14K vs 18K vs Platinum

[DreamingOfDiamonds]

In your opinion, which is the best investment when purchasing a RHR? 14K, 18K, Platinum? Please share your thoughts. Admittedly I own a lot of 14K but debating going into 18K territory (I know platinum is also desired)

 

[MamaBear]

My default is platinum! I just like it for the longevity and not needing to replate.

 

[marymm]

for white metal I choose platinum

for yellow metal I choose 14 / 18 / Higher Karat depending on which is most complementary to that piece's design/stones

 

[LilAlex]

...which is the best investment...

Whatever makes the ring look best. The difference in metal cost or content is almost negligible when expressed as a percent of a PS-caliber center stone (or trio). The overall appearance of the ring can easily impact the price two-fold except for maybe five-figure center-stone rings. So in most PS "use-cases," overall appearance way outperforms metal selection.

14K is often shorthand for a maker's unwillingness to over-invest in the modest gem value so I would only use 18K or Pt if I had (eventual) re-sale in mind.

 

[Lookinagain]

I think it's just personal taste. I have 14k yellow and white; 18k yellow and white and platinum. I've also had rings made with DK's 14k antique yellow. DK's 14k white doesn't need to be re-plated so that isn't an issue for me. I tend to go with 14k yellow (either regular or the antique) as I like the more muted color, so again, I think it's just personal preference.

 

[dk168]

For my RHRs (3 to date), they are all platinum, as they are worn more often than my rings for my left hand, and I CBA to have them plated from time to time.

DK

 

[Mrsz1ppy]

I really love platinum for it‘s strength. I also love the fact that you never loose it—it just moves over, unlike gold which can wear off.

 

[glitterata]

I've come to dislike white gold. For white metal, it's platinum for me--unless I use silver, which was the go-to white metal until the 20th century.

 

[SparkleMax]

For me the marketing term "a diamond is forever' while maybe not totally factually correct gets to the fact that of all the common colourless gemstones like cz, corrundum and moissanite, the diamond stone will >>likely<< hold up the best over time. Sure diamonds can be damaged and may be more prone to catastrophic damage but surely the most common damage to shiny stones would be surface scratches?. This, in my mind, makes diamond the best choice for gemstones in rings that will have sentimental value.

I don't really understand why the same concept is not pushed more with the metal of the ring. Platinum to me is the "diamond" of metals, as in, it is forever. It doesn't wear away over time and doesn't need to be re-plated. A good platinum alloy will also hold the stone in place more securely, reducing the likelihood of another mode of catastrophic failure in the ring.

Through some frustrating days of research I have come to understand that even this analogy is a bit of a simplification as "gems ain't gems" and "metals ain't metals". The alloy of the metal will make a huge difference to its properties. So much so that it may be the difference between a metal alloy being considered "ageless" and not, even in the same "class" of metal. Take pt950-50x for instance. Platinum 950 - 50 ruthenium 50 is considered a pretty great all round choice and would be considered top quality and ageless even in its "as cast" form. Pt950-50 iridium on the other hand may be not worthy of the status of premium metal in its "as cast" form. A prong set ring made of pt950-50ir "as cast" may not have the physical properties necessary to be considered "ageless' or "heirloom quality", even with the physical characteristic of "smooshyness" rather than "crumblyness" as with WG.

Here is an easy to understand article link going into a bit more detail on Pt alloys and there physical properties. https://www.ganoksin.com/article/platinum-alloys-features-benefits/

Maybe in terms of investing platinum could be considered a pure asset with minimal liability component, in its ring form, as it is "steady state". WG on the other hand is a depreciating asset as it physically deteriorates with a liability component in terms of plating. Platinum, if the propaganda is to be believed, it about 10x more rare than gold. In my guestimation platinum has a greater likelihood of "going to the moon" as it has unique properties that make it useful in, among other things, "green" tech.

If you can afford it, and the piece of jewellery will hold sentimental value. I would 100% opt for pt950/ru or pt900/100ir and if possible get a "hammered" ring. I value it to the extent that if I was price constrained on a ring purchase I would sacrifice carat weight on a diamond to achieve it.

That's just me though, each to their own.