by Tina Murtagh
Although class rings dropped in popularity for a period, they are once again a sought after piece of memorabilia. So popular, in fact, that class ringselection isdisrupting school halls! Besides this, they are also making an adult jewelry comeback.
Are you busy planning your class ring? If so, it's important that you know which metal type to choose.
Sterling silver and lustrium are two popular metal types for class rings. If youaren't sure of the difference betweensterling silver class rings and lustrium options—keep reading as we break down the differences between these two metals.
Price
One of the first considerations when it comes to sterling silver graduation rings vs. lustrium rings is their price points.
Sterling silver is typically more expensive than lustrium, as it is a higher quality jewelry metal. Lustrium rings are cheaper, as they are an alloy of two non-precious metals, nickel and chromium.
Although silver college graduation rings and class rings are more expensive, it is possible to find affordable options if you know where to look. For example,we stock sterling silver class rings for less than half the price than most other classring retailers.
Durability
Another important factor when it comes to comparing sterling silver graduation rings and lustrium rings is durability. Sterling silver is generally more durable than lustrium.
The reason for this that sterling silver is harder and more scratch-resistant. Like lustrium, sterling silver is an alloy. It is made up of92.5% pure silver and7.5% of an alloy metal, generally copper.
The copper component of sterling silver makes it stronger and more durable than pure silver.
As mentioned above, lustrium is comprised of nickel and chromium. Although these are not precious metals, they still offer a good level of durability. However, lustrium isn't as hard-wearing as sterling silver.
What's more, some sellers will market plated copper rings as lustrium. While the price point on these may be low, if you are unlucky enough to buy one of these rings, you will soon see the plating wearing off and the copper shining through.
Appearance
Another thing to think about when deciding between asterling silver class ring and lustrium options is appearance.
Lustrium comes in two colors, white and yellow. These colors closely mimic the look of gold and silver. To the untrained eye, lustrium is often indistinguishable fromthe precious metal counterparts it's designed to imitate.
Sterling silver only has one hue, that of silver. However, sterling silver has a significant advantage when it comes to appearance. Sterling silver will not turn your finger green.
On the other hand, the highnickel levels in lustrium jewelry canoften oxidize and leave green marks on your fingers. As you can imagine, this is not a good look!
Resizing and Repair
If you are trying to decide between a sterling silver class ring or a lustrium ring, you should also think about resizing and repair.
This is an important consideration. If worn a lot, jewelry can sustain damage. As you grow older, it's also likely that your fingers will change size.
There are a lot of reasons for this. Weight loss can cause your fingers to become thinner. Weight gain can increase finger size.
With age, one's fingers can alsogrow very slightly, thanks to a small amount of growth hormone that the body continues to produce. Besides this, health conditions such as arthritis can also increase knuckle size.
Rings made from precious metals can be easily resized or repaired. This is becauseprecious metals are malleable andbonded well with themselves.
Lustrium, on the other hand, is not so easy to repair. This is because onceit hashardened, lustrium is difficult to reshape or bond. The reason for this lies in its nickel component, which becomes brittle once formed.
Thanks to this, lustrium rings are also very difficult to successfully resize.
Which Should I Choose: A Sterling Silver Class Ring or Lustrium?
Now that you know the differences between sterling silver class rings and lustrium rings, which is the better option?
The answer to this will depend on your individual needs.
If you place a lot of value on your education and would like to invest in a high-quality ring to commemorate this—then a sterling silver class ring will probably be the better option.
You should also consider how much you want to wear your ring. If you are planning to wear your class ring on an ongoing basis, then sterling silver will once again be the better option. Should the ring sustain damage, you can easily get it repaired.
What's more, if your fingers change, resizing your sterling silver class ring won't be an issue.
On the other hand, if graduation isn't a momentous thing for you, or you don't plan on wearing your class ring, then lustrium can be a convenient budget option.
Take a Look at Our Affordable Sterling Silver Class Rings
Overall, sterling silver class rings are usually the better choice. They look better for longer, can be easily repaired and resized, and won't turn your fingers green.
Although sterling silver class rings are more expensive than lustrium options, we have some good news for you.
We stock some ofthe best sterling silver class rings at very affordable price points. If you take a look at our shop, you will see that our sterling silver graduation rings and sterling silver women's ringsat less than half the usual price point. Not only that, but they are of better quality than competitor options.
Ready to commemorate your graduation in style? Browse our online sterling silver class rings today.
