For some men, buying a wedding ring is the first time they have purchased a valuable piece of jewelry for themselves; making the process of choosing a ring can be daunting. Before you start shopping for wedding bands, it is a good idea to learn a little bit about some of the newer precious metals that are now available.

One of the most exciting developments in the world of wedding rings has been the introduction of palladium wedding rings. In case you are unfamiliar with this metal, it is a jeweler’s dream come true. Not only is palladium whiter than white gold and much less expensive than platinum; it is also hypoallergenic and extremely durable.

Men’s palladium wedding rings are a great choice for the man who wants the look and feel of platinum without the price. It is actually considered one of the “sister” metals of platinum, and shares many of platinum’s unique characteristics, like being hypoallergenic, naturally white, durable, strong and non-tarnishing. In fact, in many areas of the world, platinum and palladium are mined together. First used as a “strategic metal” and reserved for military purposes only, palladium was never really considered a jeweler’s metal until diamond-setters began using it. A newly formulated alloy made from 95% premium white palladium and 5 % ruthenium, known as PD950, has made this metal an excellent choice for men’s wedding rings.

When you compare other jewelry metals to palladium men’s wedding rings, you will notice that comparably priced metals don’t measure up to the pure whiteness of palladium. For example, white gold only becomes white because pure yellow gold is mixed with other metals, like zinc and nickel. That’s why white gold always has a slightly yellowish tint. Sometimes it is electroplated to appear whiter, but these coatings eventually wear off. If you want to buy a ring that is naturally white in color, without costing a fortune, then a men’s palladium wedding ring is the perfect choice.

The weight of a palladium men’s wedding ring is similar to that of 14k gold, so it is neither too light nor too heavy on the hand and feels very comfortable on the finger. If you’ve ever tried on a platinum ring, you know that they are at least 60% heavier than gold or palladium wedding bands.

As for durability, the allure of palladium is that it is virtually tarnish-proof and is strong enough to absorb sharp blows and mars, rather than wearing away like gold does.

Basically, palladium gives you many of the same desirable features as platinum at a much more reasonable price. It is just as white as platinum, and much whiter than white gold, never needs rhodium plating, is hypoallergenic, and more precious than white gold. But the best part of all is that palladium, on average, is about one-fifth the price of platinum.