If you have your heart set on gold wedding bands, you've got several key decisions to make. The first one is about color. Most people choose between yellow and white gold wedding bands.
Yellow gold wedding bands continues to be more popular than white gold wedding bands, which I find surprising... I will openly share that I like white gold better than yellow gold... in my mind, it has a more contemporary look. The difference in color between yellow and white gold is determined by the metals used in the alloy mix. Yellow gold is made by combining pure gold with alloy metals such as copper and zinc. White gold is comprised of an alloy of gold and some white metals such as silver and palladium. White gold rings are typically coated with another white metal called rhodium. Rhodium is a metal very similar to platinum and has many platinum properties.
The rhodium plating is used to make the white gold look more white. Unfortunately, the rhodium does wear away eventually. This is a definite down-side to white gold rings--and for those of us who like our possessions to be low maintenance. To keep a white gold ring looking like new, it should be re-plated approximately every year to year and a half. However, most local jewelers are able to rhodium plate jewelry for a relatively low price. Now, that I've had my white-gold engagement ring and wedding band for over a year, it really is time for me to seek out a local jeweler to get the rings re-plated.