see the appeal of changing its color. It's very beautiful in its natural form. But I am also from a culture that uses primarily 22K gold, so I have always had very yellow gold. I own some 18K and very little 14K.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What does one make you think of vs the other? Yellow gold makes me think of old money vs platinum rich suburbia. Am I off base?

1000% off base.

Old money doesn't do yellow 14 k gold LOL

ABSURD

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What does one make you think of vs the other? Yellow gold makes me think of old money vs platinum rich suburbia. Am I off base?

1000% off base.

Old money doesn't do yellow 14 k gold LOL

ABSURD

OP didn't say anything about 14K sweetheart.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes there definitely are stereotypes.

Yellow gold is perceived as cheap and flashy. Don't always agree with it, but that is a known stereotype.

I think because it’s more commonly worn (historically) by black and Latina women - as it looks better on these skin tones generally.

I’m Latina and switched from wearing predominately silver to gold jewelry a few years ago. I think gold became trendy last year. I did however ask for a platinum wedding set when my DH was getting ready to propose (earlier this year) - I just think it looks more striking.

This is so sad. Does racism have to permeate every aspect of life? I’m not very hopeful for humanity.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m unaware of any stereotype about this.

Not a stereotype but - growing up in Vancouver there were many recent East Asian immigrants who wore a lot of very yellow gold that l was told was close to 24k. Like they were wearing their wealth. I’ve heard pure gold is very soft it’s better to use up to 18k for making jewelry.

Personally l prefer yellow gold because as others have said, it looks nice with my skin tone.

Are you some some sort of expert? 22k gold is that norm in India and other places.

Also "wearing their wealth" sounds gross and sort of racist, PP. How is wearing a lot of gold jewelry different than a big engagement ring on a white woman?

Ok smarty pants, I googled it for you.
24K (100% pure gold)
Being the highest karat of gold, it’s easy to assume that 24K is the “best” gold to buy, but that isn’t necessarily the case. Pure gold can be easily scratched and bent, so it’s impractical for daily wear (yet the most expensive). You wouldn’t want to do housework while wearing a set of 24K bracelets, but if you’re planning on attending a red-carpet event and want to make a statement, it might be another story.
22K (92% gold and 8% alloyed metals)
Even a modest mixture of only 8% alloyed metal makes 22 karat gold a touch stronger and more durable than pure gold. Nevertheless, care will need to be taken with this blend as it’s still the softest form of mixed metal jewelry.
18K (75% gold and 25% alloyed metals)
This is the most traditional mix of gold and other metals. 18K pieces tend to have a deeper yellow tone than 14K. Because of the higher gold content in 18K pieces, it will also yield a higher price than 14K, and is usually a sign of a higher quality piece of jewelry.

The wearing their wealth is what l heard from an East Indian. Many cultures display wealth in different ways. Acknowledging that isn’t racism. For example, an immigrant Chinese friend invited me over for a Chinese New Year feast. Her parents generation was close to starving. So now their new year feast they have more food than anyone can possibly eat. It’s a display of wealth because they had so little just 1 generation ago. It’s not racism to discuss culture. If you look down on someone for it, maybe that’s racism.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Kind of like how one PP mentioned that a decade ago her small ruby and yellow gold ring wasn’t necessarily cool, I think there is a stereotype of gen X women with platinum engagement rings with large diamonds who were traditionally “cool” or trendy a decade ago. It looks dated now.

I agree with this but it’s only partly about the material/color. That ring from like 2000ish to 2015ish (you know what it looks like) is embarrassing in a way that having a ring that is “off-trend” can’t be. It just marks you as a bandwagoner. Also, the “it” ring from this era is really showy, too, so it sticks out. To me it’s kind of anti-style. It’s like “I I don’t have taste at all, I just saw a ring on tv/in rom coms/in magazine ads/on my friend, and decided that was my dream too.”

Have you seen the current trends? Your post reeks of the trendy “other generations suck” attitude which is naive and immature. I’m guessing you’re not old enough to have friends getting married now. Because as ALWAYS, there are trends. Right now it’s 2-3 carat center stones with a halo on a thin band. The upcoming trend is thick and stacked again like….gasp…the 90s.

And newsflash, a lot of men make this decision on their own. Fewer with each passing decade but yes, they still do. Insulting men who, with great pride and care, picked something for someone they love is an ugly look. Much uglier than following a trend.

PP here:

- I'm 42. And before you ask, I'm married. Got married in 2014. I'm referring to my generation.
- Most of my friends who have this ring either picked it out themselves or provided their partners with fairly specific instructions as to materials, shape, size, etc. Even the ones whose partners technically picked out the ring "on their own" had a good sense of what their gfs wanted because of the way they fawned over certain other friend's rings.

Of course there are always trends, and some people follow them and some don't. My point is that engagement ring trends are funny because people will follow trends so aggressively that they all get the same ring, but they will claim (and actually believe) that this is just their unique dream ring and always has been. But in hindsight, you can tell of course that they just bought in hard to current trends.

My advice to people getting engaged now would be to ignore all engagement ring trends and instead look at your own style and jewelry and think about what kind of ring you want to be wearing when you're 60. If you do this, you'll never regret your choices, whether they wind up being on trend or not, because it will feel like you. I have a lot of friends who don't wear their rings anymore or whoare having them re-set because they got caught up in what they were supposed to get instead of what felt authentically like them, and now their ring feels generic and not sentimental. And engagement ring should be a very sentimental jewelry choice.

I think that's hard to do because most of us aren't out buying new rings every year, honing our own personal ring style. It's hard to be inured from current trends, just in the same way it's hard to be injured for wedding planning, too. I mean I am as "not like other girls" as you can come, and even still my 2011 wedding has lots of marks of being a 2011 wedding. Just for kicks I looked up current engagement ring trends, and they are great looking (to me) - if I were getting engaged today I'd totally get so many of these and feel like they represent my Own Personal Style:

https://www.thezoereport.com/fashion/engagement-ring-trends-2023

[Anonymous]

One way to avoid getting swept up in engagment/wedding ring trends is to develop a jewelry style before you get engaged. My rings were made at the same jeweler where I'd had several pieces of everyday jewelry made a few years prior (a pair of small diamond studs, a pendant necklace, and a couple narrow bangles). The style is very delicate and understated. When we got engaged my DH initially talked about going to one of the more traditional engagement ring stores, but I suggested at least checking out this jeweler with whom I had this relationship. It was perfect. My rings wound up looking very me, and fit in with all my other jewelry. We got my DH's wedding band there too. And he's since bought me a couple anniversary presents there. It was really useful to have an established style, and to own a couple good quality (but by no means super expensive) pieces of jewelry beforehand so I knew what I liked and what looked good on me, and worked well with my lifestyle and wardrobe.

I think that's how you avoid being overly trendy in these choices. Of course you still wind up following some trends (my rings definitely reflect certain trends of the year I got them), but it means that they will be trends you actually like and can live with because you were drawn to that style outside the frenzy of "I'm getting married!" That's the advice I'll give to my daughter -- establish your preferences and style early so you can make more informed choices if/when the time comes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m unaware of any stereotype about this.

Not a stereotype but - growing up in Vancouver there were many recent East Asian immigrants who wore a lot of very yellow gold that l was told was close to 24k. Like they were wearing their wealth. I’ve heard pure gold is very soft it’s better to use up to 18k for making jewelry.

Personally l prefer yellow gold because as others have said, it looks nice with my skin tone.

Are you some some sort of expert? 22k gold is that norm in India and other places.

Also "wearing their wealth" sounds gross and sort of racist, PP. How is wearing a lot of gold jewelry different than a big engagement ring on a white woman?

Ok smarty pants, I googled it for you.
24K (100% pure gold)
Being the highest karat of gold, it’s easy to assume that 24K is the “best” gold to buy, but that isn’t necessarily the case. Pure gold can be easily scratched and bent, so it’s impractical for daily wear (yet the most expensive). You wouldn’t want to do housework while wearing a set of 24K bracelets, but if you’re planning on attending a red-carpet event and want to make a statement, it might be another story.
22K (92% gold and 8% alloyed metals)
Even a modest mixture of only 8% alloyed metal makes 22 karat gold a touch stronger and more durable than pure gold. Nevertheless, care will need to be taken with this blend as it’s still the softest form of mixed metal jewelry.
18K (75% gold and 25% alloyed metals)
This is the most traditional mix of gold and other metals. 18K pieces tend to have a deeper yellow tone than 14K. Because of the higher gold content in 18K pieces, it will also yield a higher price than 14K, and is usually a sign of a higher quality piece of jewelry.

The wearing their wealth is what l heard from an East Indian. Many cultures display wealth in different ways. Acknowledging that isn’t racism. For example, an immigrant Chinese friend invited me over for a Chinese New Year feast. Her parents generation was close to starving. So now their new year feast they have more food than anyone can possibly eat. It’s a display of wealth because they had so little just 1 generation ago. It’s not racism to discuss culture. If you look down on someone for it, maybe that’s racism.

And you certainly sound like you're looking down on people, so....

Also "East Indian" is not an appropriate term to use, so you can just f_ off, lady.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is weird.

Most people wear yellow gold if they look better in warmer colors and white gold / silver if they look better in cooler colors.

Correct. I am a silver sort of jewelry-wearer, and have many sterling silver items as well as platinum items. Platinum is a lot more expensive! They're the setting for my Mikimoto pearls, as well as my engagement and wedding rings. No white gold, for some reason.

Questioning this. Mikimoto doesn't have a platinum option currently. Us this an older piece? I generally like yellow gold. But for mikis I always do white gold, for station necklaces etc. I thought yellow gold makes pearls look more ivory. But it's probably just a trick if the light