For customers who like the look of white metal, but not the price tag of platinum or white gold, sterling silver has long been the alternative of choice. In recent years, however, it has been joined by stainless steel, then titanium and tungsten—”tough” metals that helped boost the popularity of jewelry among men. The metals boast everything from strength (steel) to lightness (titanium).

As these alternative metals arrived on the jewelry scene, the industry’s relaxed attitudes toward combining “precious” and “nonprecious” materials paved the way for the use of diamonds and other stones in silver and these other metals, further expanding their popularity.

Today, these hip white alternative metals find a strong and growing audience among the equally style- and price-conscious—namely, younger consumers, especially men.